The Auswine Forum

What wines wont you buy, for qualitative reasons?

Not looking for a pissing competition about who has good or bad taste, or defamatory posts about individuals or brands.

I don't buy Cabernet Sauvignon and very few Shiraz, as they just don't suit the way I eat and drink these days.
I don't buy much Sauvignon Blanc because its...Sauvignon Blanc.
I'll buy wine from people I know are good people. There is so much wine out there, there is no need to buy from arseholes.

The only wines I ever buy from NZ are their rieslings. The rest are incredibly marketed, over-hyped rip-offs.

I won't buy anything I can determine are owned by Coles or Woolies.

Redav wrote:I won't buy anything I can determine are owned by Coles or Woolies.

Like. Kind of aligns with my "no arseholes" position.

Australian Merlot...

kaos wrote:Australian Merlot...

Agreed. Irvine's Grand Merlot came close, but I've yet to find a straight Merlot that satisfies.

Limited Edition Penfolds Tribute Range

Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc although I will buy the SSB blend with dominant Semillon. Hard to believe Cabernet Sauvignon is a child of SB.

winetastic wrote:Limited Edition Penfolds Tribute Range

Penfolds.
Fizz. Unless instructed otherwise.

shutting off to an entire varietal seems a tiny bit....dare i say it, close minded. . Hey if you don't like it, you don't like it.....far be it from me.
Doing some blind tastings with Roger from Marius in the ol' picking shed recently was a real eye opener (again!). It completely derails perception and really resets/tests your palate. At times we were all in the weeds in terms of varietals, regions and vintages.

AS for Savvy B, I recently tried a Tom Foolery 'Tally ho' Sav Blanc and it was excellent. A complete removal from the tropical NZ fruit punch that has perhaps ruined it for some of us.

For me the bouquet/palate mantra is my measure. I really try not to have a 'beef' with a grape varietal and try hard to stay open minded to most things. There are those times when producers are clearly taking the P155 on pricing and that can have some bearing. But ultimately you never know what's around the corner and what will suddenly float or refloat your boat.

Mark Carrington wrote:

winetastic wrote:Limited Edition Penfolds Tribute Range

Penfolds.
Fizz. Unless instructed otherwise.

Penfolds x 2

Fruity Lexia...

Mark Carrington wrote:Fizz.

We're the same. We don't like sparkling (funnily enough, my wife drinks carbonated water...) but I occasionally like to try some just to see (tastes change). We had a couple of young and medium aged Rockford BS and to me it was clearly a good wine but it didn't float our boat. I noticed that the bubbles didn't last long but were quite fine, is that normal? It was the 2011 disgorgement that was consumed mid 2017. We had the first bottle shortly after purchase to see what the fuss was and weren't sold then either.

Scotty vino wrote:shutting off to an entire varietal seems a tiny bit....dare i say it, close minded. . Hey if you don't like it, you don't like it.....far be it from me.

We don't do Pinot Gris. I don't think I'd bother giving it a fifth chance as we tried to have an open mind. I remember a winemaker saying that much like salmon, it's juice is grey (surely other wines do something similar) and no one in their right mind would drink it before it's thinned .

Again, for us we don't buy Chardonnay however there's a Chablis we like. I don't like dismissing something out of hand so I occasionally try something new to make sure our blinkers aren't permanent. Still don't get Merlot either yet I think it's in some of the worlds greatest wines?

There are only four wines in the last five vintages that I have brought that exceed $100
There was a one off Mt Edelstone buy and some Bollinger LGA, but other than that every other purchase is south of $100.

Guess that suggests that there are nearly 200 Aussie wines that I will never buy and several hundred more international wines too.

leave it at that
Cheers craig

Scotty vino wrote:shutting off to an entire varietal seems a tiny bit....dare i say it, close minded. . Hey if you don't like it, you don't like it.....far be it from me.
Doing some blind tastings with Roger from Marius in the ol' picking shed recently was a real eye opener (again!). It completely derails perception and really resets/tests your palate. At times we were all in the weeds in terms of varietals, regions and vintages.

AS for Savvy B, I recently tried a Tom Foolery 'Tally ho' Sav Blanc and it was excellent. A complete removal from the tropical NZ fruit punch that has perhaps ruined it for some of us.

