Styles Defined: Discover Yours

The New Year has just begun, and with it New Year's resolutions. Have you resolved to try something new? If you're thinking about wine, we've got a few ways to make it easier. If you have a wine you like, find other wines with similar virtues. Or explore and branch out to something different. We've created a few descriptive categories, so you're not left groping in the dark.

Wine can be divvied up in a number of ways; geographical region was a favorite for a long time, and then California changed the emphasis to separating wines by their grapes. We think the most practical category is one that tells you what a wine tastes like; if you like Bordeaux, it's because of the way it tastes, and you'd probably enjoy a wine that tastes similar even if it came from somewhere else or was made from a different grape.

Oak Aged vs. Crisp and Refreshing

Among white wines, a major dividing line is whether the wine is aged in oak barrels or stainless steel tanks. The former tends to be fuller and creamier, with less-pronounced acidity. The oak can add a number of different flavors - spice, smoke, vanilla, butterscotch - and the winemaker aims to balances the flavors of the grape with the flavors of the wood. Chardonnay is the most common oak-aged white, but some Sauvignon Blancs or even Viogniers can take well to oak - the Abundance Vineyards Talmage Block Viognier is a great example of the latter.

Wines aged in stainless steel are "au naturel;" you get the grape's own flavors, with no distractions. These are usually lighter, higher in acidity, and more refreshing. There are a lot more grapes to choose from in this category - Pinot Grigio like the Terra di Gioia, Chenin Blanc, Spain's Albariño. even some Chardonnay fits the bill - and you'll find a wide range of fruity flavors from the different varieties.

Red's wider spread

A useful generalization for most wines is the difference between Old World wines (from Europe) and New (from pretty much anywhere else). Basically, Old World wines tend toward earthy flavors, and the New World puts the emphasis on fruity. It's just a generalization, with the usual number of exceptions, but it's true enough that we corral some of our reds into an "Old-World Style" group. In addition to their flavor profile, theses wines also tend to be less full-bodied; on the whole they aim for style and elegance over exuberance.

At the opposite end of the red spectrum lie our "Big and Bold" wines. These full-bodied characters leap out of the glass with their rich fruit flavors. Some say these wines can overwhelm food; a better way of looking at it is to say they go very well by themselves. The Abundance Vineyards Abundantly Rich Red sums up this category, both in its name and its flavors: dark fruits, raspberries, and a whiff of spice (serve it with meats, barbecue, and Mexican food to prove the critics wrong about big wines). Interestingly, many of the same grapes that turn up in "Old World-style" wines can also yield one of these big boys: Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz - it all depends on climate soil, and winemaking.

Many reds offer a third way, wines we like to call "Versatile and Velvety." These are usually the most food-friendly of the red wines; typically they are medium-bodied, and often have slightly more acidity than their peers - a touch that makes them particularly suitable at the table, balancing well with a variety of dishes. Pinot Noir is often noted for its food-friendly character, but it's hardly alone. These wines are also good for large groups, offering a little bit for everybody, no matter what their taste.

Sparkling

With the New Year passed, the tendency is to make a big mistake and neglect Champagne and other sparkling wines for 11 months. Make a late New Year's resolution that you'll find easy to keep and promise yourself that you'll make sparkling wine a regular part of your wine choices. While it's the perfect wine to celebrate with and Valentine's Day is just around the corner, we often forget that it also makes a wonderful aperitif and actually matches well with a variety of foods (owing, again, to high acidity, which helps cleanse the palate between bites). Why wouldn't you want to recreate that festive, bubbly feeling all year long?

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