The new forums will be named Coin Return (based on the most recent vote)! You can check on the status and timeline of the transition to the new forums here.
The Guiding Principles and New Rules document is now in effect.
Red Wine
snorepez
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm looking for some red wine suggestions. What are your favorites? Prices can vary, but I'd like to stay under $30. I'm not too picky when it comes to a certain style of red wine, just so long as it tastes good - I like to experiment. I live in Arizona, so anything that is marketed in this area would be preferable. Thanks!
snorepez on
0
Posts
Normally the blends aren't the greatest, but this one is interesting. Price ranges between $12 - 18.
Steam
XBOX
From wikipedia:
He's not far off. I can't drink a Merlot or Chianti because they've got what I can only describe as an unenjoyable rough edge. A Pinot noir is smooth in taste and aroma.
Also, I've recently taken a liking to a Merlot-Cabernet blend. It's like the vanilla of red wines. Pretty plain, but sometimes that's exactly what I want.
Sorry I can't be more specific! I'm too young a wine drinker to recommend brands; usually getting a different brand myself every time.
Hell, some of my "table-priced" favorites are around $10.
You're in AZ, so Trader Joe's is a fine place to start.
My wife and I like to sample all the $10 and below labels, in an effort to find the "gems" out there.
Sure, a lot of it doesn't make the cut to warrant a second purchase - but i've never found a bottle that was simply undrinkable.
With that in mind, once you have a good apprecition and grasp for what varietals you like at the $10 range, you can slowly move up - and you'll appreciate the quality of the higher-priced bottles that much more.
Here are some names for you to start with:
Barefoot
Ravenswood (their red zin is quite good)
[Yellow Tail] (i dig their shiraz)
Anything from Montepulciano, Italy
Anything from Chile
Coppola
Blackstone
Louis Jadot (beaujoulais)
I'm not as particular as her about wine, but I've never had a problem with this one.
EDIT: We usually shop at Cost Plus World Market for wine. Huge selection of wines for less than $20. They don't, however, carry many that are high end (over $50)
I'd make recommendations, but the type of wine that I like may not be the type that you like. Everyone is a little different. Most people can't tell the difference between a $5 bottle and a $50 bottle. So, start at the low end (if Trader Joe's is close, start with Charles Shaw Wine). Find something you like and go with it.
My girl's parent's turned me on to Reunite (there's an accent on the e). It's cheap and has a screw on cap, but man is it tasty.
A lot of the Australian wines are very good for the price you pay. I can specifically recommend Penfold's Rawson's Retreat, which is delicious and under $15.
Grove Mill wines are the same way -- cheap, tasty, screw-on cap. What's the deal with the screw on cap?
But it's less traditional, so it's looked down on as "cheap." But it is a better technology for keeping wine.
And Raggaholic hit it in one -- a good wine is one you like. He also kind of points out that it's very difficult to get to know a wine you like based on winery recommendations. My problem with getting recs from anyone who isn't going to the same wine stores I go to is that stock varies wildly from store to store, let alone state to state. What you have a shelf full of, I may never see in my life. So that means that, really, the OP should be looking for varietals or blends of wine that he may like, and, if he's feeling adventurous, narrow it down to year.
For example, I'm a big fan of grenache/garnacha (french/spanish). Low tannin, fruit-forward flavor, and low acid. In other words, it's fruity w/o being sweet, and a red that isn't acidy or makes you smack your lips afterwards. There's a LOT of grenache out there, though, and we recently discovered that the grenache from 2006 *sucks*. 2005 stuff is DELICIOUS, and we love it, but the 2006 just tastes cheap and bad.
Now, when you're spending under $10 a bottle, you'd be surprised how something that's low priced can taste cheap, but believe me, there's a difference.
But the point is that we only discovered that by tasting different wines, and, in our case, talking to the people at the store about what we liked and didn't like. We said stuff like "We got this one before (point to bottle on shelf), but thought it was too dry. What would be a little more fruity compared to that?" And then buying a few bottles of that new varietal and seeing what it tastes like overall. Relatively quickly you'll discover what varietals you like and dislike, to the point where you can go into a store and ask about new stuff by saying "I've been drinking a lot of [wine type] and am looking for something similar but different. What other varietals are close to that taste, but would be new and interesting?" And you should get some good recommendations, if the store is halfway decent.
The thing about wine is that it's meant to be enjoyed for the flavor, not just for getting you drunk, so it's far more important to spend a little time experimenting, rather than just going based on a label or a name (no offense to previous posters who did that). You may discover that you love yellowtail -- you may discover that they suck. But you won't really know unless you're trying similar wines from other vineyards, so you can see "huh, this cabernet sauvignon really IS better." Much more interesting than simply buying the same bottle over and over again without tasting other vineyard's products.
As my recommendation, I suggest grenache or a red from bordeaux for a general meal wine, a malbec (which I usually describe as "spicy") for going with cheese or other strong flavors, and if you're looking for something light I actually prefer rose made from malbec or grenache over a typical white. Most rose is overly sweet, but the depth of most grenache and malbec wines makes the rosés really interesting.
If you like something dry, another favorite of mine would be Ibastioni Chianti-Classico. It's DOCG, and tastes like delicious grape juice. Probably runs 20-30$ a bottle, maybe cheaper if you get it wholesale.
7 Deadly Zins is a really amazing red, too.
http://www.dreyfusashby.com/USA-Cloudline.htm
its is one of the best pinot noirs I have ever tasted.
Almost any pinot from Oregon is going to rock. this one is especially good
don't get me wrong, because I love Arbor Mist stuff (particularly said blackberry merlot), but it's a bit like slightly alcoholic koolaid. Really damn good alcoholic koolaid, but it's still a far cry from most 'real' red wines
Beaujolais' are nice because they're a red wine that you can chill and are meant to drink young. That season, in fact. As you start to really get into wines you'll really be able to appreciate the more complex Bordeauxs and Cabs but yeah for now Pinot's, Merlots, Meritages, Beaujolais are excellent places to start.
When I started learning I really picked a single varietal, Merlots, and just tried different vinyards and years just to get a good library of what was going on.
________________
________________
My mum has a bottle of MOET champagne in the cupboard. She's had it for 2 years.
Still good to drink?
Lately I've tried some Hungarian and eastern European reds. They are quite different. They are very subtle and I'd say almost watery. Don't let my poor explanation scare you off, they are worth a try. Compared to what is a traditional red where the flavor smacks you in the face sometimes it is so prominent, that is why I'd say they have a watered down feeling to them.
I'm a sucker for gimmicks and found even some of those are good. A brand that usually surfaces around halloween Vampire, Werewolf, etc... I really enjoy the merlots.
Steam
XBOX
Red Guitar, a blend of 55% Tempranillo and 45% Garnacha from Navarra Spain
I find it in Ralph's in Los Angeles for about $12 (but the article says it's an $8 bottle for them -- lucky bastards). Otherwise I typically drink pinot noirs, but I haven't found any must drinks yet. I'm usually pretty happy sampling whatever I find on the day.
Just a correction here: Casillero del Diablo is from Chile, South America, not from Spain.
my bad, I meant to write Chilean red wines, not spanish... my brain's not terribly functional today