What's the deal with wine?

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why bother?

How much enjoyment are you hopeing to acheive by forcing yourself to drink something you dont like.It may just be that you dont like wine.I dont like wine either.
 
coookies, I don't know where you live in MA but if you are near a Yankee Spirits store I suggest you pay them a visit. My nearby one has at least one person available to help you through wine selections. I've worked my way through some of the best of them (and some of the worst :ermm:) and am into full-blown dry reds now.

A "fun" wine that is mild on the tongue is a Prosecco (white); I've enjoyed a number of bottles by Mionetto - have not tried any other brand. It's a bit effervescent...like a little party in the mouth!:LOL:

As "powerplant" stated, tannins will make the wine seem more astringent in your mouth. Think of it as swabbing your tongue with a cotton ball full of rubbing alcohol. Ick!

Half the fun of trying to find a wine/wines you like is the trying. The other half.....heck, I forgot! Busy sampling as I type.;)
 
Start off with a sweet sparkling wine like Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante. It's sweet, bubbly, and has lot's of stone-fruit aromas that the alcohol and carbonation wisp about your senses. This is my favorite wine to introduce "non-wine drinkers" to. Very consistent in effect.

As someone else mentioned, try some German Rieslings next (which tend to be sweeter than American Rieslings).

Then slowly begin experimenting with other, more dry whites such as an excellent Californian Chardonnay that has been aged in oak to produce those rich buttery flavors. Drier wines benefit from richer fattier food pairings - such as cheese or butter sauces.

Despite what certain popular movies will tell you, I recommend Merlot as a first red. Quality varies considerably, so pick a few and have your own tasting. Most reds are dry, so again, pair accordingly.

Have fun!
 
I tried a Pinot Noir called Cavit last weekend and really liked it, poured through an aerator and it was quite tasty and mild. Also recently tried some sweet white wines out at dinner and liking this trying stuff out business. :) Other than that one Pinot though I will stick to sweet whites for a little while.

:-D
 
I tried a Pinot Noir called Cavit last weekend and really liked it, poured through an aerator and it was quite tasty and mild. Also recently tried some sweet white wines out at dinner and liking this trying stuff out business. :) Other than that one Pinot though I will stick to sweet whites for a little while. :-D

We tried the Cavit Pinot Noir and really liked it a lot too. Another red wine we recently tried and liked was called Menage a Trois bottled by Folie a Deux winery. It is a blend of 3 wines, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Carol
 
....can anyone give me a primer on good wines for a youngin' that hasn't developed a "palette" for it yet?

Try it all. Start sweet if you find it easier to drink. Chablis Blanc's are good...on the sweeter side I've found. Some Sauvignon Blancs are also...Bella Serra has a real nice Pinot Grigio...mild and affordable... I recently bought a Red Rose which was great. Kinda like fruit punch. ;) I have a Zinfindel at home now that is quite yummy... I think it's like beer, you just have to taste them.

And where does one go from there (i.e., how do you tell a good wine from a bad one if you feel like being adventurous/expensive and trying a vintage wine?)

It helps to know people who know their wine. I'd never have discovered Moscato d'Asti if it weren't for my Aunt...

Also - strange - recently at a liquor store that had a wine tasting one Friday night, I tried this pinot noir called "Hangtime"... in the store it was wonderful, much lighter than any other pinot I've tried, so I bought a bottle. Tried a glass at home and it was just horrible, couldn't even stomach getting a couple of sips down. Anybody know what gives?

Charles Shaw (aka Two Buck Chuck) sometimes has a really nice Pinot Grigio. Sometimes. Not all batches/bottles/shipments are going to taste the same.
 
I don't like dry wines or a strong wine. I had a glass a wine at a friend house that was really good. It comes in a 5 liter box with a pour spout - It is Peter Vella's White Zinfandel. The color is actually a dark pink even tho it says white. I have used it cooking to with good results.

Yes. Beginners should stay away from Chardonnay. IMO.

Zin-Spritzers are deelish. 1 part 7UP 2 parts Zinfindel...thawed frozen strawberry with syrup stirred in. DEELISH.
 
