The only thing I'll add is that to reiterate that the big jammy fruitbomb-type reds might be what turns you on to wine. Midshipman mentioned zins and malbecs, which are fantastic varietals when you're searching for that kind of profile. (Also, hi5 for my favorite varietals as well. Wine trips through Sonoma County is like being transported to heaven for a zin lover)
For "fruit bomb" reds, I would suggest an Australian Red. If I could only drink one type of wine for the rest of my life it would be Australian Shiraz.
I generally look for wine from the Mclaren Vale or the Margeret River Valley. My favs are from there anyways.
Some of them can get a bit pricey, but not always. I would almost avoid the Yellowtail stuff though. You can find bottles for prices in the teens that are really good.
And don't be put off by screw caps. Nearly everything from Aus and New Zealand comes with a screw cap nowadays. It viturally eliminates spoilage.
I would also suggest looking at whites from Chili and, if you can find them, reds from the Republic of Georgia (the country, not the state). Georgian wine is fantastic.
For more local (US that is) stuff, viognier (vee-on-yeah is about how it's pronounced) is a great white. Virginia has some great viognier wine, but you probably won't find much of it outside of VA (which is sad, it's really good).
Another great Virginia wine is norton, which is Virginian grape. It's a red and is generally very good.
Also, if you happen to live near an area that has vineyards. It can be a lot of fun to drive out to them for wine tastings. Sometimes they are free, but often it can cost between $2-8 for a tasting.
You know, if there's a good Spanish restaurant around you can go get some sangria. That was how I first had wine. I still don't care for 90% of reds but I do love a good red sangria.
Sangria really has only a vague resemblance to wine.
To be clear, sangria is what you get when you soak fruits in wine for a day or two in a fridge, and usually you serve it in a carafe over ice. You use things like strawberries, cherries, apricots, etc. Sometimes you add a spice. You come up with a blend that complements the wine you're using as a base.
It is to drinking wine as drinking a whisky and cola is to drinking whisky.
When I've made sangria (and it's been awhile) there's always been a healthy pour of brandy, and something to add bubbles like ginger ale or club soda. Never used particularly good wine to make sangria, it's more like punch then wine.
If you want wine with bubbles you can try a Prosecco, which ought to hurt the pocket less then champagne.
If you want wine with bubbles you can try a Prosecco, which ought to hurt the pocket less then champagne.
You can get all sorts of budget sparkling wines (which are essentially champagnes not made in France or one vineyard in Northern California). Chandon does great sparkling wines that don't break the bank (a lot go for $10-$15 a bottle).
If you don't have any stores nearby with a knowledgeable staff, I'd recommend that you start with an Italian Pinot Grigio for a white and a California Merlot for a red. Both are usually rather mellow wines. I'd suggest avoiding Cabernet Sauvingnon, French red varietals, Chardonnay (oaked), and Sauvingnon Blanc (except if from New Zealand) as they have a high chance of having some flavor elements that most people don't like straight off the bat.
On the contrary, I never really liked wine until I moved away from the fruity stuff and had a nice smooth Cab Sauv.
What everyone is saying is: wine is highly subjective. If you have netflix I suggest ordering John Cleese's Wine for the Confused. It was a good watch, he goes over the main wine types and their usual characteristics and talks to some wine makers.
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What everyone is saying is: wine is highly subjective. If you have netflix I suggest ordering John Cleese's Wine for the Confused. It was a good watch, he goes over the main wine types and their usual characteristics and talks to some wine makers.
i 2nd this, its on instant watch too.
basically i think your going to need to be pretty open and try a bunch of different wines to figure out what you like. Dunno where you are, but if you leave near any wine areas, most wineries will have tastings, or else you can look for ones in stores in your area (bev mo and some grocery stores around here sample a handful of wines every week for like $3-5)
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For "fruit bomb" reds, I would suggest an Australian Red. If I could only drink one type of wine for the rest of my life it would be Australian Shiraz.
I generally look for wine from the Mclaren Vale or the Margeret River Valley. My favs are from there anyways.
Some of them can get a bit pricey, but not always. I would almost avoid the Yellowtail stuff though. You can find bottles for prices in the teens that are really good.
And don't be put off by screw caps. Nearly everything from Aus and New Zealand comes with a screw cap nowadays. It viturally eliminates spoilage.
I would also suggest looking at whites from Chili and, if you can find them, reds from the Republic of Georgia (the country, not the state). Georgian wine is fantastic.
For more local (US that is) stuff, viognier (vee-on-yeah is about how it's pronounced) is a great white. Virginia has some great viognier wine, but you probably won't find much of it outside of VA (which is sad, it's really good).
Another great Virginia wine is norton, which is Virginian grape. It's a red and is generally very good.
Also, if you happen to live near an area that has vineyards. It can be a lot of fun to drive out to them for wine tastings. Sometimes they are free, but often it can cost between $2-8 for a tasting.
When I've made sangria (and it's been awhile) there's always been a healthy pour of brandy, and something to add bubbles like ginger ale or club soda. Never used particularly good wine to make sangria, it's more like punch then wine.
If you want wine with bubbles you can try a Prosecco, which ought to hurt the pocket less then champagne.
On the contrary, I never really liked wine until I moved away from the fruity stuff and had a nice smooth Cab Sauv.
PSN Hypacia
Xbox HypaciaMinnow
Discord Hypacia#0391
basically i think your going to need to be pretty open and try a bunch of different wines to figure out what you like. Dunno where you are, but if you leave near any wine areas, most wineries will have tastings, or else you can look for ones in stores in your area (bev mo and some grocery stores around here sample a handful of wines every week for like $3-5)