Pinot, Merlot And Blends, Oh My!
Consumer Reports Put Red Wines To The Test
Posted: 4:18 pm CST December 14, 2005Updated: 4:58 pm CST December 14, 2005
MADISON, Wis. -- Pinot noir is the wine on everyone's lips these days, thanks to a starring role in the hit movie "Sideways." Consumer Reports just tested more than a dozen pinot noirs, including one from a winery highlighted in the movie.
In "Sideways," Miles, one of the main characters, sings the praises of pinot noir. "Oh, its flavors. They're just so haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle," he said.
The hit movie helped put pinot noir on the map, and sales have surged, News 3 reported.
Consumer Reports just tested 15 pinot noirs ranging in price from $10 to $26. Pinot noir is a dry red wine that goes well with roasted and grilled meat and chicken, as well as some fish, like salmon. Wine experts with more than 50 years of experience between them tasted the wines.
"Our expert tasters looked for pinot noir characteristics, like raspberry, strawberry, strawberry jam, red cherry flavors, some spicy notes, and even some woody notes," said Maxine Siegel, Consumer Reports tester.
It turns out that Consumer Reports doesn't necessarily agree with Miles, who said: "Let's get off at the Santa Rosa road and start with Sanford. These guys make top-notch pinot and chardonnay."
Consumer Reports found one pinot noir from Sanford, the Santa Rita Hills 2001, wasn't so top-notch. It had uneven flavors, and testers found many better choices.
Consumer Reports recommends the Beringer Founders' Estate Pinot Noir from 2003 for $12, and the Meridian Vineyards Central Coast Pinot Noir, also from 2003, which costs just $10 a bottle. Both rated very good, balancing very ripe fruit flavors with tartness, tannin, and wood notes.
Consumer Reports says if you're looking for a special bottle of pinot noir for the holidays, one did rate excellent in the tests. It's the Artesa Carneros 2002, with rich flavors and complex aromas. It costs $18 a bottle.
Another up and coming category of wine is a type of red wine called blends. They're getting more and more popular and consumer reports just tested seven different brands.
"A good blend goes with broiled, roasted or grilled meats and chicken," said Siegel. "It also goes with savory side dishes like yams, squash and portabella mushrooms."
Blends use more than one grape, so the label may list 'shiraz and cabernet.' Industry experts assess each wine by evaluating the color, aroma and flavors. They look for a dry wine that has a good balance of fruit, acidity and tannin.
When all the tasting was done, Consumer Reports found one very good blend: Rosemount Estate Shiraz-Cabernet 2004 has rich fruit flavors and costs just $8 a bottle.
If you like merlot, Consumer Reports tested those, too. Consumer Reports' top rated merlot is Gallo of Sonoma Reserve 2002, for $13 a bottle. Testers say it has big, full fruit flavors with subtle nuances.
In "Sideways," Miles, one of the main characters, sings the praises of pinot noir. "Oh, its flavors. They're just so haunting and brilliant and thrilling and subtle," he said.
The hit movie helped put pinot noir on the map, and sales have surged, News 3 reported.
Consumer Reports just tested 15 pinot noirs ranging in price from $10 to $26. Pinot noir is a dry red wine that goes well with roasted and grilled meat and chicken, as well as some fish, like salmon. Wine experts with more than 50 years of experience between them tasted the wines.
"Our expert tasters looked for pinot noir characteristics, like raspberry, strawberry, strawberry jam, red cherry flavors, some spicy notes, and even some woody notes," said Maxine Siegel, Consumer Reports tester.
It turns out that Consumer Reports doesn't necessarily agree with Miles, who said: "Let's get off at the Santa Rosa road and start with Sanford. These guys make top-notch pinot and chardonnay."
Consumer Reports found one pinot noir from Sanford, the Santa Rita Hills 2001, wasn't so top-notch. It had uneven flavors, and testers found many better choices.
Consumer Reports recommends the Beringer Founders' Estate Pinot Noir from 2003 for $12, and the Meridian Vineyards Central Coast Pinot Noir, also from 2003, which costs just $10 a bottle. Both rated very good, balancing very ripe fruit flavors with tartness, tannin, and wood notes.
Consumer Reports says if you're looking for a special bottle of pinot noir for the holidays, one did rate excellent in the tests. It's the Artesa Carneros 2002, with rich flavors and complex aromas. It costs $18 a bottle.
Another up and coming category of wine is a type of red wine called blends. They're getting more and more popular and consumer reports just tested seven different brands.
"A good blend goes with broiled, roasted or grilled meats and chicken," said Siegel. "It also goes with savory side dishes like yams, squash and portabella mushrooms."
Blends use more than one grape, so the label may list 'shiraz and cabernet.' Industry experts assess each wine by evaluating the color, aroma and flavors. They look for a dry wine that has a good balance of fruit, acidity and tannin.
When all the tasting was done, Consumer Reports found one very good blend: Rosemount Estate Shiraz-Cabernet 2004 has rich fruit flavors and costs just $8 a bottle.
If you like merlot, Consumer Reports tested those, too. Consumer Reports' top rated merlot is Gallo of Sonoma Reserve 2002, for $13 a bottle. Testers say it has big, full fruit flavors with subtle nuances.
All Consumer Reports material copyright 2005 Consumers Union of U.S. Inc. All rights reserved.
