Help Me! I’m a Newbie @ Wine!

Posted on October 27th, 2009 in Food & Wine, Uncategorized

For most of my life I didn’t really care for wine. It was ok but not a preference and certainly not something I drank very often. Now that I’m…um… more mature, I’ve developed a taste for wine. Trouble is, my palate is pretty hick and inexperienced.

Here’s what I like:

Riesling – Most any that I have tried, I like. I like the fruity, crisp and semi-sweet nature of it. Very easy to drink.

Moscato - I like most Moscato but there are some I’ve tried that are too sweet. Like the Riesling, I like it’s fruity and go with anything ability.

Rose/Blush - Again, fruity. Sense a theme here?

I consider White Zinfandel and Pinot Grigio to be tolerable, but neither would be my first choice. In all variations of these wines I like pear and peach tones. I don’t care for citrus tones as much; too much bite.

Here’s what I don’t like:

Very dry wine.

Here’s where I need your help:

I’ve never found a red wine that I cared for, but I haven’t tried many. I like the depth and feel of red wine on the palate, but I prefer a sweeter taste rather than dry. I like oak and cinnamon tones but haven’t found the right blend of these in the sweetness that I desire. Again, I do not like wine that is too sweet but I don’t like it to bite back either. I like smooth, flavorful and aromatic.

What kind of red wines would you recommend that I try? Please keep in mind I am on a pretty strict budget. A lot of the wines I have tried/liked have been cheap. I’m open to hearing about pricier wines but it might be awhile before I can get around to trying them. I’m looking for some recommendations in my price range, which is roughly $10 or less. When JobShouts sells for millions, then I’ll be all over trying some expensive stuff. ;)

Then I won’t have to worry about getting cheap glasses at auction

Tags: wine

http://www.imsocorporate.com Sarah White @sarahw79

Robin -

To be honest I am in a very similiar place – I love white wine – but until this weekend – have never found a red I liked. I went to a friends wine shop and found an AMAZING Pinot Noir that was great. Downside – $110/bottle. Cheap Pinot Noir isn’t very good.
http://www.buckeyeresumes.com Jeremy Worthington @jobsearchcoach

Search for The Prisoner from Orin Swift vineyards – Should be able to purchase at nicer restaurants and wine shops. Great red – meritage…
http://www.twitter.com/tlcolson tlcolson

Fruit wines. Or many wines fromt he southern regions. (we are not specialists in vitis vinefera.. yet)

Muscadine grapes, Niagra grapes.
those reds will have the sweetness you are looking for.

I drink wine, I know wine… and I’ll be doing HR in wine soon, because, you do what you love, right?

:)

Cheers,
Tammy
http://www.twitter.com/tlcolson tlcolson

Ignore my typos, please.
It’s been a long day. My spelling is atrocious.
imjustagoyle

Girlie, I am shooting for the moon! Trust me! :) So what was the name of this wine??
imjustagoyle

Thanks, Jeremy! I will check into it!
imjustagoyle

thank you! I often see Blueberry or Strawberry Wines here in FL but to be quite honest, I thought it was “hick” and I’m trying my best to be more cultured (which is damn hard for a native Floridian!). ;)
imjustagoyle

I cimplitely undrstend. Srsly.
Leonjd

Like I mentioned on twitter, I sell a few sweet red wines that may be of interest to you. In fact I have conducted sweet wine tastings with people that prefer that style of wine, and I include these reds. This brings somethign new and unexpected to the wine tastings, but are almost always well received.

The first is a Kadarka, and the second is a Blaufrankisch. Those are both named after the grapes they come from. Kadarka stems from Hungary. Typically it is used as a blending grape but can be made into it’s own varietal wine. Blaufrankisch originates from Central Europ though it has been popular in Austria in particular. It’s a grape that thrives in cold winter climates where other grapes will not grow at that time.
http://michaelquale.com Michael

I guess that rules out a bottle of Mad Dog and a snickers bar?
imjustagoyle

Leon, kind of like ice wine?
Devon Hernandez

I don’t profess to know everything about wine, because I don’t, but seriously, I have found Food & Wine to be an amazing tutor over the past 10 years. I would also recommend buying their yearly Wine Guide that comes out every February. You can order it through them online, and I even saw a copy in the magazine section at my local grocery store the other night. I like their Wine Guide because they mark them by price as well. A low-price sparkling wine (or cava, in Spain-champagne for all intents and purposes but can’t be called champagne because it’s not made in Champagne, France) from Spain, Frexienet, always makes their list every year for the best “champagne” for the price, which is about $10.

I’m actually more of a red drinker than white, with champagne being a large exception. I love them – Syrah/Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, etc. Rather than telling you what brands to try, just have fun trying different things (but please avoid Sutter Home and Yellow Tail, do me that one favor LOL). One thing to take into account is that you may be drinking reds with the wrong foods. Wine is so very connected to food and pairings are important. Rieslings are pretty much “it” with Chinese food (maybe a Gewurtztraminer). Just as Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris/Grigio (same thing) taste best with greens/herbacious food and fish/seafood, red wines have food “prerequisites.” I would start your research there.

