Cabernet Sauvignon is the world’s most-planted red wine grape. Both a blessing and a curse, if you ask me. Formidable popularity is always polarizing, after all.

Inevitably, with the sheer volume of Cabernets on the market, there are some “meh” wines amongst the options. Then again, are some great finds, and of course, a whole bunch of age-worthy and even investment-worthy beauties.

Cabernet Sauvignon, originally from Bordeaux, France, is one of the few grape varieties that’s fully claimed “international” status, long proven successful even in far-flung locales. It’s also a grape that can stand alone with aplomb while playing just as well with others in red blends.

This tasting focuses on Cabernet’s solo and predominantly Cabernet-based bottlings and the countries and regions where the grape has proven its mettle, year after year..

For those of us who grew up in the United States, Australian white wines were essentially just Yellow Tail Chardonnay. Maybe one of Yellow Tail’s Sauvignon Blancs or Pinot Grigios if the local grocery was really well-stocked. Now, there is nothing wrong with Yellow Tail - in fact, their Chardonnay was without doubt the best performer in a lineup of popular inexpensive white whites tasted blind in one of my WSET Diploma study sessions in San Francisco.

The problem isn’t Yellow Tail or other inexpensive Aussie “critter” wines…it’s the a general lack of knowledge, availability and awareness of other Australian white wines in the United States. And of how outstanding they can be.

If you’re reading this post from countries like the UK, New Zealand, China or Australia, you might be thinking duh, of course there are fantastic white wines in Australia, how could you not have known this?

All I can do is shrug and say that the wine market is a complex, living thing, ever-changing and often fickle. Where you live matters a lot - even in today’s global economy. Culture and access can change one’s perspective on everything when it comes to wine.

Wherever you live and wherever you grew up, this tasting guide is intended to give you a taste of what Australian white wine has to offer. I have no doubt that you’ll find an ace.

Chenin Blanc is a bit of an oddball grape variety in that it straddles the line between “nobility,” thanks to its capability to produce many styles of wine, including age-worthy ones, and “workhorse” status, since it’s pretty easy to grow. Almost too easy, some might say.

It’s also kind of an “insider” grape, since it’s just not trendy, and hasn’t been for a while. Not for any lack of quality, mind you, far from it. Chenin just hasn’t become a wine world darling in the same way as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling or Chardonnay. The upshot to this is that Chenin Blanc wines in general tend to be under-valued. Even the increasingly hard-to-get South African Chenins, like those from The Sadie Family, aren’t (yet) hitting the kind of price points that top Chardonnays reach, though there are a few crème de la crème wines in the Loire Valley, like those by Nicolas Joly at Coulée de Serrant, Domaine Huet, Richard Leroy and Stephane Bernaudeau that tend to command top dollar.

For this tasting, though, there’s no need to splash out (unless you really want to). The wines included in this Wineluck Club tasting guide cover the full range of classic Chenin Blanc styles, from sparkling to sweet, while allowing you to share the costs - and more important, the fun - with people you love.

It’s always interesting hearing others’ opinions about American wine as an American living abroad. First in France, and now in Denmark, I’ve heard so many things about the wines from my native country. Many of which are quite different from my own perceptions of American wine, as an American.

Only about 3-5 percent of American wine produced each year is exported, a very small percentage, especially compared to European wine-producing countries, which tend to export 25 percent or more. And even those small amounts of exports have had it rough lately with the current president’s policy changes. Suffice it to say that only a teensy little bit of American wine gets to represent the entirety of the country abroad. And that makes for some interesting perceptions.

I’ve been told that all American white wines are overripe and buttery with high alcohol levels. I’ve been told that all American whites are overpriced. I’ve been told that American whites don’t age well. I’ve been told that “classic” American whites are made entirely in the cellar, especially with clear malolactic fermentation and oak aging, resulting in creamy, buttery wines with prominent flavors of vanilla and toasted hazelnuts.

