Like “pretty”, fun is not in my winedom nomenclature. However, many in my circle of wine peeps like to use this word to describe a certain type of wine. The question is, what kind of wine are they talking about and what is meant by using the word “fun” to characterize a wine?
Interestingly, the big Greek dude who likes to use the word “pretty”, also likes to use the word fun. I always give him a hard time when he uses the word, so one day I came out and asked him what he means when he uses fun to describe a wine. He simply said, it is a wine that you do not take seriously. As silly as that sounds, it made perfect sense to me, and helped me to conceptualize that word in relationship to a wine.
For a wine to be “fun” it must first be inexpensive. No one is going to feel happy about drinking a wine that costs them some bucks, and it can’t be taken seriously. You have to feel happy if you are going to find the wine fun. Second, the wine has to be one-dimensional (without complexity). It must be simple, or you might find yourself taking it seriously which would take all the fun out of drinking it. Third, and most importantly it has to be delicious. If it is not tasty, you could hardly consider it a fun wine to drink. All of this begs the question…What wines might fall into the fun category?
The first wine that comes to mind for me is a Beaujolais Nouveau. Thanksgiving is coming shortly and many folks will go out and buy a bottle of this simple juice from France that comes out once a year. This wine is not complex, is usually inexpensive and it tastes good (especially with turkey food). Another wine that could easily fall into the “fun” category would be a cheaper Malbec. There are a boatload of them out there for around ten bucks. There is nothing complex about them, but they are smooth and delicious. Who wouldn’t call a wine “fun” that costs them nine bucks and everyone they share it with loves it… Fun, fun, fun!
I think the ultimate fun wine may be a Pinot Grigio. Talk about simple. It is probably on the top of the list for cocktail wines, or a wine that you would drink without food. They are in the majority of cases quite simple, cheap and you certainly would not take a Pinot Grigio seriously. If you do, come see me and I will bi#%h slap some sense into you. That would not be fun for you, but I might get some joy out of it. If you are a Pinot Grigio fan, don’t feel bad. I’m just saying it is a “fun” wine…Wouldn’t you agree?
I could come up with some more examples, but I think you get the picture. A wine is fun when you don’t have to think about what you’re drinking or what you spent, but you are enjoying it. Sound like fun to you? It does to me. However, this does not mean you will see me using that word for a wine anytime in the future. That would take all the fun out of it.
Cheers! Stan The Wine Man
