winez?

Asiina

I don't really like wine. This is mainly because I don't like dry drinks. I hate lemonade for the same reason. They make my throat scratchy in an unpleasant way. Not long ago though, I had some ice wine my friend was given as a gift and it was sweet and very delicious. The problem being that it came in a small bottle that had basically a glass and a half in it.

I'm looking for something similar but it seems most ice wines come in tiny bottles like this one.

If I wanted to get something in a larger quantity that doesn't cost a fortune, what kinds of wines should I be looking for? I really just can't stand anything dry so if I get the wrong kind it'll be completely wasted.

I've tried looking on the internets, but wine sites are completely incomprehensible in their language. I'm not really sure where to begin.

Esh

Just so you know, those wines aren't meant to be drank at the same pour size as a normal wine. You're supposed to only do a 3oz pour or so. If you were chugging full 5-6oz pours you'd get sick real fast. It's like port and what not.

You might try some fortified wines? Like Lillet Blanc or a really good vermouth. Dolin makes some excellent vermouths. I could sit around and drink their Blanc all day. If you can't find Dolin, try Vya. Really nice on the rocks.

Or maybe a Sauternes?

RedDawn

If you want to get into wines, the best way to do it is go to tastings. You pay what it would cost for an inexpensive bottle, and you will get to try several different types. I'm not a fan of dry wines either, so I tend to stay away from reds. I know not all red wines are dry, but enough are for me to to really care for them.

Personally I love riesling, it suits my pallet quit well. From what you've said you should look for what is called a dessert wine, they are sweeter and shouldn't be dry.

EggyToast

You might be able to find a wine called Jam Jar, which is a south african shiraz. Here, for example: http://www.snooth.com/wine/jam-jar-sweet-shiraz-2008/

It's also a very good price, as we pay the same in our local store as that website.

It's definitely sweet but not like drinking candy (imo) and we tend to keep a bottle around to pair with dinner flavors that are very strong, such as curry. It's tasty on its own without being a port or madeira.

PeregrineFalcon

Icewine is expensive to buy because it's an expensive proposition to make still. The vineyard has to leave the grapes out to freeze, yields are low due to the concentration of the juices, and it takes a long time to ferment. Also, Canadian icewine is some top-shelf shit, so the high prices it commands worldwide get passed on to us.

Rather than looking for an icewine specifically, why not attend a tasting session? You might find a dessert wine you like (difference being that if the grapes don't reach -8C, they just make "dessert wine" and not "icewine" due to the way the freezing affects the sugars, blah blah blah.) If I can find several wine-tasting events in my town of Hillbilly Bumfuck, ON, you should be able to find a shitload up in Ottawa, because y'all are cultured up thar. :P

Asiina

Wine tasting would probably be wasted on me, as I'd dislike pretty much everything. I find that wine that isn't even classified as dry is still too dry for me. Most white wines I've had in the past I haven't even been able to finish a glass since the sensation of a dry drink is something I really dislike. Red wines are pretty much entirely out of the question. This is why this one was pretty surprising and I'm wonder what others are like it.

I've heard of dessert wines before, but isn't that more of a general category that other types fall into?

Sentry

You and I are similar in our wine drinking experiences. That being said, you should try a white Lambrusco. It is a dessert wine, or perhaps even a sparkling wine, but it is quite good, and fairly inexpensive. I got one at Trader Joes that was fantastic for seven bucks.

Fantasma

There is an Italian wine, which is sweet, called Riunite. Riunite Lambrusco (Red) is the one I drink, but my girlfriend prefers the White because is a little sweeter. It is not dry and they recomend it cold.

matt has a problem

You could always go with something like Arbor Mist, they're heavily fruit flavored. There's also a company called Schmitt-Sohne that makes a Riesling, it comes in a blue bottle with a sun on it. It's definitely sweeter and easily drinkable.

Scalfin

Asiina wrote: »

Wine tasting would probably be wasted on me, as I'd dislike pretty much everything. I find that wine that isn't even classified as dry is still too dry for me. Most white wines I've had in the past I haven't even been able to finish a glass since the sensation of a dry drink is something I really dislike. Red wines are pretty much entirely out of the question. This is why this one was pretty surprising and I'm wonder what others are like it.

I've heard of dessert wines before, but isn't that more of a general category that other types fall into?

Desert wines are generally sweeter and more alcoholic.

One winery you might want to keep an eye out for is Morad Winery. I'm not sure if they're big enough to ship outside of Israel (where its headquarters are considered a significant tourist attraction), but their stuff is incredibly sweet. Even their lemongrass wine (did I mention that none of their products use grapes?), the driest wine I tasted, was center-sweet by dinner wine standards.

