i didn't say that the wines tasted sweet. i wouldn't even drink a sweet wine. with rare exception, i really don't like anything sweet. i said they were high in sugar. i am keenly aware of my blood sugar levels and the effects of things high in sugar. for hereditary medical reasons i have to watch that. my blood sugar levels soar on california wines, and no, it does not seem to matter whether it is red or white, or any particular variety. i do not seem to have this problem on the italian wines i tend to drink. i don't drink a lot of french wine, so i don't know about that one yet. i'm looking forward to learning about french wines, as my experience thusfar with them is that i find them pretentious and confused. too many things going on for my palate. everybody raves about them, but i wonder if it's just the emperor's new clothes. we'll see.
i don't think it's yeast, though there is definitely a histamine reaction. one glass of a paso red and my sinuses jam up. yeast was my first thought, but i have no issues with other things with yeast, and i have discussed this with both winemakers and my doctor. one of the winemakers with whom i have the strongest reaction uses the least amount of yeast in their wines in all of paso robles. i only have this reaction with wines made here, and worse with wines from paso robles. the going theory is it's something specific in the soil. it's really a major pain in the butt to figure out, and no more fun to live with.
i am finding more and more that i am turned off by wines with high alcohol content, and it's getting harder and harder to find a bottle with less than 14%. i find myself throwing out more and more bottles when i open them and the first thing to the nose is alcohol. i almost always have to decant a california wine, just to smooth out that nasty smell. i'm using the right glasses for each type of wine too (we have a decent inventory of various types). it's getting increasingly frustrating. i have all but given up on paso robles. i realize that the explanation is as you say, with the growing season and all that, but it doesn't change that i don't like it. in my perfect world there would be no alcohol in the wine. unfortunately those taste like crap.
as for how wine is made, i realize that more and more wineries are going to stainless. no fighting that, but 50 years ago nobody used them. they were only first introduced in 1961. while i understand that they lead to an easier method of achieving an exact taste, because the stainless does not add to the flavor, i think a lot is lost there. i happen to like the taste that oak gives, particularly to a chardonnay. i only like oakey tasting chards. i also understand that stainless is easier to clean, and lasts a lot longer, making things more economical. however, wine isn't supposed to be economical. it's supposed to be special. i happen to feel that marketing to the guy who wants a $10 bottle is a mistake. opening a bottle of wine should be an event in and of itself. it's not beer.
all of this is of course serious generalization. it is also extremely subjective. that being said, i do know what i do and don't like, and that my opinions on various wines have changed in the last 30 years, and i think it is because the way they have been made has also changed, and i don't think it is for the better.
it really is only that i will be a lot more discerning in my choices, and likely narrow it down to more traditional winemakers, and avoid the newbies. i've tried a lot of different wines over the years, from a lot of different winemakers, and what i have found is that i may like something in the tasting room, but when i get home and live with it, more often than not it loses its appeal. i chalk this one up to the rush from the higher blood sugar levels. that sugar high seems to dramatically affect my palate.
none of this is meant to tell anybody else what to drink or not drink. everybody is different on that one. there is no right or wrong. that's the beauty of wine. there is something for everybody.