For me the bouquet/palate mantra is my measure. I really try not to have a 'beef' with a grape varietal and try hard to stay open minded to most things. There are those times when producers are clearly taking the P155 on pricing and that can have some bearing. But ultimately you never know what's around the corner and what will suddenly float or refloat your boat.

Fair enough - I've been ruined by bad Marlborough SB. I'll buy a good one to try if it is recommended to me by a palate I trust.

And times can change - I used to think Grenache had no redeeming features until I saw a few of the new wave McLaren Vale ones.

Supermarket proprietary brands
Pinot Gris
Marlborough SB
almost any sub-$20 South Aust red
Merlot in general, except the odd speculative aged auction bottle
very little from West Aust at any price point

There are plenty of wines I don't buy (Bdx, burg) but that's just price related.
Hard to find much decent for under $50, which is still a pretty serious price point I reckon.
Graeme

I agree that all cheap NZ SB is mostly undrinkable, let alone worth having with food, or even able to have with food. SBS from WA is a totally different beast, though... Very refined and I think able to be compete at a glpbsl level (admittedly being a die hard Aussie wine fan).

Chardonnay - I love it oaky (definitely didn't always) but I agree Chablis is a 'nicer' version. Kooyong makes an awesome one for that palate. Their PN is OK.

I believe Pinot Gris to be THE under-appreciated varietal. I love how it's in between several others (Riesling, SB) for flavour and texture but still its own thing. Very nice.

But to cast off CS entirely, how??? I'm still not sure about Shiraz, even with all my (as yet untested) significant purchases being it, but I thought CS was king? I love Merlot too.

Whose fav is Shiraz, on that note???

As a general principle, I wouldn't buy supermarket own brands and I generally avoid mass producers.

However, this is not a strict rule. For example, I would never buy Moet and Chandon NV as I don't like the style relative to the price. However, it doesn't mean I wouldn't buy their higher labels, although if I saw one versus a smaller producer at the same level and price I would probably skew against them.

Frankly, its hard to avoid LVMH or "mass producers" entirely, especially if you like scotch (leaving aside the question of beer!)

felixp21 wrote:The only wines I ever buy from NZ are their rieslings. The rest are incredibly marketed, over-hyped rip-offs.

Such an ignorant statement doesn't even deserve a retort. Anyone that holds such an opinion probably deserves it

Sauvignon blanc and Moscato.

felixp21 wrote:The only wines I ever buy from NZ are their rieslings. The rest are incredibly marketed, over-hyped rip-offs.

Completely unlike Burgundy.

- Any more warm climate Shiraz. At least what I have will keep, to the point that it's a bottle a year to drink it, and that's ok.
- Viognier, as I've yet to have anything that I enjoyed
- Priorat and other hot climate Spanish wines, as I've not enjoyed what I've had beyond a rather simplistic fruit & oak shake
- Chateau Chalon, and generally most fortified and oxidative wines - just too difficult to get them to an event where they'll get drunk
- Sauvignon Blanc. I'm not against it as it seems so many are, but having an NZ partner who long ago became fed up of the grape, it's not viable for anything other than a decent option when other by the glass wines look like they'll be bland and/or sugared up.

I Love Shiraz wrote:... and Moscato.

Based on Aussie versions or Moscato d'Asti. The examples of the former I've tried would have me vehemently agreeing with you, whilst the latter is a long time favourite

felixp21 wrote:The rest are incredibly marketed, over-hyped rip-offs.

LOL, that could be almost any wine from any country....... oh yes.... and all of burgundy.

I will never buy wine in a cask.

I will never buy Pet Nat.

I have on average one Sav B a year.... so I cant say I will never buy those.

I do enjoy Fume` Blanc, especially Dog Point.

I will buy a LOT less Australian Shiraz. So far 2019 has been 0.

Rossco wrote:I will never buy wine in a cask.

Whilst I've never bought any, I think I'd only ever consider it for a long camping trip due to practicality.

For me I'd probably say Mourvedre - I find it quite "stinky poo poo" (paraphrasing my son here) though, having said that, in a blend it can be quite pleasant - rather just the tendency for it to be overpowering by itself. Also, its worthwhile mentioning that just because I wouldn't buy it doesn't mean I wouldn't be open to the idea of trying/tasting some every now and then just to check that my tastes haven't changed or at least reassure myself that it's still 'situation normal'.

