Wine novice

[Bigjim68]

not sure what you mean by that, bill...

Nor I. Some reds and some whites have a longer shelf, or more correctly, cellar life, some don't. Not sure if cellar life is too important to the casual drinker, as most don't lay down wines for later consumption.

Generally, when I get the question of which wine I prefer, I find that the person asking wants to know if I prefer white or red. I am thinking of the purpose to which it will be put.

 

[justplainbill]

My experience has been that unopened bottles of dry red wine keep better (age more gracefully) than dry white wine.

 

[55sadhikar]

What are you serving this wine with, spaghetti and meatballs, steak, roast beef, veal, pork, rotisserie chicken, fish, or some other type of seafood?

For spaghetti and meatballs you can't beat a real Italian Chianti, or Sangiovese. For beef, Argentine Malbec is the way to go. Argentina is famous for beef, and Malbec was designed to go with it. Pork or veal would be good with Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.

For seafood I prefer an Italian pinot grigio or an Argentine Torrontés, and I prefer the Torrontés Salta to the Torrontés Mendoza (it's an elevation thing). If you're serving finger foods, like a Spanish Tapas party, a Tempranillo is good, or for summer parties, go with a Sangria. You can serve it straight from the bottle, or decant and embellish it with sliced fruits of choice.

In the summer I drink a lot of different Rosés, both foreign and domestic, because it's a bit lighter and just seems to sip better in the summer months. Rosé can go with red meat, chicken, or seafood, which makes it the go-to wine if you're party is having both at a restaurant or you're serving both at a dinner party.

I don't know if you have one where you live, but for the best selection of moderately priced wine, Cost Plus World Market has everyone else beat by a mile. If you want cheap wine, go to Trader Joe's and buy 2 buck chuck. If you do, let me know because I have this recipe for a red wine-chocolate bundt cake that I just know you'll love.

If you find you really enjoy wines and want to experiment, let me know and I can direct you to a couple of wine clubs you might like to join.

It's for casual drinking. Oh yeah i don't live in states, so we don't have trader joe and cost plus. I live in British Columbia, Canada.

 

[ChefJune]

My experience has been that unopened bottles of dry red wine keep better (age more gracefully) than dry white wine.

It all depends upon the wine, and how and where they are being stored. Yes, in general what you said is true. However, white Burgundies also age very well, as do wines from Germany and Alsace (again, white). But not the longevity of the well structured reds.

 

[powerplantop]

I just spent the last 8 months in Chile and fell in love with carmenere.

 

[Bigjim68]

I've been buying Carminiere and Malbec from Chile and Argentina. They represent a good value and can be had here for $10 or so.

Once again, I would find a knowledgeable person in a large store in your area, give them the parameters you require, and ask for recommendations. Wines available to me in Virginia may not be available in your area.

I also use the magazines and their ratings to do preliminary screening. There are hundreds of thousands of wine available, and you have to start somewhere.

 

[Bigjim68]

Incidentally. BC is doing good things with grapes. These are almost non existent in Va. I would love to try BC ice wines. I have never seen them here. If there are local wine festivals and tastings in your area, and there probably are, you will be able to taste a lot of available wines for a small cost.

 

[ChefJune]

The best Western Hemisphere Ice Wines I've had are from the Niagara region, not British Columbia.

 

[Bigjim68]

I've not tried ice wines from either area. They are generally not available here. I have tried some produced in Washington State, but they are variable at best, and not always produced from naturally frozen grapes.

 

[vitauta]

here is a tasty answer to your quest: tisdale wines. in particular, their merlot and the cabernet sauvignon. they started out as my choice for cooking wines--chosen initially for the under $5.00 price tag. the fruity (plum, blackberry, cherry) flavors lacing these yummy wines soon found their way into my wine glass....i now use these wines quite lavishly for cooking and sipping both. tisdale also offers a very respectable (imo) white zinfandel. happy sampling!!

 

[Steve Kroll]

The best Western Hemisphere Ice Wines I've had are from the Niagara region, not British Columbia.

Inniskillin, which is probably one of the more well-known Canadian ice wine producers, offer both Niagara and Okanagan (BC) ice wines. They have some pretty interesting products, including a red ice wine made from Tempranillo.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

Do you have wine shops in BC, or do you have to buy from the Liquor Control Board?

 

[Somebunny]

Do you have wine shops in BC, or do you have to buy from the Liquor Control Board?

I'm guessing that you are asking the OP, but since they don't seem to be around I'll throw my 2cents worth in. There are Beer and Wine stores and government Liquor Stores in BC. You cannot buy any alcoholic beverages in the grocery stores, Costco or other "box stores".