In terms of both talking the talk and walking, er, drinking the drink, "benchmark wines" are invaluable. And whether you know it or not, you almost certainly have them.
A benchmark wine is basically your house wine, something that you like a lot and that serves as a gauge against which to measure similar wines. It's not my benchmark, or the benchmark that some effete experts might cite, but what you like in a certain varietal. Never let anyone tell you what your benchmark Chianti or rosé should be.
It's simple stuff, although because we're talking wine, it can get a bit complex. The good news is, you control that aspect.
Take sauvignon blanc. Your benchmark might be one of the grapefruity, grassy New Zealand types (say, Giesen), the rounder, lusher iterations in California (St. Supery) or the crisp, zesty Sancerres and pouilly fumés from France (Henri Bourgeois).
Or it can be all three. A lot of us like distinctively different expressions of the same varietal, such as syrah, riesling and pinot noir. But with so many new bottlings coming from regions new and old, nailing down a few guideposts has never been more important.
Having a benchmark also allows you to talk in terms beyond pencil shavings and gooseberries. When you go to a store or restaurant, rather than talking geek-speak, you cite a recognizable brand: "I like that tart, limey Cloudy Bay flavor; what do you have like that?"
This has the added advantage of letting the waitstaff or store clerk know what price range you're looking at without your having to talk specifics. (Although in this economy, there's no need to be sheepish about stating what price range you're seeking.)
Prices do matter, of course, so it's quite useful to have benchmarks for the same grape and style, but at different price points. Sticking with American sauvignon blancs, sometimes called fumé blancs, it might be the Hogue for under $10, the Ferrari-Carano for $15 to $20 and the Chalk Hill in the $25 to $30 range.
