Last weekend, I conducted a wine tasting as part of a fundraiser for a local dance company in our neighborhood. No, I am not much of a dancer myself but three years ago a neighbor asked if I would consider helping them out, and I readily agreed. So this was the third year that I have done the event, which has been a lot of fun. But there is also some work involved: Coming up with a theme, researching the wines, and trying to figure out something to say that doesn’t make me sound like a pompous ass, or worse, a bumbling idiot.
There is also the task of choosing the wines. This year, I decided on the “New World vs. Old World” idea, which also worked out (more or less) with the dances that were performed in between tasting the wines.
In a nutshell, Old World wines (pretty much anything made in Europe) tend to be earthier, subdued, higher in acidity, and more easily paired with food. Thus, as you may have guessed, New World wines are not that (again, in general) as they tend to be fruitier, bolder, lower in acidity, and not necessarily made with “dinner” in mind.
There are no “right” or “wrong” wines to choose for a big tasting (there were about sixty people at my event), but there are always considerations: budget, availability, and choosing wines that are different enough so that the casual drinker can discern the nuances of the wines.
I knew I wanted two whites and two reds (there was only time and budget for four wines) and I wanted to focus on the differences in style (New vs. Old World), so I wanted to use the same variety in each pairing. I settled on Sauvignon Blanc (my neighbor and organizer of the event has a strong aversion to Chardonnay) and Zinfandel/Primitivo (I won’t get into the whole debate about whether they are the same grape variety or not–they are close enough).
The two whites were easy. I saw a nice Sancerre on Wines Till Sold Out for $20 and even though I had not tried the Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc in a while, I knew what it would be.
2023 Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Malborough, New Zealand: Retail $15. Under screw cap. In the 30 years since the founding of the brand in 1996, Kim Crawford wines (now owned by Constellation Brands) have become ubiquitous, carried by virtually every establishment that sells wine in this country. It had been a while since I had tried one, but it is just how I remember it, bright, fruity, tons of cut grass and cat pee, with nice acidity and a relatively short finish. For about thirteen bucks? I guess you could do worse, but I know you could do better, too. Very (?) Good. 87 Points.
2023 Jean-Paul Picard Sancerre Le Chemin de Marloup,Loire Valley, France: Retail $35. Responsible bottle (584g; 1lb 4.6oz). Under cork. 100% Sauvignon Blanc. I have never met a Sancerre that I didn’t like and this is no exception. Quite light in color with plenty of tart lemon and lime on the nose with white flower, a bit of sea salt, and wet rock. Close to a whoa. Really close. The palate is equally delightful with all the requisite fruit, plenty of acid, and just enough intrigue to bring it all together. Excellent. 92 Points.
The Zin/Primitivo pairing was a little more problematic. While the New World/Old World dichotomy (Europe vs. Everywhere else) is fairly straightforward, in reality, some European producers are making “New World” wines and plenty of winemakers in the U.S. are trying to emulate the more reserved “Old World” style.
So what to do? Easy, pull some corks. I bought four wines from my local H-E-B (I love my H-E-B), two Zins from California, and two Primitivos from Puglia (the “boot” of Italy).
2020 Klinker Brick Old Vine Zinfandel, Lodi, CA: Retail $22. Heavy Bottle (6770 g; 1lb 7.6oz). I have only positive vibes from Klinker Brick as they hosted me back in the day for a bit of a tour/press trip and we ended up at a dinner back at the winery. They couldn’t have been nicer. Sure, I found their wines a bit heavy handed and on the verge of “over-the-top” but there were kind folk at the winery and I have nothing but pleasant memories. As for this wine? Dark and perfumed berries along with a heavy baked blackberry pie thing going on. There is a mocha, overly chocolate aspect here as well. On the palate, it is what I expected: loaded with fruit and bits of character but as it vies for “excellence”, it falls just short. The mocha finish is just a bit over the top. Very Good. 88 Points.
2020 St. Francis Zinfandel Old Vines, Sonoma County, CA: Retail $22. Heavy Bottle (650g; 1 lb 6.9oz). 80% Zinfandel, 20% Petite Sirah. After trying a few domestic Zins for my Old World/New World tasting in a few weeks, this was a welcome change to the bombastic, overly extracted domestic Zins that I had tried. But. This will not factor into my tasting as it is too Old World: fruity, yes, but restrained (at least in comparison), earthy, tart, balanced. Yeah, this is a very good wine, excellent, even, but it is a piss-poor representative of “New World” wine production. It is pretty close to gangbusters, particularly at this price. Excellent. 91 Points.
2022 Luchi Primitivo, Puglia, Italy: Retail $22. Stupidly heavy bottle (905g; 1lb 15.9 oz). Under agglomerated stopper. I was doing a bit of research for an upcoming tasting I am doing: New World vs. Old World. I had chosen a couple of Sauvignon Blancs to start and then opted for a Primitivo/Zinfandel comparison. I grabbed this off the shelf. Popped. Poured. Ugh. Extracted, mocha, overly fruity, contrived. I tried really hard to find merit in this wine, but from the stupid bottle to the insipid contents, ugh. Squared. Good? 86 Points.
2021 Vigneti Zabù Primitivo VANITA Salento IGT, Puglia, Italy: Retail $16. Very Responsible bottle (495g; 1lb 1.4oz). Under cork. I was doing a bit of research for an upcoming tasting I am doing: New World vs. Old World. I had chosen a couple of Sauvignon Blancs to start and then opted for a Primitivo/Zinfandel comparison. I grabbed this off the shelf. Popped. Poured. Yum. Medium color, good fruit, spice, and a bit of earth. Well. And I have to say, closer to a “Whoa” than I would have thought when I plucked this from the middle shelf of my H-E-B (I love my H-E-B). Yeah, we may have a winner here for the tasting. And at thirteen bucks? Yeah, Bingo. Excellent. 90 Points.
While I liked the St. Francis wine more, it was certainly more Old World in style while the Klinker Brick was precisely what I wanted: big, bold, brawny. On the Italian side, the Vanita Primitivo was wonderful and while certainly not shy, it was earthier and more acid-driven. The Luchi? It was a bit of a hot mess and definitely was looking to be more New World in style (but failed, in my opinion).
So the moral of the story? Try The Wines before you choose them!
the drunken cyclist 