new to Wine?

Question

we drank alot of wine this weekend, and im new to the whole wine thing. I want to try something that kind of sweet, but not candy like...also thats relatively cheap...also something thats not strong...can someone suggest a brand or type?

Answer 1

For sweeter wines I prefer white to red as they are not as syrupy tasting.

German wines like Liebfraumilck- dull, sweet white; Kabinett - semi-sweet, lighter, white; Spatlesn - sweet. My husband doesn't like dry wine, however he really liked the Auslese - it is a light, fruity white wine and has a 15% alc. content. Some folks prefer the blushy zinfandels but that's really a personal preference.

Remember to serve them chilled, and chill the glasses too so that it doesn't warm up the beverage. Also they go great with any white cheese and sliced green apple..... We like Baked Brie and sliced green apple --- delicious appetizer. Enjoy.

Answer 2

Typically, new wine drinkers ease into it with whites, as reds can be an acquired taste. The most drinkable white wines are pinot grigio, and riesling. I wouldn't worry too much about getting a specific brand until you have had more experience tasting all kinds of brands, as you will need to figure out what types are pleasurable to you. If you are going to get a pinot grigio, I can offer one suggestion regardless of brand. On every bottle (somewhere), there will be a short phrase in italian that will state if the wine is actually from Italy. I can't remember the exact phrases or spellings, but one will have the words "geografica tipica" and the other will have the word "controllata". Again, the spellings may be wrong, but only one of those two will appear on the bottle. The first one, "geografica tipica", means that it is not really from Italy, but it is "typical" of the wines from that "region". The other one "controllata", means that the wine is actually from the proper place in Italy. Good luck.

Answer 3

Red or White?

Red, it's hard to miss with a Merlot. Most people enjoy it, and goes very well with the traditional "Red Wine" foods, and usually has that 'velvety' taste that so many Red Wine lovers love. Staying within a budget, the 2001s are very good Merlots

For White, I'd recommend either a Chardonnay or a Riesling (the latter being the sweeter and better of the two). As with most other white wines, the younger they are, the better. 2004 - 2005 on these.

A great cost effective brand that I enjoy is Clos Du Bois

Also, wine doesn't really taste good at all until you are at or over the legal drinking age of your area ;-)

Answer 4

Riesling is a nice sweet wine that is not sweet enough to be a dessert wine. Riesling can be drank alone but are great with spicy food.

You might also like Zinfandel as they have lots of ripe berry fruit flavor.

Be aware that not all Rieslings taste the same. You may love one particular Riesling and hate another. This is true for all varietals of wine. Try to remember the ones you like. If you live near wineries, a wine tasting trip is a great way to discover new wines you like.

Answer 5

Do you want good wine (not necessarily expensive) or junk wine? Red or white? Most of what's been recommended here is junk wine. They sell amazingly well, but they are not 'good'. No offense to anyone who drinks Beringer White Zin or Arbor Mist, drinking what you like is important, but they are not where to start if you want to learn about wine.

White wines can be sweeter than red wines. White wines that are sweet include a non-dry Reisling, some Viogniers, Muscat, and many Gewurtztraminers. Pinot Gris, Chardonnay, Fume Blanc, and similar whites are not typically sugary sweet, but there are always exceptions.

Red wines are not traditionally sweet, other than ports or dessert wines. Most beginners say 'sweet' but what they mean is 'not dry' - there is a big difference. You can find non-dry red wines that have fruity undertones, like Zinfandel and Shiraz/Syrah. These will frequently have a flavours of plum, cherry, black currant, and rich dark fruits. Steer clear of inexpensive cabs.

Some to try:

Maryhill Viognier
Maryhill Gewurtz
Fetzer Gewurtz
Allegro Muscat (in a cool tall bottle)
Sineann late harvest Zin
Reuscher Haart Reisling
Six Prong Red
Cycles Gladiator Syrah


The next best thing to do is to start attending tastings. Most wine shops have them, so start going. Write down wines that you like and what you like about them. Also, do the converse. If one tastes like dirt, write down that's why you don't like it. Don't get hyperbolic and write things like "it tastes like gasoline" or simply "it sucks" as you'll never be able to pinpoint what it is that you are disliking. Once you have your list, talk to the shop person about it. Have them help you pick something out that has the traits that you like while avoiding the traits that you don't.

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 6

Boones Farm makes some really cheap wines. I believe Strawberry Hill is one of their favorites and you can get this in most any convience store or grocery store in the cooler section. Also Riunite's Lambrusco is pretty cheap and popular. I my self love wine that is the only alcoholic drink i will drink, my favorite is a dry red wine preferably a merlot. Some of my favorites are Prisipito, Leaping Horse, and Pebble Creek. There are so many wines and varities out there. Most of the white wines are a bit sweeter.

Answer 7

Trust me, i am a rampant alcoholic and i love wine. If you want something sweet but not too sweet try a good reisling, any reisling that costs between $10- $15 will be a good one. My personaly favourit is "Vintana" south american reisling. Generally German reislings are the best. Also if you want to go with red try a good Pinot Noir. Pinot's are generally pretty light and easy to drink. Tori Moore Pinot Noir is my favourit. I also like Shug Pinot Noir. Cheers!

Answer 8

Cisco is a Beverage Dessert wine for people who like a strong, great-tasting sweet wine at $3.89 750ml and available in a wide range of flavors: Orange, Peach, Red, Berry, Black Cherry, Blue Raspberry, Green Apple, and Strawberry 13.9% and 18% alcohol by volume.

Answer 9

i'm personally a fan of lambruso riunite. it's rather cheap (here it's about $5 a bottle) it's a chilled red wine (the only chilled red that i know of) it's sweet. and for the most part no wine is going to be candy sweet. reislings are good. a fairly good and cheap one is kendall jackson reisling. another good reisling is chateau st. michelle. (the kendall jackson is sweeter than the latter) also another good one is berringer white ziffandel it has some chardonnay in it so it makes it sweet but not too sweet. another good one is clus du bois it's a red with chocolate flavors. also woodbridge chardonnay is pretty good as well as bella serra chardonnay. all of these are under $20 a bottle at your local grocer. all bottles of wine should be drank with in 48 hours of being opened to keep their flavor. 72 at the most. i hope one of these works for you!

Answer 10

there are some good ones and bad ones that answered your question. To those that answered with good wine's you know who you are I give you props, to the others, you need to do your homework.... Boone's? Remember good wine does not mean expensive. Jordan Chardonnay is an excellent white, about $40.00 also there are many good sauvignon Blac and Riesling's. I highly recommend subscribing to wine spectator. or go to winespectator.com Wine is a great hobby to get into , It might change your life.