The wines that reveal you have no class… and what to order instead
Life is too short to drink bad wine, but as well as giving you a killer headache, some bottles may also leave you looking completely unsophisticated.
Sommelier Jason Hartman, from The Sommelier Company, told the Daily Mail that while the way a consumer interacts with wine says more about their class than the type of wine itself, there are some varieties he would advise avoiding.
'You can be drinking an expensive glass of wine and/or an expensive bottle of wine, and I still think you're not cool if you don't know why you like that wine,' Hartman said.
'If the only thing that you think is cool about it is the fact that you paid $200 for that bottle, I think that says that you have zero class,' he explained.
The wine expert added that a major sign of an inelegant wine is mass production, using 19 Crimes, which is a Shiraz from Australia, as an example.
'It's a grocery store wine that's really commercial,' he explained. 'It's probably not something that a very serious wine drinker would choose.'
He added it's not a matter of price point, but how it's produced.
'[The nicer wines] are made in a smaller production facility,' he explained. 'They're not over extracted.'
Life is too short to drink bad wine, but as well as giving you a killer headache, some bottles may also leave you looking completely unsophisticated (stock image)
At the end of the day, Hartman professed, if you genuinely enjoy a wine, there is no shame in what it is.
However, if you are worried about keeping up appearances or signaling a certain social status, these are the wines he suggests are best to avoid and the ones that are sure to impress.
The LEAST classy wines to drink
Over-oaked 'butter bomb' Chardonnay
Hartman explained that any time a wine is manipulated to the point where you can only taste one thing, it's a sign it's lacking sophistication.
'The over-oaked, over–malolactic Chardonnay is the classic example of winemaking drowning out the fruit,' the sommelier explained.
He likened it to a 'college kid drowning a dry chicken breast in hot sauce instead of learning how to cook.'
'Powerful is fine, but when oak becomes louder than the fruit and the glass ends up smelling like a tub of movie-theater popcorn, that is un-classy,' he declared.
Hartman explained that any time a wine is manipulated to the point where you can only taste one thing, it's a sign it's lacking sophistication (stock image)
Sugar-heavy, jammy red blends
Hartman said very sweet-tasting reds are often looked at as an unsophisticated choice.
'If it drinks like blueberry syrup with a 15 to 16 percent alcohol warning label, it's more dessert than dinner,' he joked.
He added that these wines are 'impossible' to drink with food, as they overpower anything other than the most pungent flavors.
Hartman said very sweet-tasting reds are often looked at as an unsophisticated choice (stock image)
'When sweetness masks structure, the wine starts to feel more engineered than crafted,' he said. 'You know exactly which wines these are at your grocery store.'
Pinot Grigio
Hartman said that Pinot Grigio became the default 'safe wine' a number of years ago, but he wouldn't recommend buying it.
'It's like that because it's a tasteless grape and is more akin to Welch's grape juice than any sort of interesting wine,' he quipped.
The sommelier continued: 'Certain regions, such as Alto Adige, can make these tolerable, but when wine is chosen out of default rather than intentionally, it loses its charm.'
The MOST classy wines to drink
Chardonnay with texture and freshness
'You can find great examples of this traditionally in Burgundy or Sonoma, and cheaper but great expressions from South Africa or Chile,' Hartman advised.
The expert said a grocery store wine that's 'really commercial' is seen as less classy and something that a very serious wine drinker would not choose (stock image)
Rioja blend
Instead of a big brand red blend wine, Hartman says to opt for a Rioja blend.
The blend is from the Rioja wine region in Spain, and is subject to denominación de origen calificada, one of Spain's regulatory classification systems.
'This is a full-bodied and bold mouthfeel wine that can be found at a reasonable price,' he explained.
'If spending up, a single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon is much more classy,' he added.
Instead of a big brand red blend wine, Hartman says to opt for a Rioja blend (stock image)
Wine with taste and energy
The sommelier suggested ordering wine with a touch more zest.
'Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand has become really popular in the last five to ten years for this reason.
'The grape currently growing in popularity for its zippy and refreshing qualities is Albarino,' he added.
