Hi everyone,

Rookie here needing some help. I'm doing the online class provided by the wine spectator. The ABC's of wine tasting'

There is a list of wines for me to pick up and would like input from the rest of you to make sure I get the proper wines.

Whites:
-Riesling from New Zealand?
-Sauvignon Blanc from California, made with minimal or no oak?
-Chardonnay from California with evident oak?

Red:
-Pinot Noir from Oregon?
-Shiraz from Australia?

Please try to keep within $10-$15 as the Wine Spectator has recommended.

Thanks so much for your help everyone. Please excuse my ignorance.

Eric

Riesling from New Zealand? I have never seen one on the shelf in the US. From NZ, you can find Sauv. Blanc and the occasional chardonnay. You usually have to look elsewhere for Riesling.

Chard from California with evident oak, $10-$15: Try Estancia Chardonnay Pinnacles

Pinot Noir from Oregon under $15? That might be challenging.

Shiraz from Australia $10-$15--there are many to chose from. I like Peter Lehmann Shiraz Barossa. Rosemount Shiraz SE Australia (black diamond label) is usually around $10. Both are widely available.

I think even Aussie Rieslings are far better than New Zealand Rieslings. And German or Alsatian ones far better than Aussie ones.

New Zealand's Central Otago region is the Alsace of the Southern Hemisphere. Other good ones come from Marlborough. Dont know lots of Rieslings from there, but Saint-Clair makes a decent one.

St. Supry makes a nice sb for less than 20 with little or no oak.

Use Wine Searcher or Wine Zap to find the OR pn and possibly the NZ Riesling.

Good luck.

For Cali Chards < $15, Bogle is decent stuff. I believe WS gave the '08 a "best value" sticker recently, if you care.

For Oregon Pinot < $20, Argyle is ok. My local Costco has plenty of this.

BTW, check Costco. They should have most of what you need.

Thanks Everyone for your Help!! One last recommendation....For a PN from OR what would you say is the most traditional tasting bottle for less then $25??

Why on earth did they select NZ Riesling??

There just isn't a lot brought into the US. They're more known for Sauv Blanc, even tho they do better with other grapes IMO.

But if you can find them, I know Pegasus Bay from Waipara and Mount Difficulty from Otago are imported, as well as Villa Maria, Redclif, Spy Valley and of course Brancott and Babich. I think they're all from Marlborough.

But that's a weird choice. You can get Riesling from almost anywhere and get the same results in the class - I have no idea why someone would select NZ as the go-to place for Riesling! My suggestion is to go to Australia, or better yet, Germany for heaven's sake.

FWIW - Decanter take on NZ vs Australian Riesling