Wine For Dummies (But Mostly for Ilander)

[iLander]

Everybody come on down!

BYOB, and we'll try them all!

Someone mentioned chocolate, that's my area! I can assemble a variety of lighter and darker chocolates with various fillings/flavorings (mango, macadamia, strawberry) and we can compare and contrast the various levels of cocoa! Hazelnuts versus pralines, almonds versus fruit bits. Woody aftertastes, cherry overtones, we can get into it. Cheap chocolate is a waste of calories! I'll bring out the hard stuff, the handmade stuff.

Someone has to bring solid food at some point, though. I know! Enerchi, bring your DH, we'll need sustenance!

 

[movie zombie]

iLander, you mentioned bordeaux. why not get a good bottle of that? most wine shops would love to educate you. there are wine bars. there are wine tasting rooms. there are so many ways to learn about wine. come to california and i'll personally introduce you some of my favorites.

the really good australian wines do not make it to the US for the most part.....

for a white you might try a pinot grigio: dry and mineral.

your problem is you started high end with that $400 bottle! big mistake!

another way you could go is to think desert: there are great late harvest wines available that would be suitable.
also, explore the world of port!!!!!!! ports are really yummy!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

iLander, I am not a big drinker but I drink wine when I do! I really don't know the best brands but I do know that I like pinot grigio. Chardonnay can be a little tart for me and I really don't like wine that is too sweet. Pinot Grigio is light and just right to me. I'd love to know some of the best brands. I just pick up inexpensive ones at the store and never pay $20 for a bottle (except at a restaurant, of course!)!

 

[artdecogirl]

Everybody come on down!

BYOB, and we'll try them all!

Someone mentioned chocolate, that's my area! I can assemble a variety of lighter and darker chocolates with various fillings/flavorings (mango, macadamia, strawberry) and we can compare and contrast the various levels of cocoa! Hazelnuts versus pralines, almonds versus fruit bits. Woody aftertastes, cherry overtones, we can get into it. Cheap chocolate is a waste of calories! I'll bring out the hard stuff, the handmade stuff.

Someone has to bring solid food at some point, though. I know! Enerchi, bring your DH, we'll need sustenance!

If you are looking for something like a hostess gift try winehavens rasberry wine (a local minnesota wine you can get online) and give it with a assortment of good dark choclates, tdf! We had it at a winetasting a few years ago and they served it with chocolates, not a full glass drinking wine but more of a cordial, about 15 bucks a bottle very nice gift. We really like all there wines, they do fruit wines very well, the cranberry and rhubarb are excellent and my favorites. They did very well at the san francisco international wine competition this year, I think they should give me a very large discount for all the free advertising they get from me but we really like their stuff

 

[Enerchi]

Everybody come on down!

BYOB, and we'll try them all!

Someone mentioned chocolate, that's my area! I can assemble a variety of lighter and darker chocolates with various fillings/flavorings (mango, macadamia, strawberry) and we can compare and contrast the various levels of cocoa! Hazelnuts versus pralines, almonds versus fruit bits. Woody aftertastes, cherry overtones, we can get into it. Cheap chocolate is a waste of calories! I'll bring out the hard stuff, the handmade stuff.

Someone has to bring solid food at some point, though. I know! Enerchi, bring your DH, we'll need sustenance!

My DH is a GOD in the kitchen!! I am always so impressed with what he can create --- and the "out of this world", most amazing part of it all, is that he actually ENJOYS cooking/creating/combining things.... So - ya - fer shur, the Enerchi household is in for some wine and cooking! (Still calling dibs on the queen guest bed!!!)

 

[HollyS]

Okay, I started the cocktail thread and it veered into wine and champagne, and there were so MANY words that I didn't know!

Oh, lordy!

So, let's try this: I need a bottle that doesn't cost more than $20, that I can bring to someone's house for dinner and not embarrass myself.

I generally go with the one with the kangaroo on it, something red if it's a meat, white if it's fish. Someone brought it to my house one day and it was okay. I usually go with the merlot, because it's not dry (or whatever that tangy taste is).

I once had a sip of red wine, back in the 1970's, from a $400 bottle. It was amazing. Everything else has been dreck since then. I think to describe it, it was medium-bodied, not dry, fruity, with a bit of a woodish aftertaste to it.

Do you know something like that?

A good package store, or even a lot of grocery stores, will have someone to help you choose a good wine. In my TX based grocery chain, there are actual reviews printed and posted up on the shelves, describing various wines.

There are a lot of decent wines to be had for that price . . . unless your friends are wine snobs.

 

[VRBeauty]

There are a lot of decent wines to be had for that price . . . unless your friends are wine snobs.

Hi Holly! I was just thinking I hadn't seen you for awhile!

I love chilled sweeter wines in the summer - the problem is they're just too easy to down! But... I wouldn't turn down a muscat (muscato) or ice wine - so what if the rest of the world thinks of them as "dessert wines"? You know what they say... life is short, drink dessert first!

 

[Skippy123]

There are a lot of decent wines to be had for that price . . . unless your friends are wine snobs.

Hi Holly! I was just thinking I hadn't seen you for awhile!

