[imcarthur]

Ah . . . wine . . . another favorite subject . . .

Lot’s of good advice above but the bottom line is: you have to learn the grapes you like.

Not living in the US, we don’t have the barrage of American wine clogging the shelves & our LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario – the world’s largest purchaser of wine) does a decent job of buying a good selection of world wine.

My favs:

Tempranillo – Spanish Rioja – the best bargain in decent wine
Sangiovese – the Italian workhorse grape - Tuscans (often blended with Cab), Brunellos, Chiantis etc – mid-priced & very predictable in a good way
Nebbiolo – Barolo, Barbaresco, Gattinara – big & bold but not cheap
Pinot noir – Burgundy – always expensive & you have research to buy good years only – but worth it – US examples are becoming more interesting every year
Bordeaux – not a grape but a blend – given enough time (always a problem for impatient consumers) they are much more complex then the mighty pure (and boring) Cabernet – US Meritage is the American equivalent but they don’t have the same complexity as their French cousins imho

I am not a big fan of white wine, but a good French Sauternes or Canadian Riesling Ice Wine will always tempt me – neither is cheap however

That’s what I cellar . . .

Ian