Red Wine for Beginner

[rcsst12]

Originally Posted by Mr. Montecristo

I'm not a drinker. But I'm thinking about starting to drink wine. I used to drink this pomegranite red wine from Trader Joe's which was pretty good....until they stopped carrying it.

So, what is a good red wine for a beginner wine drinker. I know Merlot is the best for beginner, but which brand do you guys recommend?

Thanks!

Merlot is great to start off with. If you want the same type of wine a Cabernet Signon is just about the same but with less of a bite which is what the Merlot has.

Hell, I end up killing the CabSig bottles more often than the Merlots

[nubbin_left]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Just about anything is better than Yellowtail

I completely agree. Yellowtail =

Originally Posted by cherrybomb

Pinot Noir is an easy wine to get into. I also second the beujolais style which consist of the gamay grape. If you eber have any questions pm me

I meant to say pinot noir, not grigio, in my original post. Oops.

Originally Posted by duhman

You're in Calif. Go tasting. You will find out real fast what you like or not. Don't drink the wine, just taste a little and pour the rest out. If you find something you really like, ask the host about it and why it tastes that way. Watch out because the wine slope is at least as bad as the cigar slope.

Heck yeah! If you're that close, you should indulge like crazy! Best way to learn is taste, taste, taste!

[BigCat]

There are some great suggestions in this thread. I would second the blackstone, menage a trois and the conche y toro.

[duhman]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Just about anything is better than Yellowtail . I think it is heresy to drink any Pinot Noir that is not from Burgundy, Alsace or Alto Adige. CA or WA pinot is usually over done and lacks terrior. Most of Merlot from CA is crap unless you want to pay over $20 a bottle.

I think Caneros' (as well as Russian River) best products are Chadonnnay.

Wine is not religion. Drink what you like, like what you drink. The best way to find out what you like is taste, taste, taste.

[mosesbotbol]

Do not recommend drinking any Charles Shaw wines or any other low end crap. Just saying it is decent and can find it easily at store is not justification to drink it.

If you want someone to like a cigar, don't give him a crappy one. The best that will do is reinforce that they don't like cigars. The same for wine.

Restaurants in general are a horrible way to try wines. 99% of all restaurants couldn't serve wine if there was a $100 tip attached. The glasses are wrong, the serving temperatures are always wrong, and most don't know how to decant wine correct.

I went to a pretty fancy place in Boston last week, Davios. We had a '98 Italian wine, and the Sommelier actually served us. This guy poured the wine into a decanter with no cheesecloth filter... There was so much sediment, I made him do it again. He knew it and was little embarrased, as if he thought we wouldn't notice...

Even nice places hardly give a crap, just think about how a normal place treats wine....

A good local wine shop is your best bet. Keep all the bottles under $20 for now and take notes. They don't have to be like pro tasting notes, but state what you liked and didn't. What did it taste like? Sour, hay, fruit... Even if it is Snickers, that is fine. Don't rely on memory. Bring your findings back to the same wine shop and go from there.

Wine is like Golf, it is a life journey and never mastered, just improved from where you were....

[rcsst12]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Do not recommend drinking any Charles Shaw wines or any other low end crap. Just saying it is decent and can find it easily at store is not justification to drink it.

If you want someone to like a cigar, don't give him a crappy one. The best that will do is reinforce that they don't like cigars. The same for wine.

Restaurants in general are a horrible way to try wines. 99% of all restaurants couldn't serve wine if there was a $100 tip attached. The glasses are wrong, the serving temperatures are always wrong, and most don't know how to decant wine correct.

I went to a pretty fancy place in Boston last week, Davios. We had a '98 Italian wine, and the Sommelier actually served us. This guy poured the wine into a decanter with no cheesecloth filter... There was so much sediment, I made him do it again. He knew it and was little embarrased, as if he thought we wouldn't notice...

Even nice places hardly give a crap, just think about how a normal place treats wine....

A good local wine shop is your best bet. Keep all the bottles under $20 for now and take notes. They don't have to be like pro tasting notes, but state what you liked and didn't. What did it taste like? Sour, hay, fruit... Even if it is Snickers, that is fine. Don't rely on memory. Bring your findings back to the same wine shop and go from there.

Wine is like Golf, it is a life journey and never mastered, just improved from where you were....

Very good tips and experience! I have been taking notes on what I have liked and disliked but I rarely go out and get a bottle of wine for my apartment... normally I just get raped with prices at restaurants... but what does happen is that I ask for a few samples before I go ahead and purchase! I feel that is an even trade to help decide what I like and dislike.

[smokeyandthebandit05]

Lol u guys are gonna laugh at me for this but the only red wine I really like is Carl Rossi Sangria


---------------- Now playing: Kenny Chesney - Don't Happen Twice via FoxyTunes

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by rcsst12

normally I just get raped with prices at restaurants... but what does happen is that I ask for a few samples before I go ahead and purchase! I feel that is an even trade to help decide what I like and dislike.

Yeah, restaurants make most of their profits on booze; it sucks but whattayagonna do. You can do like my wife & I do and bring your own wine (once you find something you really like) and pay the 'corkage' fee (or 'policy'). The fee varies from free up to as much as $25 but oftentimes you're still spending less than if you ordered off the menu and you're drinking something you really enjoy that probably isn't even on the wine list.

