Wine Quotes

Here is a collection of wine quotations:

If food is the body of good living, wine is its soul.  Clifton Fadiman

Wine is bottled poetry.  Robert Louis Stevenson

Good wine is a necessity of life for me.  Thomas Jefferson

I made a mental note to watch which bottle became empty soonest, sometimes a more telling evaluation system than any other.  Gerald Asher

Making good wine is a skill;  making fine wine is an art.  Robert Mondavi

Wine makes every meal an occasion, every table more elegant, every day more civilized.  Andre Simon

Life is too short to drink bad wine.  Anonymous

Drinking good wine with good food in good company is one of life's most civilized pleasures.  Michael Broadbent

Though I'm no doctor, just the idea of drinking wine over a leisurely meal has a positive effect (on health) by virtue of the fact that it is elegant, relaxing and fun.  Robert Parker

"De gustibus non est disputandum."  There is no disputing matters of taste.

There are no standards of taste in wine, cigars, poetry, prose, etc.  Each man's own taste is the standard, and a majority vote cannot decide for him or in any slightest degree affect the supremacy of his own standard.  Mark Twain

Never buy the cheapest wine in any category, as its taste may discourage you from going on.  Cheap wine will always be too expensive.  Alex Bespaloff

I know never to take a wine for granted.  Drawing a cork is like attendance at a concert or at a play one knows well, when there is all the uncertainty of no two performances ever being quite the same.  That is why the French say, "There are no good wines, only good bottles."  Gerald Asher

Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection -- and it offers a greater range of appreciation and enjoyment than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.  Ernest Hemingway

Food without wine is a corpse;  wine without food is a ghost.  United and well-matched, they are as body and soul, living partners.  Andre Simon

Wine is an endless treasure trove of fascination.  Wine is the only beverage in the world that draws us in intellectually, causes us to think about it, to ponder it, to question why it tastes the way it does.  Wine, it seems to me, is compelling not solely because it tastes good (though it surely does that) but because it appeals to the mind.  Karen MacNeil

In 1995, I predicted that first-growth Bordeaux would hit $10,000 per case in ten years;  well, they have done that and then some, and in a much shorter period.  This trend will only continue.  Unfortunately, many of these wines will become nothing more than museum pieces to be talked about and traded, but rarely drunk.  Robert Parker

One of the most gratifying aspects of being a wine critic is discovering those under-the-radar, superb wine bargains that taste as if they should cost two or three times the price but don't. ... The myth is that wines that cost $25 or less are worth just what you pay for them and are never terribly interesting.  This is totally untrue, and with work, one can unearth these small treasures that deliver seriously good wine at remarkably fair prices.  Robert Parker

On the 2005 vintage in France:  "If I had to give two words of advice to lovers of French wine today, scouting in any price range, they would be "O" and "five."  The 2005 vintage seemed exceptional at the time, virtually throughout France and especially in the classic regions of Bordeaux and Burgundy.  Now that we can judge the wines in bottle, it continues to shine brilliantly. ...  I still feel this is by far the greatest Bordeaux vintage I have been lucky enough to taste.  And it's the consistency right down to the petit chateaux and lowly AC Bordeaux level that is so exciting.  Jancis Robinson

It is well to remember that there are five reasons to drink wine:  the arrival of a friend; one's present or future thirst; the excellence of the wine; or any other reason.  Latin saying

Here's to the corkscrew -- a useful key to unlock the storehouse of wit, the treasury of laughter, the front door of fellowship, and the gate of pleasant folly.  W.E.P. French

He who loves not wine, women and song -- remains a fool his whole life long.  Johann Voss

The discovery of a wine is of greater moment than the discovery of a constellation.  The universe is too full of stars.  Benjamin Franklin

A sight of the label is worth 50 years experience.  Michael Broadbent

Anyone who tries to make you believe that he knows all about wines is obviously a fake.  Leon Adams

On drinking the wines of Bordeaux:  "The French drink them young, so a Socialist government won't take them.  The English drink them old, so they can show their friends cobwebs and dusty bottles.  The Americans drink them exactly when they are ready, because they don't know any better."  Anonymous

Wine is sure proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy.  Benjamin Franklin

High-QPR Chardonnays

The following Chardonnays have been reviewed in this blog so far (from least expensive to most expensive):

2008 Bogle Chardonnay ($10)

2008 Beringer Napa Valley Chardonnay ($12)

2008 Clos du Bois Chardonnay ($13)

2008 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay ($14)

2007 Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay, "Robert Young Vineyard" ($25)

2007 Beringer "Private Reserve" Napa Valley Chardonnay ($32)

Note that the above prices are list prices.  All of these wines can usually be found on sale or for discounted prices at a variety of locations.  The best value that I have seen, from a purely economic or QPR perspective, was when K&L Wines had the Chateau St. Jean Chardonnay on sale for $6.99 to clear inventory.

