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In Wine, White is the New Red

It's time to take a second sip of white - no spritzers allowed

By Charlie Deal
Published: Aug 26, 2008

Wanna spot the poser at your next dinner party? It’s the person talking seriously about wine but only drinking reds. Having been mistakenly led to believe that whites are just a simple quaff before the main event, these hopeless sinners of wine are missing out on what could be the best juice on the table.

As a chef, I drink far more white than red mostly because they’re so much easier to pair with food. Trying to pick a wine at a restaurant that will go with everyone’s entrees? Unless you’re all doing red meat, a sturdy white is often going to do the job much better than pretty much any red. And if you’re simply thirsty there’s no contest. Whites win hands down.

So be-damned the haters and taste these “forbidden” fruits.

The Main Players

There’s a reason Chardonnay has been planted all over the world and beaten into your head like an overplayed pop song. It’s because it can be amazingly delicious. The secret (a reoccurring theme, actually) is acid. Enough acid and Chardonnay’s glorious fruits are perfectly framed. Not enough and it becomes flabby, like a salad dressed only with oil.

Not long ago, we started to get flooded with lots of bad Chardonnay. Everyone blamed the fact that it was “too oaky”. However, the problem is really that much of it is being grown in the wrong places (usually too hot) and not developing enough acid. After all, slap some oak on great Chardonnay grapes and you get a wine that is sexy and opulent. On the other hand, take the oak away from bland juice and you may have removed the only thing it had going. Well, unfortunately, that’s exactly what many producers are doing, so now instead of getting bad Chardonnay with oak, they’re bringing you bad Chardonnay without oak. Color me surprised.

So stick to the cooler regions and you’ll be fine. A few safe bets? Burgundy, France and Carneros or Central Coast in CA. Of course, bring your checkbook. There are tasty wines to be had for a song, but Chardonnay usually isn’t one of them.

Look for: Hess Collection Su’skol Vineyards ($23)- Rich and ripe pear and vanilla-caramel flavors with just enough brightness to rein it in.

Sauvignon Blanc is the grape that has made the most of Chardonnay’s waning popularity because it has that precious zestiness we covet. It is grown practically everywhere and is responsible for a stunning swath of flavor profiles from austere minerality, bright citrus tones, or flamboyant, in-your-face tropical bouquets. Depending on your tastes or what you’re cooking up, there’s likely one for you.

New Zealand has stolen the spotlight of late with its unmistakably vibrant grapefruit flavors but don’t look past the motherland where France’s Loire Valley makes some of the most regal examples in Sancerre and Pouilly Fume. Just below the radar are riper versions from Sonoma, South Africa, and South America, with the later being the best place to mine for values.