Seriously though, Food & Wine is a godsend. It balances nicely the wine snobbery and laymen knowledge that asserts “we know most people can’t afford $100+ bottles of wine.” And read all of the pairing suggestions with their recipes (in fact, if you go out to restaurants that have wine pairing suggestions with specific entrees, listen to them and try them out). I would highly suggest you “get learned” through them :)

If you want to some time spend in the 20-30 dollar range for a nice red, try something from Francis Ford Coppola winery. He has some pretty good stuff. I love his Pinot Noir :)

Chateau Ste. Michelle is a good winery/brand to try for less than 20 (they have pretty decent sparkling wine as well). Sterling Vineyard is great. Stag’s Leap. Both of those are going to be more than 20. There are many more in the teens range that I enjoy on a regular basis and I’m drawing a blank for some reason (could it be the time of day?? LOL). I hope that helps get you started…good luck! The world of wine is an exciting one, and there are many times I just pick a bottle and try it out but keep in mind what foods it generally goes well with.
http://www.TheInternetMarketingBloke.com Terry

G’day Red,
Have you tried any merlots? I live about an hour’s drive from the Hunter Valley down here in Aus, so I am SUPPOSED to love shiraz (also sometimes called shirrah up your way I think), but I LOVE a good merlot!

Not too dry, a medium length fruity style of wine but not as fruity/sweet as moscato, and some of the Argentinian merlots are world-class AND cheap! In general, try any wines from warmer climates like Spain, Portugal, etc, if you prefer fruitier style wines because the warmer climates tend to accentuate the fruit flavours.

Good luck with the wine journey, it will become addictive (like driving fast cars) :-)
Terry
imjustagoyle

Devon, thank you so much for your help! I actually tried a Merlot for the first time the other day (Sutter Home, unfortunately!) and didn’t like it. I thought if it were just a tad sweeter I certainly would, and I was eye balling the Coppola stuff you mentioned (it’s on sale at Publix this week!) so it looks like I’ll have to give it a try.

Thanks for the advice & I will be looking into Food & Wine magazine! :)
imjustagoyle

Terry, much thanks for the help! I will certainly do some exploring with Merlot (and no more Sutter Home!). Thanks again! :)
http://mervyndinnen.wordpress.com Mervyn Dinnen

I would echo the Merlot, Robin…definitely think it’s a type you should try.

Haven’t been to FL for years, thrying to rack my brains to think of what I liked when I was there.

Not sure how expensive Spanish wines are, but if you like oaky you should try a rioja.

Thging with wine is…you have fun trying!!
Margaret

Robin I too am a bit if a wine hick but found I actually prefer reds with A plummy oak base. There is one red I found appealing and is usually priced right at your spending range. Look for an Argentinian variety called malbec. I was turned on to this particular wine by wine afficionados some years back. The malbec I buy is Saurus. I found that drinking a red wine is an aquired taste and pairing them with the right foods is important. I usually drink the malbec when I make shish-ka-bobs.
Devon Hernandez

You’re welcome! Good reds are going to not to be TOO dry, but aren’t going to be “sweet” like a Riesling (and not all Rieslings are sweet, mind you – there are different kinds of Rieslings, and some are very dry and minerally. I forget the German name distinctions for them, one I can think of is a Spätlese, and that’s a sweeter one. Since you do enjoy them, look for German ones, or Alsatian ones, where the grape makes its home – they are usually priced decently too). You want to kind of fill your mouth with a red and “chew” on it. You can taste more fruitiness. To me, the pure ripe berry/cherry/plum fruitiness that comes through in a good red does more for me than the cloying, masking sweetness of SOME whites. There is nothing like a good red wine with a nice steak :) Or, a Chianti or a Tuscan red with Italian…haha.

On a side note, you could try Port as well! There is nothing like a good Port (from Portugal) with some rich chocolate for dessert. It’s got the sweetness you like, but enough to stand up to a sweet dessert so they aren’t competing. But pour a smaller amount – it’s got double the alcohol that normal wine does. I picked up some nice little port glasses at an auction for a dollar. You could also use appertif-type glasses.
http://WineExpedition.com Jeff

Don’t think that you need to spend a lot of money to find a good bottle of wine. These days there are plenty of wines (both red and white) that are inexpensive and really good. When you’re ready to buy skip the supermarket and take a trip to your local wine shop (these days they’re practically on every corner). While most wine shops can seem intimidating, believe me when I say that there’s nothing to worry about as they’re generally pretty cool, especially when it comes to wine novices.

Tell them your situation (that you’re new), what you may or may not like (here’s where you mention that you don’t like very dry wine) and how much you want to spend (start around $20), and they’ll probably find you something nice.

Aside from the wine shop, another great source for knowledge is the internet. There are thousands of websites out there devoted to wine that will help you on your path of wine knowledge.

The best thing to do is keep an open mind and try everything. I can guarantee that there will be wines that you love and wines that you hate. Wine is subjective, there is no right or wrong. It’s what you like.

Learning about wine can seem very scary, but always remember that every “wine expert” that you meet was in your shoes once. It’s all good! Enjoy your journey!
Devon Hernandez

One more thing LOL – especially with American reds (and whites for that matter), I’d tend to make a general buying rule for yourself to stay ABOVE the $8 mark. To be honest, there’s really nothing worth drinking below $8. You’ll find plenty of pretty good wines, but still affordable, at home in the 10-20 range. If it’s 8-10, consider. Below 8, don’t even look at it.
http://imjustagoyle.com imjustagoyle

Thank you so much, Jeff! There is a great little wine store up the street from me that has wine tastings every week so I think that’s where I shall start. :)
Pingback: imjustagoyle » My Red Wine Exploration, Post 1 – Chilean Merlot
http://www.imsocorporate.com/ Sarah White @sarahw79

Robin -

To be honest I am in a very similiar place – I love white wine – but until this weekend – have never found a red I liked. I went to a friends wine shop and found an AMAZING Pinot Noir that was great. Downside – $110/bottle. Cheap Pinot Noir isn't very good.

imjustagoyle

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