Over the past weekend I was out with some good friends that are more into beers than wines, but truly enjoy the best of both. We were discussing a few wines that were on an Italian Wine List and I had just ordered a glass of Barbera D’Asti. Asked, “What is that wine like?” I thought about the style of the wine, the medium body and flavors and quipped, “Well if it was a beer I would think of it sort of like a Brown Ale, not the really nutty kind, but very smooth, easy drinking, but one I probably wouldn’t have more than a couple of before switching to something a little lighter or to have with food.”
The more we discussed the concept I decided to write this piece for all of my beer loving friends that get handed a wine list and could use a little “Cliff Notes” version of Wine 101 to help them to choose a wine that their palate will like. I do have to make a small caveat before I dig deep into this subject, just like with beer, every wine is different and finding producers / importers you can trust will make choosing wines that you like much easier. There is a ton of wine out there and 80% of it is average – some good , some not so good… choosing the 20% that is above average is a talent that can be learned, the first lesson is to choose a wine that is in the style that you are looking for you will be more apt to be happy with the results. Here we go…
The Light Stuff
Bud Light is to Beer as Pinot Grigio is to Wine… Sometimes what you are looking for is light, easy drinking and simple. The alcohol content is usually a bit lighter in this wine and some may find it “a bit watered down”. There is nothing wrong with Bud Light or Light beer in general, but we had to start somewhere and this is it. Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are they same grape type / varietal, but most Pinot Grigio is from Italy and is typically “unoaked” (a term for not having a buttery or toasty flavor) and has tropical fruit flavors. If you are a Coors Light fan or have another light beer you like that has more flavor, you might try an Oregon Pinot Gris that is grown in a 
cooler climate to show a more robust taste profile. A stalwart for many wine lists is the Santa Margeherita Pinot Grigio and for an Oregon Pinot Gris I like the King Estate wines that are also widely found. Check out a picture of the Pinot Gris grapes up close and you will be surprised to find that the grapes are not “Green” or “White” but rather a light copper colored in most cases and the reason that the finished wine is white is because it doesn’t have the long skin contact that other wines have…
Pilsner – Pale Lagers = Similar to Chardonnay (Chenin Blanc) – OK, so this is the softball because this is one of the largest categories for both beer and for wine and it also is allowing for the most wide ranging flavor profiles in each. Chardonnay is the white wine equivalent of the middle of the road, it can go fruity, or have a lot of oak, it can be very round in the mouth with unctuousness and oily tones or it can be light and crisp… just as you can go with many different styles of Pilsner. I grabbed a couple notables on each to highlight this area, one Italian Pilsner I like is Peroni, it doesn’t have a ton of flavor, is slightly bitter, but is still rather refreshing. I liken this to an Australian Chardonnay, fairly fruity goes well with a lot of different foods and two I like under $15.00 a bottle are the Marquee Classic Chardonnay and to a lesser extent the Lindemans Bin 65 Chardonnay.
To peel this onion back a layer deeper, I think another great Pilsner I like, Pilsner Urquell from The Czech Republic is a good example of comparison with a good California Chardonnay. In years past I would have used the Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay as my example for this, but I contend this has gone downhill quite a bit, I actually think a better comparison these days would be the La Crema Chardonnay It is made in rather large quantities, but it has good flavors and shows a balance between fruit and oak.
For Chenin Blanc and very “oaky” chardonnay, I think this wine is the highly similar to a beer that I first found in the Pennsylvania area, but later have been also enjoying across Florida, Yuengling. The lager flavor is there and to accompany it is a very rich mouth feel that you get with wines like Chenin Blanc. A recommendation would be to try some Chenin Blanc from Vouvray in the South of France to taste this style. I mentioned Bud Light earlier, but think that another good comparison here exists in the country’s largest production beer, Budweiser and one if its highest production wines, the Kendall Jackson Chardonnay. Both can be good and in the relatively large quantities they are made, but when giving a gift of wine to a friend, think of the bottle of Kendall Jackson Chardonnay in the same light as handing off a six pack of Bud… it doesn’t scream awesome gift!
Wheat Beers or Hefeweizen– Similar to Sauvignon Blanc – Kansas City has a great local brewery, Boulevard that makes a very tasty wheat beer, that I would highly recommend anyone check out. In some cases, wheat beers come with a lemon or orange on the glass to give the beer a bit more spritz of juice and complement the beers flavor. The reason that I compare wheat beers to Sav. Blanc (and to a lesser extent some Portuguese White Wines like Vinho Verde) because they have a more pronounced acid content and flavor profile. The same pucker that you get when you suck on a lemon is what some Sav. Blanc from places like New Zealand can lend you to (often thought of as gooseberry and grapefruit juice). The wheat beer has a lighter body, just like these white wines and concentrates the flavors on crisp, refreshing tones, even creating a mouth watering sensation. I would recommend picking up a glass of the Peju Sauvignon Blanc if you like the Boulevard Wheat Style (one of my wife’s favorites) or trying the Quattro Leoni Sav. Blanc blend as a good comparison if you like wheat beers like the Blue Moon that are often served with an orange on the glass.
Belgian Style Ales – (Viognier, Marsanne/Rousanne & Torrontes) – The main string that I see tying these two disparate entities together is “florality”, or a floral note that is highly predominant in the nose or bouquet of the wines (and to a lesser extent in the Belgian Styled beers). The site, ratebeer.com calls this category Belgian Session as opposed to the specific wheat beer style this category has more of a “Sour Ale” style. The wines that I see as a good comparison to these are known for a great smelling wine, almost perfumed in nature and have a bit of a sharp, acid based profile. Off the top of my head I can’t name my favorite Belgian Session beer, but a couple great Torrontes (A white grape that hails from Argentina) are the Bodega Colome from the North and the Grazioso Organic Wine from Caligiore Organic Wines in the Mendoza Region.
Viognier, Marsanne & Roussanne are white wine grapes that you can find in several places in the world, but I have found some of my favorites in the Rhone Valley in France and the Central Coast of the California, USA. Viognier by itself has been popping up in new regions and I have been particularly impressed with some from Virginia including Jefferson Vineyards, Barboursville Vineyards, and The Winery at La Grange.
A fun exercise, I think to do this write-up justice this post will need to be released in two parts…
Part I – The White Wines and Part II – The Red Wines.
Thank You!
Christopher J. Cribb, CSW
GM / Managing Director
Marquee Selections – Green, Global, Grapes
To finish off I must pass along that as 