[Mr. Montecristo]

Thanks for all the feedback fellas.

I purchased a Beaujolais Louis Jadot Burgundy wine today to celebrate my 2yr wedding anniversary with my wife. It was actually mild and pleasant tasting. Great deal for a $7.99 bottle of wine.

[Mark C]

Originally Posted by mosesbotbol

Do not recommend drinking any Charles Shaw wines or any other low end crap. Just saying it is decent and can find it easily at store is not justification to drink it.

I gotta disagree with you here. I have yet to find a brand-spanking-new wine drinker who didn't enjoy their first bottle of Yellowtail. Certainly it won't hold up after they've acquired a taste for Grand Cru Burgundy, but not everyone gets to that point in their wine journey. To borrow your golf analogy, some people are happy enough playing minigolf and never make it to Pebble Beach. It's been my experience that most people like to ease into new tastes, like wine, cigars, etc. I wouldn't give a novice smoker a Camacho nicotine bomb any more than I'd suggest a First Growth to a novice drinker. Yellowtail is like an Indian Tabac, a safe entry point onto a very steep slope.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by Mr. Montecristo

Thanks for all the feedback fellas.

I purchased a Beaujolais Louis Jadot Burgundy wine today to celebrate my 2yr wedding anniversary with my wife. It was actually mild and pleasant tasting. Great deal for a $7.99 bottle of wine.

That's a nice lighter red and quite pleasant tasting as you say. Look for their '05 Burgundy Village, about $10.00.

[mosesbotbol]

Originally Posted by Mark C

I gotta disagree with you here. I have yet to find a brand-spanking-new wine drinker who didn't enjoy their first bottle of Yellowtail. Certainly it won't hold up after they've acquired a taste for Grand Cru Burgundy, but not everyone gets to that point in their wine journey. To borrow your golf analogy, some people are happy enough playing minigolf and never make it to Pebble Beach. It's been my experience that most people like to ease into new tastes, like wine, cigars, etc. I wouldn't give a novice smoker a Camacho nicotine bomb any more than I'd suggest a First Growth to a novice drinker. Yellowtail is like an Indian Tabac, a safe entry point onto a very steep slope.

Take that brand new wine drinker and serve them Yellowtail and Grand Cru Burgundy, which one will they enjoy more?

Certainly the nicotine in some cigars is not advised to novice smokers, but how many of our favorite cigars fall into the high nicotine category? Certainly very few if you have a preference for Habanos.

Those that are happy just playing mini-golf are not on a journey. Not everyone is going elevate wine to a hobby, nor do they with golf, but if they do make it a hobby or passion, the paths are similar.

[ucla695]

I think with any hobby, you have to start at some entry point and then see where the journey takes you. In the case of wine it could be an inexpensive bottle of Shaw or a Coastal Mondavi, BV, etc.. The key to finding what you like is taste as many different types as you can. Wine bars and restaurants are a good place to start, but, as some have mentioned, you might pay a premium. I think the key is variety. Ideally, a trip to wine country would be key, but there are plenty of other places to do some tasting. In the LA area, there some wine stores and restaurants that have automated tasting machines. These are great for sampling. Similar set-ups exist across the country. You just have to seek them out. Anyway, congrats, enjoy and see where it takes you.

[Demented]

My 2 cents...

If you want to learn about red wine, drink red wine.

Syrah, cabernet, zinfandel, pinot noir are all types of grapes.

A bottle of wine labeled merlot, cabernet sauvignon, pinot noir, or zinfandel is made from that variety of grape.

Just starting out, I'd recommend Yellow tail or Bolla. Both are in the $8 - $12 price range. Drinking 2 or 3 bottles of each varietal, from both vintner's should give you a good idea of what each should taste like.

They aren't great wines, they are however good enough to serve as an everyday table wine and for cooking. I do not cook... with any wine I would not drink.

As others have stated, taste as much wine as possible and go to tastings.

There are vintner's and vineyards from San Diego to Mendocino.

With wineries in Temecula and Santa Barbara, an hour or two drive north or south of L.A. puts you in wine country.

[mrreindeer]

Originally Posted by ucla695

I think with any hobby, you have to start at some entry point and then see where the journey takes you. In the case of wine it could be an inexpensive bottle of Shaw or a Coastal Mondavi, BV, etc.. The key to finding what you like is taste as many different types as you can. Wine bars and restaurants are a good place to start, but, as some have mentioned, you might pay a premium. I think the key is variety. Ideally, a trip to wine country would be key, but there are plenty of other places to do some tasting. In the LA area, there some wine stores and restaurants that have automated tasting machines. These are great for sampling. Similar set-ups exist across the country. You just have to seek them out. Anyway, congrats, enjoy and see where it takes you.

Good to see ya on here Mike; I know you're probably more of a wine-o [that's short for 'wine (aficianad)-o)] than me. Where in L.A. are those machines? That'd be a fun little outing. My wife & I ran into one in a tiny suburb outside DC once and thought it was pretty darn cool but hadn't seen 'em in L.A.