I like the dry reds and I never spend more than 6 or 7 bucks for a bottle. Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places to buy wine. Their parking sucks though....but that's for another thread.
 
I like the dry reds and I never spend more than 6 or 7 bucks for a bottle. Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places to buy wine. Their parking sucks though....but that's for another thread.

Oh are you shopping at the one in Silverlake??? That one is horrifying....park at Gelsons and cross the street, is what I used to do. ;)

Dry red? Do tell.
 
Oh are you shopping at the one in Silverlake??? That one is horrifying....park at Gelsons and cross the street, is what I used to do. ;)

Dry red? Do tell.

Yep, that one. Because of parking I only go there just a few minutes before they close...around 9pm, usually on my way home from work.

I like Syrah and Pinot Noir. Also, I can never tell the difference between a $10 bottle from a $100 bottle of wine so I settle for a $7 bottle for the most part. :D
 
For a best-buy in red wine, I go with Rex Goliath Pinot Noir at less than $8. I've had better wines but not for less than 3 times the price. One caveat though, they recently reclassified this wine, and I have not tried the new stuff.
 
Ahhh. I miss Gelsons. I do have a Fresh and Easy opening up by my house however, and just a little further down is a Trader Joes....so I'm content.
 
We tried the Cavit Pinot Noir and really liked it a lot too. Another red wine we recently tried and liked was called Menage a Trois bottled by Folie a Deux winery. It is a blend of 3 wines, Zinfandel, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Carol

My aunt bought this last summer when my boyfriend and I visited... she and the BF had some, I had a beer, and we all made fun of my uncle for not knowing what "Menage a Trois" means. :)

I remember the BF being fond of it so if he likes it (usually strictly a beer guy) I'll give it a go.

~Katie
 
My aunt bought this last summer when my boyfriend and I visited... she and the BF had some, I had a beer, and we all made fun of my uncle for not knowing what "Menage a Trois" means. :)

I remember the BF being fond of it so if he likes it (usually strictly a beer guy) I'll give it a go.

~Katie

Everytime I hear "Menage a Trois" I can't help but think of George and Seinfeld. :LOL:

Carol
 
you may enjoy Pinot Noir, as my friend does who does not care for other wines.
 
Another way to experience wine$ you wouldn't buy is to go for the tasting menu at a five star resturaunt and have the wines they pair to each course. You then get the wine the that enhances the food that enhances the wine. We don't pay for two wine flights or it would have us drunk. We get one and pass the glass. We don't always finish the glass either as they do pour a generous amount.
 
Cookies, I'm coming into this line rather late, so haven't read all the entries. I grew up in a culture where we had sips of various alcoholic beverages early in life. The wine thing? I think most younger people I've known like light, sweet wines. I'm no expert, and don't have a discerning taste for it (liking very dry reds in the winter, whites in the summer). BUT when I was a young woman living in DC I had a couple of friends who wanted to be able to have a glass of wine at an important banquet and learn to taste and what to like. So we'd go to supper at some half-way nice restaurant (our budgets would not cover expensive!) and I'd get them going. Start with a light, sweet-ish (not super sweet) wine, and gradually "work up" to dryer, sometimes heavier, reds. (not in one night, mind you!). Blue Nun, Lambrusco, and Rose (I cannot remember, what were their names .... Oh, Lancers and there was another) were the fun "starter" wines. To this day I'll occaisionally buy one of the roses for a picnic! We had a lot of fun, and my gal pals (I was a whopping 23, but was ancient to my friends, and vastly more experienced) felt much more comfortable when thrown into social circumstances beyond their ken.
 
It looks like you're looking for some nice whites with a little more "bite!" I also enjoy a bit of oomph, and too many Italian whites go down smoothly providing little to no aroma. That’s part of why Maso Canali is such a great buy -- we use the Passito method (which is to take a percentage of the late harvested grapes, drying and vinifying them separately to add to the final blend). This results in a Pinot Grigio with enhanced tropical flavors. I like to pair it with lighter fare, like fruit salad-topped toast, or Asian cuisines. It especially goes well with coconut milk based dishes.
 

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