So I thought I would provide a little update, as I have now completed Round 1.
32 wines tasted, 16 through to the next round. You can see all the wines I/we tasted in the screenshot.
Now I know this isn’t to everyone’s taste, and I understand the problems with such a competition:
– one wine can never be representative for a region
– it’s not really a World Cup of wines as I have a price limit (I look at 50-100€ bottles)
– it can be heavily biased by many factors
– picking 32 regions was tough and certain regions didn’t make the cut, mostly due to lack of availability (sorry Australia) or poor insight on my end (apologies to Ribera del Duero)
But I am doing it because
– it’s a fun thing to do with friends
– I have already learned a huge amount about new regions I had never tasted before.
So for me it’s a win already.
Some other FAQs
– yes Amarone really did beat Barolo – I know this offended many, I don’t find it too shocking at this price level, which seems optimal for Amarone and still too low for good Barolos
– yes NZ Pinot did beat Burgundy – definitely a price point issue
– whites are not included
– what happened with Oregon/Germany? – it was called a draw due to a cooked bottle
I have also really appreciate hearing all of your own stories of wines from these regions, and thanks also the tips for other bottles, which I will try to use in round 2.
Cheers!
by rob1001-
20 Comments
This is a bracket I can get behind.
Etna Rosso 2019 straight to the finals.
Poor carmenere never stood a chance
Man pairing Barolo and Amarone in round 1….that’s at least an Elite 8 matchup for me
Disappointed that Super Tuscan lost in the first round.
I think the biggest oversight is the omission of the Loire Valley. Some Chinons/Borguiels, even Sancerre Rouges are among my go-tos with good values. And while the contest isn’t really going to teach anything, it’s definitely fun to follow.
It’s gonna be brunello vs northern Rhone in the end. You heard it here first.
Im sorry but for me the 16 musar is finals worthy imo
Priorat vs c9dp is a close one
Fun idea!
What NZ Pinot beat the French?
love this. no beaujolais is a shame though!
That Amarone over Barolo is a big upset. Must have been a bad bottle of the Nebbiolo!
Love this! (Good luck dealing with all the comments complaining about the premise of the game, I personally think it’s v fun even to follow on Reddit)
German spätburgunder vs Oregon pinot is a really tight face off. It makes a lot of sense that it’s the only one you couldn’t decide!
Very nice experiment! Good luck and I will follow along 🍷
Barolo and Bourgogne out? Holy shit, call me triggered. Looks interesting. Keep it up.
I would have been surprised if the g. Lignier beat anything; very few more underperforming producers in burgundy.
Something like dureuil janthial rully en guesnes or hudelot Bourgogne rouge would hold its own even in QPR.
Love this. At first seeing Austria was eliminated over Lebanese cuvee, but now seeing it was Austrian native a “blend of Blaufränkisch, Zweigelt, and Cabernet Sauvignon” versus Musar, 100%. But I’d recommend an Austrian Pinot, specifically Johannesof Reinisch. I discovered him in this subreddit and visited last summer. It stands up to Burgundy. I blinded one group on it, they called cote de Beaune and I just brought it to another wine group a few weeks ago, and someone sought me out in the crowd to tell me how good it was. Can’t recommend enough.
You chose Washington cabernet over California cabernet??
I’d be more surprised if age didn’t play a bigger part in OP liking the Barolo less. Barolo is probably my least favorite wine to drink young, unless it’s in a more modern style. Even fantastic Barolo can be pretty meh at under 10 years old, and I say this as someone who will occasionally drink Bordeaux on release.