Mainstream wines/grape varieties you never buy

Does pinotage count as “mainstream”?

As Sean says, pinotage used to get real stick on here, although that was a way of prodding Keith and his proselytism of SA wines as much as anything. As the open-minded Saina says, there are in fact some very enjoyable ones at all levels of seriousness.
 
Varietals - Sauvignon blanc. I went off it about 2 months after moving to New Zealand. Never met a Kiwi winemaker who honestly likes it either. Now I don;t even buy Loire wines made from it. Merlot - the last one I bought was Redlands Estate from NZ about 20 years ago. In France varietal Merlot is definitely bottom shelf at the supermarket. Picpoul - intensely boring. Vermentino - Always seems to taste of boiled sweets. Gamay - Never tasted a wine labelled as such that was any good. There are loads of poor "workhorse" white varietals like Sylvaner, Trebbiano, Malvasia, Ugni blanc, Colombard ....


Popular wines - Anything promoting itself as Natural wine. Done with that stuff. Over-packaged rosé. Anything from Chile. Alsace - I know people love it but I have never been blown away by anything made there. I think other regions make better wines with those varieties, except Gewurtz which is a "special" wine. Southern Italy - OK for Pizza.

As a response to some other posts, I'm going to challenge those who say they don't like Mourvedre, Carignan or Muscat as not exploring enough. I get why people don't like Muscat. Far too many shit wines made from it but there are some surprises like skin-contact versions. Mourvedre and Carignan can make amazing varietal wines.

PS: Great thread topic Tom :)
 
I've already chalked up Viognier and Malbec as varietal wines I really never consider when looking at a list or wine shelf (despite the fact that there is no wine list in the universe that doesn't have a Malbec on it ("perfect for steak ⟨™⟩"). But Merlot certainly there too. There may be a fair bit in my cellar in Bordeaux wines and Bordeaux-style blends, but in its varietal form I generally just don't bother with it.

Of the others that people have cited so far, not many I could *really* get 100% behind as 'never ever', but I'm realising there are actually loads where having to taste so many generic examples professionally has blunted my appetite for them. Candidates would include Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, Picpoul, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Grigo (not Gris), Verdejo and probably quite a few more I could list. I totally recognise there are great Grenaches and Cabs, but there's an awful lot of solidly dull stuff around too.
 
Not long ago I would have said Sauvignon Blanc - but some recent white Bordeaux from a trip has me excited again and will no doubt become part of my buying (and these are mostly 100% SB). There are a number that are blended in Europe but varietal versions I either dislike or don't like enough to include in normal drinking - Petit Verdot, Malbec are probably the two major wines. Don't drink or buy Merlot either as a rule - nothing against it just there is almost always something more interesting instead.

Not mainstream really but one grape I just cannot get on with is Durif / Petite Sirah. Never ever had one, however its been made where it didn't rub me up the wrong way.
 
Tom Cannavan said:
In another thread I said how much I'd enjoyed a bottle of Viognier that evening, but for some reason it's a variety that never crosses my mind to buy. Inspired by a comment in that thread, I wondered what other mainstream wines or grapes aren't on your radar when it comes to buying? Maybe that's because you don't like them, but maybe, as in my case with Viognier, you have nothing against them, but just have a blind spot and don't consider them when looking for a bottle.
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Funnily enough, I have that exact thing on Viognier but we do buy it as my wife thinks it's the best pair with Chinese food. We tend to buy new world versions at around a tenner. I never buy it for the cellar as it's just not my taste.

I am probably the same on things like Gerwur and Muscat too - it's just not something which does anything for me.

As I get older, I do have a nagging thing that my mind gets a little more closed to other options and I would end up buying 90% of my white wine as Chablis as it's the thing I reach for and brings me the most pleasure.
 
I don’t think there is anything I never buy.

I don’t tend to cellar Malbec but is is usually a go to wine when eating out in a pub that doesn’t have much of a list.

Viognier rarely gets bought as they can be so bland but I have had good ones including late harvest wines.

Generally avoid muscat and Grenache - though the latter figures in blends and I quite like some Chilean ones. And some sweet/fortified muscat can be ok.

Sauvignon Blanc I like, both Loire and NZ versions.
 
I was not going to add anything to this thread as it often seems that, if somebody says they don't like a particular wine/region, etc., it can result in others being defensive, which is a bit odd really as personal tastes are just that. But I decided to add a comment on how I have approached things, not that it may be of any interest.

As I have tried to learn about wine over the last 20 years, part of my (somewhat haphazard) approach has involved trying wines made from as many different grape varieties as possible, accompanied by exploring different regions with a focus on a specific region form time to time. But with so many possibilities to try, after a few very negative experiences (based on my own personal tastes), I just give up as it seems to be a bit of a waste of time and money, neither of which are in abundant supply, to keep trying to enjoy or "get" something in such circumstances. Of course, this means that I may have only tried wines from producers who make wines that don't appeal to me, so there is a chance (strong likelihood really) that I will miss some potential enjoyment from others. This is the case with Barbera: I had not found any that I liked at all and had pretty much given up. Then a bottling by Michele Chiarlo opened my eyes, and I have bought a few more (not many) from different producers to try. One region that I just could not find any personal interest in is Beaujolais and have fully given up on, but the sample size has been small. I am sure there are plenty of wines I would enjoy, but I am simply not prepared to spend any more time and money trying to find them.

Another comment: thank goodness we all have different tastes and preferences so that there is such a diverse range of wines available for us.
 
@G. W o l f f - You make some good points.

Regarding lesser known regions, my impression is that generally speaking it tends to be the cheaper and less good examples that get imported. The reason is, I believe, that most importers don't think the expensive ones would sell. To an extent they are right, but the sad result is that the lesser known regions remain unpopular. Punters explore the region by buying a cheapish example, and judge the region by that wine.

I can only think of one good counter-example - TWS and Greek wines. In particular they made a bit of a push with higher end Thymiopoulos wines, showing the quality of the Xinomavro grape. And if I recall correctly TWS Greek wines now outsell German ones. So if a retailer/importer really believes in a region/grape, it can be done.
 
Alright so i've totted it up, because why not.
Very loose rules ie if it got mentioned negatively it counts, and whether Cab Sauv and Bordeaux are the same thing, well it is here.
I'm gonna add +1 for Malbec and Merlot myself

Sauvignon Blanc 12
Malbec 11
Merlot 10
Viogner, Gewurtztraminer 8
Pinot Noir / "Red Burgundy", Cabernet Sauvignon / "Bordeaux" 6
Nebbiolo 5

I got a sense that people who disliked Gewurtztraminer, really don't like it
Interesting cos whether or not these are loose prejudices or valid harsh dislikes, I feel like I agree with the headliners here, so why does everyone dislike similar things?
 
Jim Yorke said:
Interesting cos whether or not these are loose prejudices or valid harsh dislikes, I feel like I agree with the headliners here, so why does everyone dislike similar things?
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I find it Interesting too Jim. With Viognier and perhaps also Malbec and Merlot I think lowish acidity in commercial examples is a big factor. SB is pretty obviously going to divide opinions. Pinot too possibly, if people are used to / prefer solid and chunky reds. Same for Nebbiolo? Also drunk too young? Cab/Bordeaux again can be boring if too straightforward.
 
Mark Priestley said:
My nomination would go to Dolcetto; filthy stuff. Over extracted, out of balance, bitter to the point of burnt tyre rubber, faulty and over alcoholic has always been my experience save Giuseppe Rinaldi"s fine example
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I remember there used to be some lovely relatively low alcohol Dolcettos around that were charming - upping the alcohol and trying to make it serious seems to have backfired .
 
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