Almost forgot. Silvaner/Sylvaner. Never had one even approaching decent.

I will never buy Shiraz. I find it mostly a bit too dreary. I've got more than enough in my cellar to last a lifetime.
I will never buy Nero d'Avola. Same dislike as Shiraz.
I will never buy current vintage Bordeaux blends. I'll be too old when they're ready (I like 25+ years of age). Back vintages are my friend.
I will never buy a supermarket branded wine. They all taste manufactured.
I will never buy an orange wine. Too funky and hipster for me.
I will never buy a Wynns wine from the 1990's. Not interested in playing cork roulette.
I will never buy a Penfolds wine. Much better value elsewhere.
I will never buy a Planeta (Sicily) wine. Not my cup of tea.
I will never buy Prosecco. They're overrated.
I will never buy an old world wine that isn't made from indigenous varietals. I prefer my old world wines to have a sense of place.
I will never buy a wine made from 100% of a Bordeaux blending grape, such as Petit Verdot. They are incomplete on the palate.
I will never buy a table wine with 15% or more ABV. They're almost always too hot for me. 12-13.5% is my sweet spot.
I will never buy wine in a magnum. I prefer my wines to be ready to drink sooner rather than later.
I will never buy Burgundy from the iconic top producers. I missed the boat.

Ozzie W wrote:I will never buy Shiraz. I find it mostly a bit too dreary. I've got more than enough in my cellar to last a lifetime.
I will never buy Nero d'Avola. Same dislike as Shiraz.
I will never buy current vintage Bordeaux blends. I'll be too old when they're ready (I like 25+ years of age). Back vintages are my friend.
I will never buy a supermarket branded wine. They all taste manufactured.
I will never buy an orange wine. Too funky and hipster for me.
I will never buy a Wynns wine from the 1990's. Not interested in playing cork roulette.
I will never buy a Penfolds wine. Much better value elsewhere.
I will never buy a Planeta (Sicily) wine. Not my cup of tea.
I will never buy Prosecco. They're overrated.
I will never buy an old world wine that isn't made from indigenous varietals. I prefer my old world wines to have a sense of place.
I will never buy a wine made from 100% of a Bordeaux blending grape, such as Petit Verdot. They are incomplete on the palate.
I will never buy a table wine with 15% or more ABV. They're almost always too hot for me. 12-13.5% is my sweet spot.
I will never buy wine in a magnum. I prefer my wines to be ready to drink sooner rather than later.
I will never buy Burgundy from the iconic top producers. I missed the boat.

Some pearls of wisdom here, Ozzie.

cuttlefish wrote:

Ozzie W wrote:I will never buy Shiraz. I find it mostly a bit too dreary. I've got more than enough in my cellar to last a lifetime.
I will never buy Nero d'Avola. Same dislike as Shiraz.
I will never buy current vintage Bordeaux blends. I'll be too old when they're ready (I like 25+ years of age). Back vintages are my friend.
I will never buy a supermarket branded wine. They all taste manufactured.
I will never buy an orange wine. Too funky and hipster for me.
I will never buy a Wynns wine from the 1990's. Not interested in playing cork roulette.
I will never buy a Penfolds wine. Much better value elsewhere.
I will never buy a Planeta (Sicily) wine. Not my cup of tea.
I will never buy Prosecco. They're overrated.
I will never buy an old world wine that isn't made from indigenous varietals. I prefer my old world wines to have a sense of place.
I will never buy a wine made from 100% of a Bordeaux blending grape, such as Petit Verdot. They are incomplete on the palate.
I will never buy a table wine with 15% or more ABV. They're almost always too hot for me. 12-13.5% is my sweet spot.
I will never buy wine in a magnum. I prefer my wines to be ready to drink sooner rather than later.
I will never buy Burgundy from the iconic top producers. I missed the boat.

Some pearls of wisdom here, Ozzie.

Agree - appreciate the one sentence explanations too, I'm aligned with many of them to some degree.

Craig(NZ) wrote:

felixp21 wrote:The only wines I ever buy from NZ are their rieslings. The rest are incredibly marketed, over-hyped rip-offs.

Such an ignorant statement doesn't even deserve a retort. Anyone that holds such an opinion probably deserves it

but you wrote one anyway