The Beringer "Private Reserve" and the Chateau St. Jean "Robert Young Vineyard" Chardonnays are excellent wines of the highest quality with good QPR value (and represent high-QPR wines if you can get either wine at a 20% discount).

2007 Beringer "Private Reserve" Napa Valley Chardonnay

Beringer's "Private Reserve" Napa Chardonnay consistently receives rave reviews.  It was #47 on Wine Spectator's "Top 100 Wines" for 2008.

Robert Parker gives it 92 points:  "The 2007 Chardonnay Private Reserve (always one of California's top Chardonnays) has toned down the toasty oak component, exhibiting excellent nutty, honeyed, buttery notes of orange marmalade, brioche, and spice.  This wine is full-bodied, rich and pure.  Beringer continues to turn out an impressive array of wines, proving that a gigantic global operation can be focused on quality and character.  The Private Reserve final blend is always the finest wine of the group.  This has been proven time and time again at tastings."

The list price for this wine is $32, but you can usually find it for less than $25.  It's the most expensive Chardonnay on this blog, but with a price under $25, I think the quality-to-price ratio for this wine is very high.

2007 Beringer's Napa Valley Chardonnay

From the winemaker, "Almost half the fruit for the 2007 Napa Valley Chardonnay is from Bertha's Vineyard, which consistently delivers rich citrus and apple flavors.  Lemon meringue, pear, vanilla bean, and toasty oak notes make this a richly-layered wine from the start.

Robert Parker gives it 88 points,  "Another remarkable bargain.  It exhibits crisp notes of pineapples and oranges, zesty acidity, a little oak, and a fresh, medium-bodied finish."

The list price is $12, but you can easily find this wine for under $10 with a little searching at Costco, Safeway, BevMo, Trader's Joe, Total Wine, or your local wine shop.  For $10, this is a high-QPR wine IMO.

2007 Mas du Bouquet Vacqueyras

The 2007 Mas du Bouquet Vacqueyras is another excellent wine from Vacqueyras region of the Cotes du Rhone.  It gets 90 points from the International Wine Cellar:  "Deep ruby. Rich blackberry and kirsch aromas are complicated by candied flowers, anise and garrique, with a sexy note of cola coming up for air.  Sweet dark berry flavors coat the palate, firmed by fine-grained tannins that are quickly absorbed by the fruit.  This sweet, long wine is already very alluring."

And Robert Parker gives it 89-91 points:  "The general style is one of fruity, good quality, commercially-styled wines that represent very good value, and are immensely appealing.  All of the 2007s (Cotes du Rhone) are fruit-laden, lush and best drunk in their first 3-5 years of life.  The sumptuous Domiane Le Mas du Bouquet, 60% Grenache, 30% Syrah, and 10% Mourvedre, is aged in tank prior to bottling."

I've tasted this wine on two different occasions and was very impressed both times, a delicious wine IMO.  The list price is $16, but K&L Wines is selling it for $12.99.  I think it's a solid wine for the list price.  At the reduced price, I think this is a high-QPR wine.

2007 Paul Jaboulet "Parallele 45" Cotes du Rhone

The 2006 vintage of this wine received a Best Values designation from Wine Spectator.  From tasting last night, I think the 2007 vintage shows more fruit and structure.  From the winemaker:  "The wine has a deep color, with elegant and expressive aromas of red fruits and spices.  On the palate, the wine has a solid structure, ripe tannins, and a spicy character."

Another excellent, value-price 2007 Cotes du Rhone, IMO, composed of 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah.  The dominant flavor that comes through to me is ripe fruit and grape jam.  The list price is $13 but you can find it easily under $10 (Bottle Barn in Santa Rosa had it last weekend for $8.99).  For under $10 a bottle, I think this is a high-QPR wine.

2007 Grans-Fassian Estate Riesling Qba

This Riesling received 90 points from Wine Spectator:  "Iris and tuberose notes mingle with apple and nectarine in this delicate, detailed Riesling.  There's an undercurrant of mineral, and this gets support from the lively structure.  Fine length.  Drink now through 2018."  And according to Wine and Spirits,  "The round, ripe peach flavors are buttressed by brightly snappy acidity, feeling deliciously refreshing in its liveliness."  The list price is $20, but K&L Wines has it on sale for $9.99 which I think makes it a high-QPR wine.