Stuck in a rut? Then change your shade

The other day I had a client in the store complaining how she just did not "like" Chardonnay anymore. I hear this type of complaint with various varietals quite a lot.

The other big varietal I hear this about is Merlot and I sometimes wonder if the motion picture "Sideways" has anything to do with this. I believe that giving up on a certain wine varietal is not unlike giving upon a certain color. There are as many shades of Chardonnay, as there are shades of red or blue. It just might be that the shading is getting old, not the color.

I think it is healthy to want to take a break from certain varietals after having them on a regular basis but I also think that shutting off a wine type completely night be a bit shortsighted. I can, however, understand one's frustration with Chardonnay and Merlot in particular because many of them, quite frankly, can taste alike.

Here are few good tips for you if you have lost that special feeling for a certain wine grape.

Change regions: Sure, why not? So many wine consumers get into a rut sticking with one winery or perhaps with a series of vintages from this winery and never branch out. Look toward Sonoma or Napa or Monterey County for your wine. Take a wine glass trip to Oregon or Washington and see what Chardonnay, for example, will do.

There are many wines that are made well in the Pacific Northwest and are vastly different than the same varietals one sees in other parts of the United States. Because we are changing regions, we are changing soils, winemakers and climates and this, overall, is a healthy thing to do.

Change countries: Here, we can experience really vast differences in what is going on with certain wine grapes. Not only are the Old World winemakers trained (for the most part) differently than the New World winemakers, the very deep history of many generations of Old World winemaking plays a big part in the outcome of the wine.

There is very little similarity, for example, between Merlot from Bordeaux to that of Walla Walla, Wash., and there should be! The same holds true of most wines regardless of the variety which come from these vastly different regions. Branch out!

Change vintage dates: There may be huge differences between wines being grown from different vintages. Some Chardonnay might, as the very hot 2003 vintage (practically worldwide) demonstrated, show high levels of alcohol in the wine, while the much cooler 2004 vintage might seem tame on the palate in comparison.

We sometimes see wines from the same winery and the same winemaker appear like night and day on the palate from different vintages and this also makes for fun times evaluating these wines and tasting exactly what it is that these different vintages show us.

Go for a ride: Grab a designated driver and see the vineyards. I am always surprised at how many folks live close to wineries and have never visited them.

Do yourself a favor and stick with just one variety and see how vastly different you will find them from winery to winery; it is amazing and very palate opening to do so.

So there you have the answer on how to experience the different shades of the same wines. Have fun and see you next week!