What kind of wine?

Question

I am always reluctant to try new wine, because I don't want to waste money on something I do not like. So, I have been purchasing the small sample sizes. I have yet to find something that is not sweet. Like White Zinfindale. It gives me heartburn now. Have been drinking this for over 10 years. Does anyone have any suggestions? Something other than "dry". Are there such wines that are inbetween dry and sweet? If you could tell me the brand name also. Thanks ahead of time.

WOW! Thank you so much for all of your suggestions.

Answer 1

Once again, everyone's white wine suggestions were good with the Riesling, Gewurtz, Pinot Grigio, Spatlese, and Moscato, but also add Canadian Ice wines or late harvest rieslings to the list. As far as expanding to red, before Pinot Noir, try a beaujolais. They are light and fruity, very little tannins. Someone suggested Cavit Pinot Grigio, stay away, they lost a bit of quality for quantity. If you don't want to spend a fortune, but get a very good Pinot Grigio, go for Ruffino Lumina. At around $10, it's one of the best on the market pound for pound. Yellow Tail is another to avoid. If it was 4-5 years ago, it would have been worth it, but as of late, they have lost a bit of quality control in an attempt to keep up with demand like Cavit. If you actually search, there is no real Yellow Tail vineyard in Australia. They buy juice from vineyards and bottle it under the Yellow Tail label.

Answer 2

There are semi-sweet and semi-dry wines:

Warren Hills White is a semi sweet that goes well with food
Cedar Hill White is an all-occasion semi sweet wine (they also produce a semi-sweet rose')
Niagara is a fruity semi sweet that has a very "grapey" flavour

If you still find the semi-sweets are still too sweet for you, then you'll want to try semi-dry:
Chalet Debonne Vineyards 2002 Chardonnay Reserve
Ferrante Winery Chardonnay
Ferrante Winery Grand River Valley Cabernet Franc
Ferrante Winery Rosato
Firelands Winery Gewurztraminer Isle St. George (personal favourite)

If your local wine shop doesn't have any of these in stock, just ask what they do have thats semi-sweet and semi-dry. They're available at just about every price range.

Answer 3

You could try semi-dry or semi-sweet wines. They're pretty much the same thing - it just depends on what term the winery wants to use whether they put the word dry or sweet after the "semi". Riesling, Vidal, Gewurztraminer and some Sauvignon Blanc will all fit into this category. You may even be able to find a Chardonnay that isn't really dry but that can be a little difficult.

You asked for brand names so, if you can get your hands on Canadian wine, try any of the grapes I mentioned above from the following wineries:

Inniskillin Wines (http://www.inniskillin.com)
Hernder Estates (http://www.hernder.com)
Henry of Pelham Family Estate Winery (http://www.henryofpelham.com)
Pillitteri Estates (http://www.pillitteri.com)

Hope those help. Happy drinking.

Answer 4

I really like Alice White's Lexia...that is the name on the label, have no idea what kind of grape. It's a little sweet, easy to drink, and very refreshing. Another good, slightly sweet white I tried recently is viognier, the vineyard was Jewel. Another wine that is very refreshing and slightly sweet is vinho verde. It's from Portugal and I know you can buy it at Trader Joe's (I believe you can get the Lexia there as well). The vinho verde and Lexia shoud both be less than $10 a bottle, so if you don't like it, you aren't out that much.

Also, if you want to try new things, look for gourmet markets or wine shops that offer tastings. Check out www.localwineevents.com for your area and see if there is any events in your area.

Answer 5

Try a Riesling - like Schmitt Sohne or Rosemount Traminer Riesling. Both are sweet, but not like a White Zinfandel. There are drier versions of Rieslings as well. Piesporters are usually pretty sweet, so you might want to stick to Chardonnays, Pinot Grigios, Sauvignon Blancs - these are all wines that are not sweet. Do you like red wines? There are many websites to help you with exactly what you're looking for.

Answer 6

Riesling is a good wine to transition from "sweet" light bodied wines into "dry" fuller bodied wines. you have to be careful though, some Rieslings are "dry" . Try a riesling from washington state, like Columbia Crest or Ch. Ste. Michelle.

Answer 7

Wine, as well as life offers different tastes to different people.Good wine is in the palate of the beholder. Whatever tastes good to you is a good wine.

Unfortunately, to find out what you like, you will 'waste' money.

An alternative would be to find wineries in your area and sample their offerings or, lacking that, find out where you can attend wine tastings.

Good luck.

Answer 8

Try Cavit Pinot Grigio, or Yellow Tail Chard.

Answer 9

Luna Da Luna Pino grio (white wine) or pino noir (red wine)
These r my 2 favorites.

Answer 10

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