Over the course of three centuries, people to whom tradition was important learned that white wines went with fish and red wines with meat. Starting somewhere in the late 1960s, as people began to realize that this rule was somewhat arbitrary and not always logical, many became aware that some fish dishes could go very well with red wines. Really sophisticated drinkers even realized that white wines could be ideal companions to some meats. The latest phenomenon, as may be witnessed especially in the United States (but also in Australia, New Zealand, Israel and England), is the development of a group of people who have decided that white wines are not worthy of being taken seriously. Some of these people proudly proclaim that they would never even lower themselves to consider drinking a white wine. Others have even gone so far as to throw away whatever bottles of white wine they may have had in their private cellars. Some self professed Tel Aviv yuppies even take pleasure in scorning those of their friends who they consider unsophisticated enough to enjoy a bottle of white wine.

Call them wine snobs or call them pseudo-connoisseurs, but there is a certain amount of perverse logic to their decision. It is true, for example, that whites are the most popular wines among beginning and therefore unsophisticated drinkers. This is true largely because from infancy all people have an innate preference for things that are sweet as opposed to those that are bitter, and all alcoholic beverages have a certain level of bitterness. White wines, no matter how dry they may be, contain at least a bit of unfermented sugar that gives them a hint of sweetness, and beginning drinkers learn to cope with the taste of alcohol by drinking semi-dry white wines or by mixing whiskey with ginger ale or rum with coca cola. To those who reject white wine this means that because sweet, fruity drinks satisfy our natural tastes, they are, automatically, unsophisticated.

Truly dry red wines on the other hand have no residual sugar at all and, because their color comes from contact with the skins of the grapes contain tannin, they do give a mild feeling of bitterness. Because we live in a world obsessed with image, some translate late this to imply that one is more sophisticated for having succeded in overcoming the natural desire for sweetness. In a sense, such people like to boast that they have adapted to tastes that can only be acquired with practice.

Insisting that heaviness is better than lightness, such would-be sophisticates also scorn white wine because it is considered lighter and less alcoholic than red. This, in reality, is merely an illusion, brought about not least of all because white wine is usually served cool and red is not. Thus, while white wine may be more refreshing, it is neither less heavy nor less complex than red wine. In fact, a bit of research on the part of these people would reveal that the very best white wines contain at least as much and frequently even more alcohol than reds. It is true that as a rule red wines age better than whites, but considering that few Americans (or for that matter Australians or Israelis have either the facilities, the cash or the desire to store wines for thirty or more years, this is an equally naive argument.

Men who want to simultaneously demonstrate their male prowess as well as their sophistication (forgetting perhaps that the two do not complement each other), find another plus in drinking red wine. Because they accept the general assumption that white wine is less likely to give you a hangover, such men enjoy boasting about the amounts of red wines they can drink without ill effects. In addition to demonstrating their penchant for machismo, such men are also reflecting their ignorance, for there is no evidence whatever to indicate that red wine is "more challenging" to drink. The reality is that with the exception of the 0.01 percent of the population who are allergic to histidine, which is in the skins of black grapes, cheap wines give headaches and expensive wines, regardless of their color, do not.

Truly knowledgeable wine drinkers view the current movement away from white wine as pretentious and silly. It does not overly worry them, however, as they perceive the movement as temporary. Personally, I marvel at the kind of ignorance that allows wine snobs to reject white wines such as the magnificent sweet white dessert wines of Sauternes or Barsac; the luscious, scented and lingering flavor of a Premier Cru Montrachet; the nutty, peppery almost creamy flavor and aroma of a Muscadet de Sevre-et-Maine; the steely dry Rieslings from Alsace and the Mosel Valley; the equally steely Premier Cru Chablis from Burgundy; or, (and I do hope the truest of the snobs will forgive me) even a crisp Chardonnay from Australia, Israel or California.

Those who are devoted to truly impressing their friends and acquaintances with their sophistication or their level of financial success might do well to purchase twelve of each the following wines, each of which, in addition to being extraordinarily pres- prestigious, is also considered among the world's very best. The prices are based on recent auctions held at Christies in London and all are in Pounds Sterling

Red Wines

Chateau Gruaud-Larose, 1928 - 1850/twelve bottles
Chateau Latour, 1953 - 900/twelve bottles
Chateau Lafite, 1961 - 2440/twelve bottles
Chateau Magaux, 1892 - 550/bottle
Chateau Petrus, 1929 - 2550/bottle
La Tache, 1942 - 380/twelve bottles
Chateau Mouton-Rothschild 1975 - 3500/bottle (label designed and signed by Andy Warhol)

White Wines

Chateau Coutet, 1947 - 1200/twelve bottles
Chateau d'Yquem, 1921 - 700/bottle
Musigny, 1955 - 1200/twelve bottles
Le Montrachet, Marquis de Laguiche,1992 - 900/dozen bottles
Chablis, 1er Cru, Montmain, 1982 - 600/dozen bottles
Batard-Montrachet, 1985 - 400/six bottles

© Daniel Rogov