Breezy02

I saw Jam Jar somewhere in the above discussion and must tell you this wine is incredible! I've had many friends -some who don't like red white, sweet wine, or wine at all- and so far they all really enjoyed this. It's super unique, a sweet shiraz. Suggest ya'll picking up a bottle and trying for yourself, it's only $10.

Arminas

Franzia is the most cost effective wine (and liquor!) in terms of alcohol per dollar! I'd start there. And if you don't like it, well, now you have enough for a party.

illig

I second Jam Jar... very good dessert wine

also, you should try zinfandel... the white and pink zin kinds are fruity, sweet, and not at all bitter/dry.

FightTest

Asiina wrote: »

I've tried looking on the internets, but wine sites are completely incomprehensible in their language. I'm not really sure where to begin.

I don't drink at all, yet I still sometimes watch Wine Library TV because Gary Vaynerchuk is a jackass in a charismatic sort of way. If you want wine reviews and info from someone who doesn't have a stick up their ass it's a pretty good way to get it. (reviews and info.. not a stick..)

Grizzled

If you liked the sweetness and smoothness of icewine, but don't want to shell out all that cash, I would recommend trying some German rieslings. Ironically, the cheaper, "lower-quality" ones might actually be more to your taste, as they tend to be sweeter and have less bite to them. By contrast, American rieslings tend to be dryer and not as sweet, as that's seen as a negative characteristic in the States.

You could also try a rose - again, cheaper will probably be better for you.

Vortigern

Let me diverge from the pack and suggest mead as a drink to try. It has a lot of the qualities of wine, but is made from honey and often can be much sweeter. You can get dry meads, but sweet meads are more common and even easy to make if you're willing to get into it from thast angle.

Zul the Conqueror

I'll second the Riesling suggestion. You might not even mind the dry ones; they aren't sweet, but they don't dry your mouth like more tannin-ey, dry wines will.

Also, Gewürztraminers are another good type to try. (Pronounced roughly "gur VERTS tra mee nur").

For sparkling wines, Martini and Rossi's Asti is an affordable, very sweet option. It's like candy in a bottle. Bubbly candy!

Damn... now I want some wine!

neville

Sentry wrote: »

You and I are similar in our wine drinking experiences. That being said, you should try a white Lambrusco. It is a dessert wine, or perhaps even a sparkling wine, but it is quite good, and fairly inexpensive. I got one at Trader Joes that was fantastic for seven bucks.

Add me to the list.

I don't like most reds, and still not a ton of whites, because I also cannot stand dry wine.

I do like a lot of dessert/sweet wines: white Lambrusco is good, I also like Gewürztraminer, and ports.

You may also get lucky if you go to a restaurant that has a lot of pairings and see what they pair with dessers (or you could ask for their non-dry suggestions)

Failing that, check out the menu at: http://www.thepurplecafe.com/

The dessert wine pairings (or pairings with almost all of the desserts) should satisfy what you look for.

poshniallo

Dessert wine is a category with a lot of variety in it, but I would guess from your OP that you would like almost all dessert wines.

Some of the wines people have mentioned - e.g. Lambrusco, Gewurtztraminer - are great non-dessert wines that I would bet you will find too dry.

Riesling is wonderful, but how can I put this - wines using Riesling grapes cover more types and styles of wine than perhaps any other grape. There are bone-dry Rieslings, and then it is the main grape used in Eiswein (Ice Wine). Just going to the shop and buying 'Riesling' in Europe, would get something you (the OP) might like about 1% of the time. The Rieslings sold in American might be different, but I still wouldn't tell you to buy 'Riesling'.

I would recommend more Eiswein. I heard there are some great Canadian ones. As you've probably guessed, Eiswein needs very cold weather to make.

There is a kind of series of German wines leading up to Eiswein in sweetness. They're called things like Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese. The process is slightly different from Eiswein, but they're pretty great. Other famous dessert wines are Sauternes and Tokay.

However, they're European and lovely and therefore expensive. A lot of good New World dessert wines are made from Muscat, sometimes called Moscato.

I recommend Barefoot Moscato. That sounds like it would be good for you.

Sorry about the wine-ramble. tl;dr - don't buy random Rieslings, most are dry. Try the Barefoot Moscato.

CuddlyCuteKitten

Tokay is bottled sugar, especially the more high end you get. It's a seriously sweet wine tho. :P