Diversity Please

So I’m rummaging through my wine closet for something to go with dinner last weekend (still need to get a proper storage receptacle) and I noticed something. Row after row of California wines with a few Pacific Northwest gems thrown in for good measure. On the surface, there’s nothing wrong here. I’m simply taking advantage of living in California, one of the greatest and most bountiful countries making fine wine in the world. On the other hand, variety is the spice of life, and I can’t help but feel compelled to expand my horizons and explore the international waters if you will. The only import wines I have in my closet are a North Carolina Meritage of all things, and a Crianza from Spain I’ve been dying to get into. Oh, and a forgettable Spanish Garnacha I purchased from BevMo when they were having one of those buy one get the second for 5 cents sale events. Oh well, win some lose some.

Truth be told, my small stockpile of California wine has quietly gnawed at me for some time now- the general lack of depth in my “cellar” that is. I’ve also been thinking about the differences between the wine I currently possess, and all of the other wines from regions beyond California. Time for a change. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to have the small repository of vino and enjoy the local bounty immensely. And even though I have a number of varietals to choose from, albeit primarily red, it’s largely representative of the California, new world style of wine making. Much of the wine I have is big on fruit, flavor, somewhat high in alcohol (14 to 15%), and in your face! Rest assured, many of the wines are balanced, but definitely not timid wines. Indeed, the past two years our (Siege and I) wine tasting has focused on Napa and Sonoma counties almost exclusively. We did go to Washington last year, and we would have explored much more if we weren’t foiled by those extremely generous folks over at Chateau St. Michelle. The guy just kept pouring the juice– he was a mad man I tell you!

In any case, I need a something different, and as we all know, there is much to choose from. The wines that have peaked my interest lately are more reserved in style and a bit lighter on their feet than many of the California Zinfandels, Syrahs and Cabs that normally catch my eye, or uh, taste buds that is. I’ve heard great things about 2008 Oregon Pinot Noir- critics are calling it a benchmark year. And it’s always nice to go back to Italy and check out Piedmont and Tuscan wines, those are always fun. Of course there’s plenty of adventure down in Southern Italy in Puglia or even Sicily. That’s what is so incredible about the world of wine; the options are limitless. So these questions remain my fellow oenophiles: Do you find yourself drinking the same kind of wine or style week after week? Does your wine collection, large or modest, boast diversity, or champion uniformity in terms of style. Hopefully in future posts you’ll start to see an array of varietals and pairings instead of Zin, zin, zin–cab, cab, cab– well, you get the idea. Here’s to diversity!