So Greg, my guess about Zinfandel in that article thread wasn't that far off, was it? I think you listed in order there Nebbiolo, an aged California Cab and Syrah/Sangiovese tied for third, and I guessed Zin for fifth. So what happened to the Cabernet, and where did the Pinot come from in the new list?

My list wouldn't be all that dissimilar, with maybe some reordering, and except that good merlots, chardonnays, rieslings, some dessert wines and even others would make it long before Barbera. As would several Spanish bottles. Hate to think of the wine experience without white Burgundies and Right Bank Bordeauxs and Riojas and Champagnes and Ports and Sherries and Late Harvest Hocks and ...

But that's the wonderful thing about wine in the modern day. We don't have to be stuck with only a few different grapes!

Hey Dmcker,

One list was wines that I drink, another was grape varieties.

I can't say I am hugely fond of Cabernet on it's own, with the exception of Old Cali Cab.

I certainly no longer buy Cabernet, with very few exceptions, a case or three of 2005 Bordeaux and the occasional bottle or three of Cabernet. It would come in fourth on the list of "noble" grapes for me.

I see you have a similarly difficult time in narrowing down your list!

Such is the beauty of this hobby.

Woo Hoo!

Welcome tot he board GDD!

You obviously have good tastes. Now we just have to get a few better Burgs in front of you and see if we can't allow them to make a convincing argument for themselves.

Well you got me going, Greg, so I went back and looked at my wine purchases over the past year.

My online/mailorder purchases were exactly 24 cases. 12 from US producers and 12 from those in the rest of the wine world.

For the US, four from Sonoma, three from Napa, two from the CA central coast, one each from Washington and Oregon, and one from other parts of California. Cabs made up the largest varietal, followed by pinot noir, syrah, chardonnay, zinfandel and 'others', in that order.

For the rest of the world, four from France (one each from Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone and a mixed case from Alsace and Champagne), two from Italy, two from Spain, two from Australia, one from Germany and one from Portugal. By varietal, cabernet/merlot, pinot noir, chardonnay, syrah, nebbiolo, grenache, riesling, sangiovese, tempranillo and 'others', roughly in that order.

These were just my online purchases, and don't include wine I bought at liquor stores/other markets or at restaurant. Don't have the same records for those, but my volumes of purchase at market by region would be in the order France, Spain, Italy, Australia, Chile, Germany, California then 'others'. By varietal would probably be cab/merlot, sangiovese, chardonnay, tempranillo, pinot, riesling, nebiollo and 'others', again in rough order. At restaurant it would probably be a tie between France and Italy for first, followed by Spain, Australia, Germany, California and 'others' in that order. By varietal it's harder to calculate, but probably chardonnay first followed by a competitive jumble of cabs, sangioveses, pinots, and nebiollos, then another grouping of rieslings, 'other' whites, 'other' reds and dessert wines.

Though I've had years when I was traveling a lot and bought fewer bottles, this year has probably been at the bottom of the medium range for my purchases by volume. Probably should be buying more, since prices (except for those targeted by Parker et al.) are so (relatively) attractive at the moment.

Again, I'm glad we're living at a time when it's possible to taste wines from all over the place. I hope to drink a lot more wines from South America and further east in the Mediterranean (from the Adriatic to the Aegean and maybe a bit north) in the coming year. And maybe give New Zealand and South Africa another chance....

For reds: Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon as long as they are ten years old or more. I have some older Barolo I have yet to try, but what I've had in the past I have liked. So add Nebbiolo to the list. And Sangiovese, but some Chaintis seem overly alcoholic.

For whites, Riesling and Gewurz, as long as they have sufficient acidity.

Least favorites: Zinfandel, overoaked Chardonnay, and inexpensive reds (Cabernet, Shiraz) from Australia.