Wine Peeps is an independent wine blog dedicated to helping you get the most bang for your buck in wine. We do this through blind tastings of wine from around the world and calculations of 
Sideways Revisited
By John ~ January 22nd, 2008.
A few weeks ago, we attended a Sideways wine tasting hosted by Ross of the Decanted blog here in Seattle. Ross had put together virtually every wine in the movie for a group of about fifteen of us to taste. It was a great evening. After the tasting, Ross posted a report on the tasting that you might enjoy reading. While there were more Pinots in the tasting than any other varietal, as you would expect in a Sideways tasting, the “Best in Show†wine was a Syrah, the 2001 Blackjack Ranch Maximus Syrah, which got my vote as well.
It was just one night and one tasting, but it reconfirmed my long-held opinion that Pinot Noir may be the most over-hyped, most inconsistent wine from vintage to vintage and producer to producer of any of the world’s major varietals, and most Pinots are overpriced, too. This may be a little over-the-top statement, but I have always thought there might be some truth in the following quote:
“…God made Cabernet Sauvignon, whereas the devil made Pinot Noir.†–Andre Tchelistcheff, pioneer California winemaker
Pinot Noir, unlike Cabernet, Merlot, or Shiraz/Syrah, is rarely offered at a budget price. And when it is, it is usually thin and dull or tannic and vegetal. If you want a reasonably good Pinot Noir, you have to pay the price. So I say, why should I bother? There are so many wines from other varietals that are consistently good, and offered at much more reasonable prices [great QPR].
I rarely believe what the movies say, and the movie Sideways kept that record intact for me when it touted Pinot Noir so highly.
“Pinot Noir may be responsible for a few thousand bottles of great red Burgundy, but Cabernet Sauvignon is the main ingredient in millions of bottles with virtually unparalleled aging potential made all over the world.†–Jancis Robinson, How to Taste
There are just too many great wines out there (Cabernet, Syrah, etc.) to spend more money than we should buying a wine we probably won’t like.
Filed under: American Wine, Cabernet Sauvignon, California Wine, General Wine Information, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Red Wine, Shiraz/Syrah
