Wine reviews º Reviews of French wines plus free online tasting reports from Italy

updated in 2008

Wine reviews

"It is only an auctioneer who can equally
and impartially admire all schools of art."
Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist, 1891

Let me present wines that are special: uncommon and diverse.

International style

label of Dry Comal Creek french colombard, Texas, 1998

Many wines taste the same - whether they are made in California, Bordeaux, Spain or Australia. This "international style" shows high alcohol and big density. It gets good ratings by tasting impressive (mouth impact, "fruit bomb"). This style sometimes uses new oak and always uses much technology.

Easy drinking can prove convenient or tiring over time -- depending on your tastes. Big style has become a standard because it is comfortable on the drinker and a means of power for part of the wine business.

Here are related reviews:

Tasting notes of some French red wines that fail to interest;

Reports on a few efficient and famous vintners in Italy.

Alternate wine tastes

My drinking pleasure dances along with alive or vibrant wines:

purity of winemaking (no added sugar, no added yeast, low sulfur, etc.);

balance: healthy maturity of grapes, freshness.

These two qualities imply that the wines good well with drinking -- as opposed to wines good at tasting competitions. They often show in wines typical of their areas of origin or true to the personalities of the growers. Are irrelevant: elitism or tradition.

Label of Loimer, Austria, Kamptal, Grüner Veltliner, Auslese, 2003 vintage

The wines in the magazines or on most shelves are not the most interesting. In complement recommended wines can be hard to find. This is why the tasting pages also show addresses of wine stores.

The bottle recommendations always use the same above criteria. Tasting the recommended wines will broaden your wine appreciation and it will strengthen your own taste.

Here are the selections for French wine, backed by tasting notes:

French red wines of value: Complete set | available in the US.

French white wines of value: Complete set | available in the US;