Selecting a White Wine

Filed in archive Wine Tasting on June 7, 2006

I have to admit that I often find it difficult to pick a white wine. They just aren't my favorites like a good Shiraz or Pinot Noir. Okay, yes, a Riesling it pretty darn tasting on occasion, but on a regular basis, I prefer a wine that is Hardy and musky, a power wine if you will.

But, there are a good number of white wines out there to select from. It is really a matter of matching your taste to the right wine, and this article from Publix does a pretty good job of mapping out white wines, "Great White Adventures - June 2006." It covers crisp and clean tasting wines such as Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc to more rich wines such as Gewürztraminer:

So, with all those bottles out there, how do you choose the right white? Sure, it's easy to reach for Chardonnay; after all, the Queen of Whites has been America's number-one selling white wine for years. That means a lot of wine drinkers like it, right? Well, maybe they're simply stuck in a rut, not knowing what to drink amidst the shelves and shelves of other whites appearing alongside their tried-and-true Chard.

If you're in that boat, here's your guide to choosing crisp, well-made alternatives that will provide delicious diversions from your usual. The wines are grouped by style; if you like one in a genre, keep sampling similar grapes in that style.