It hasn’t always been easy to decide when to jump in and negate these ideas, and when to just shrug and let others have their (sometimes intractable) opinions. Let me say here though: American whites are not just buttery Chardonnay and oaked Sauvignon Blanc, even if those wines do exist, and are often utterly delicious. American whites can age beautifully. And American whites can be highly indicative of their terroir and vintage. Sure, there are some big brands who craft blends that prioritize consistency over a focus on showcasing terroir and vintage variation, but that is true in every wine-producing country, not just the United States.

This tasting guide covers 6 “classic” American whites, including the oak-aged beauties that have come to dominate foreign perceptions, but also including the unoaked wines that deserve just as much of your attention. If you currently believe that American white wine is just one thing, I hope this tasting will change your mind.

It’s a truism in Burgundy that the small, walled town of Beaune is the capital of the Burgundy wine world, though Dijon, further north, is the capital of Burgundy, the region. To make things even more fun, the Côte d’Or is the heart of Burgundy’s great vineyards, with its swath of appellations that comprises the northerly Côte de Nuits and the southerly Côte de Beaune…but when it comes to Pinot Noir, often considered Burgundy’s greatest triumph, the Côte de Nuits (much of which is closer to Dijon) reigns supreme.

Somehow, the Red Burgundies of the Côte de Beaune, even with the beating heart of the wine world beckoning visitors inside its town walls, tends to be discussed only after the great Red Burgundies of the Côte de Nuits. If we tally up the Grand Crus dedicated to Red Burgundies, the Côte de Nuits has almost all of them, with just one, Corton, looking down from its hilltop at the northernmost edge of the Côte de Beaune.

Knowing this, you could decide that the Côte de Beaune’s Red Burgundies are somehow second class…or you could decide to taste for yourself, forming your own opinions (while thanking your lucky stars that such world class wines tend to command slightly lower prices than those in the Côte de Nuits).

This tasting guide is for those who might have heard of Red Burgundy, but aren’t entirely sure what the grape variety is, much less why the wines are such a big deal. It’s for anyone who’s read a wine list littered with French words, then slid their eyes toward something less intimidating instead. It’s for anyone who finds a wall of similar-looking bottles, all with ivory labels and French words in thin, loopy cursive text overwhelming. This tasting is your opportunity to clear up the confusion in a relaxed way, amidst people with whom you know you can react however and say whatever you want, regardless of what you did or didn’t know before.

If you’re already well into the world of Burgundy, you can use this tasting as a refresher or an experience guide, a way to compare the best-known villages in the Pinot Noir-dominant Côte de Nuits side-by-side. Just know that it’s written for those who are new here, and that 6 wines will never cover the beast that is Burgundy in its entirety. Even one of my beloved (and heavy) 800-page Burgundian tomes can’t cover every single thing.

I won’t pretend that anyone could cover all of Red Burgundy, or even just the ones from the Côte de Nuits, in just 6 wines. But. It’s still possible to explore some of the region’s best-known Red Burgundy appellations with friends, and without even breaking the bank.

This tasting guide is for those who might have heard of Red Burgundy, but aren’t entirely sure what the grape variety is, much less why the wines are such a big deal. It’s for anyone who’s read a wine list littered with French words, then slid their eyes toward something less intimidating instead. It’s for anyone who finds a wall of similar-looking bottles, all with ivory labels and French words in thin, loopy cursive text overwhelming. This tasting is your opportunity to clear up the confusion in a relaxed way, amidst people with whom you know you can react however and say whatever you want, regardless of what you did or didn’t know before.

If you’re already well into the world of Burgundy, you can use this tasting as a refresher or an experience guide, a way to compare the best-known villages in the Pinot Noir-dominant Côte de Nuits side-by-side. Just know that it’s written for those who are new here, and that 6 wines will never cover the beast that is Burgundy in its entirety. Even one of my beloved (and heavy) 800-page Burgundian tomes can’t cover every single thing.