A few days ago we were shopping for wine in a local market. One of the things we do habitually when we discover a local store or market with a wine section is just browse. You can often find wines you've heard or read about, or sometimes it's simply fun to try a wine you've never heard of, or read about, and had no idea existed, or the wine buyer might highlight a particular personal favorite wine, or a temporary special purchase. Then you go home and look up the winery, and . . . and pretty soon you've written a blog post.
While we were browsing, the wine buyer came over and asked what we were looking for (I was actually looking up a wine on my iPhone), and could she help us? She was courteous and pleasant, so we explained that we were shopping specifically for Washington and Pacific Northwest wines, having recently relocated to the region. She asked what sorts of wines, so we showed her our current picks: a 2006 Gewürtztraminer from Silver Lake Winery in Washington, a 2006 Special Harvest Riesling from Idaho's Ste. Chapelle, and a bottle of Washington's Pacific Rim 2007 Dry Riesling, also in Washington.
She made an odd face, and suggested that we might do better to shop German wines for Rieslings. She found the American versions too fruity, and too sulfite-laden to be enjoyable. She finds most Washington wines too brash to really enjoy. If she's going to buy a bottle of wine for herself, she looks to France and Germany, and expects to pay at least $25.00.
Now, I'm all for individual preferences, and we've been known to splurge on wine. But honestly? I doubt, very much that she can taste sulfites, or, more accurately, sulphur dioxide in commercially bottled wines made so very recently. They're present in minute amounts, and even those rare people who are allergic can't actually taste or smell the sulfites. Now, the odor of sulphur, that faint whiff of rotten eggs, or a freshly lit match, that's a different thing, and quite possible. That, however, is actually hydrogen sulphide, an altogether different chemical compound, and not related to sulphur dioxide, which, while it's a common additive to wine (and has been since the Roman era) and occurs naturally in grape skin, would need to be far more concentrated that it typically is before it could be detected by odor or taste. For most people (that is those who are generally allergic), concentrations must exceed 200 milligrams per liter (mg/l) in white wines, and 100 in red wines to be at all detectable— and they don't taste it, they have a rapid, immediate, and often dangerous allergic reactions. If you detect sulfites in wine, then you're not going to be eating dried fruit, including raisins, since thet are loaded with them, as are various sorts of processed meat.
It was a frustrating conversation for me. I know she genuinely meant to be helpful, and she was quite kind. In the end, though, we mostly just wished she'd go away so we could return to choosing the local wines we'd come in specifically looking for, without being told that they were terrible.
What I suspect was really happening was that the helpful wine buyer was convinced that European wines are intrinsically better (and many are indeed excellent), by their nature as imports, and by their higher price. But that $25.00 or $30.00 a bottle, for most of us, makes those wines a once-in-a-while purchase. The problem with that, is that with so very many "local" vineyards in the U.S., from New York to Washington (never mind the excellent wine from Canada), wine is rapidly becoming an everyday dinner companion, much as beer and wine have been in Europe, Australia, and South Africa for generations. I much prefer to have wine as something that's a regular part of my dining, instead of just a special occasion thing.
Personally I'm not convinced that an import or a higher price is an automatic indication of higher quality. I'd want an empiric demonstration including a blind taste-test. And part of my skepticism is that all three of the "new" wines we tried (a 2006 Gewürtztraminer from Silver Lake Winery in Washington and thus far our favorite local Gewürtztraminer under $15), a 2006 Special Harvest Riesling from Idaho's Ste. Chapelle (positively going to buy more of this), and a bottle of Washington's Pacific Rim 2007 Dry Riesling, (our current favorite Riesling), were quite lovely wines, and we'll be buying more of them—as well as lots of other Northwest (particularly Washington) wines.
We did pretty much the same thing today; we went to a local market, one from the same chain, even, and were looking at the wines for sale. The buyer came over, and we mentioned that we were looking at mead (it's a constant interest, if you're a medievalist), and he brightened up immediately, and mentioned two meads made in Washington state, then pointed out one from Scotland, and even one from Ethiopia. A few minutes later he mentioned a particular dessert wine that he recommended, from Washington, and was downright enthusiastic about the ice wines. He was engaged, and knowledgeable, and interested in helping us, more than in impressing us. It makes a difference.
It probably comes down to personal taste, finally. I like a good burger, too.