I love chilled sweeter wines in the summer - the problem is they're just too easy to down! But... I wouldn't turn down a muscat (muscato) or ice wine - so what if the rest of the world thinks of them as "dessert wines"? You know what they say... life is short, drink dessert first!

I love dessert wines in the summer, like a nice Riesling

 

[JulieN]

Tannins come from the grape skins so white wine has very little. Look for reds that are meant to be drunk young; reds meant for aging will be more tannic, like cabernet sauvignon/red Bordeaux.

If you drink a wine and you feel like it is too tannic, aerate it (gently) in the blender. (you might not want to do this with anything really expensive.)

 

[cellardoor433]

We mostly drink French whites, and here are some suggestions:

For chicken or fish dishes: Sancerre, Sauvignon Blanc (NZ also does nice SB but it tends to taste very fruity, while the French ones are more reserved but complex), Pouilly Fume.

Coconut milk based curries: Fiano (Italian dry white) or even Cremant (white sparkling wine which is cheaper than Champagne but the nice ones are dry, and nothing like those awful Asti Spumante or Passion Pops that they sell for $4 a bottle at the local grog shop).

Japanese: any dry whites but a dry Riesling is very nice (an easy to drink brand is Dopff au Moulin, which also does a nice Cremant)

As for dessert - well, if you have anything rich and chocolatey as we tend to do, a Spanish Pedro Ximenez can do no wrong.

Hope that's helpful!

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

.

 

[erinl]

Hi ilander,

I like to drink wine (more than I should admit!!) but I am like that guy in the film Memento-- I cannot remember the name of the wine 5 minutes after drinking it!

You had mentioned wanting to bring a bottle of wine for dinner/ a gathering for under 20 dollars that wouldn't embarrass you. My sister sent me this list before and it might be helpful. Most of these wines are readily available in the States:

http://www.foodandwine.com/articles/50-wines-you-can-always-trust

I am going to make a huge broad, mind blowing sweeping generalization here so forgive me in advance. I think you would probably be safest bringing some sort of cabernet, one that kind of is on the "lighter" end of the cab spectrum. It seems like people are pretty open to cabs-- even if it isn't their favorite variety, it will go over well with the group as a whole. I guess it also depends on what you think will be served for dinner. This time of year, the holidays etc, seems more favorable for heavier wines since they are more apt to be paired with a wintry/heavier faire.

Do you have a Sam's or a Binny's near you? I often walk in and say, I want a 20 dollar or under crowd pleaser. I have never been steered wrong yet (although I cannot remember any of the names of course!) I also love to pick out wines from the country of origin of the food I am preparing/ordering. There was a greek chicken thread a little while ago and I bought a greek white to pair-- it made the meal that much more fantastic!

It is a great time to find great drinking wines under 20 dollars. Heck, you can find tons of great wines in the 10-12 dollar range, especially since you are drinking them now rather than aging them.

 

[erinl]

Hi iLander,

I just saw that you were looking for "wine cooler" light. I think a lot of rieslings are like a grown-up wine cooler. Again, I am terrible with names and never can remember. Charles Smith's Kung Fu Girl is a decent, low price point Riesling. Charles Smith also has a merlot I like, Velvet Devil 2009.
I probably am as influenced by the pretty pictures on the bottle as the taste though!

http://www.charlessmithwines.com/charles-smith-wines/wines/current/

 

[sillyberry]

Last night I had a lovely Byron Santa Barbara Pinot Noir that was incredibly light and drinkable. It shows it priced at $19, but it was purchased for $12.99.

http://www.byronwines.com/wines/wine.asp?name=Pinot%20Noir

There was also a delicious Meritage, but that one required a whole lot of aeration before I reached the point where I was delighted to drink it!

But let me reiterate what everyone else said -- find wine tastings, wine bars with flights, or a group of friends who want to get together and try six or seven bottles. Try a varietal (so a series of Chardonnays) or a region (so California reds or French whites). So much fun! The only way to really figure out what you like in wine is to taste a whole lot of it. Which, let me tell you, is just a hardship...

Oh, and I also second Apothic Red as a rather enjoyable bottle that can be picked up at a drugstore!

 

[AmeliaG]

Pinot noir is a popular wine. It's lighter than most reds and goes easy on the tannins. I prefer the French pinot noir and there are several that are in the ten dollar range.

Just find a good wine shop with a wine expert you trust and try some wines out. Demo-bouteilles are great for sampling.

 

[iLander]

Okay, so I bought a wine.

It's a Riesling, 2009 Dunham. Someone said Riesling was sweet and light (and it's the only one that stuck in my brain after reading all the posts. I really need to take notes and then shop!), and it was at Costco for $15, and Wine spectator gave it a 92 for that particular year of the wine (they have that on the tags at Costco, so that seemed important).

I'm assuming it's a chilled wine, not one of those room temp deals, so I'm putting it in the fridge.

Waddya think, a couple of days and it's ready? How long in the fridge? I probably should save it for Thanksgiving . . .

Will this go with turkey? Or after turkey? Or what's the deal? Is this going to be tart or tangy or anything?

Why is this such a big, hairy deal?!!

Let's see how it goes . . .

 

[Enerchi]

I've enjoyed that wine and yes it goes well with turkey! Congrats on the wine milestone