Can you recommend a good, inexpensive, SWEET or fruity wine?

Question

I am having a rather large dinner party. Around 25 people. About 3/4 of the guests attending are wine drinkers and are asking for a sweet and or fruity wine. White or blush preferably, given the meal. Given that my party will be large, I need something inexpensive because I'll need a larger amount. Can you recommend a good, sweet wine that will appeal to a large crowd and possibly even those who don't drink wine? I am red wine drinker so I am at a loss...Thank You!

Answer 1

Bloom Riesling or Petal Riesling - the name will depend on the year.

This is a German riesling, slightly sweet with flavors of peach and green apple and a touch of honeysuckle. The sweetness is balanced with acidity, and the wine has a clean finish. It has a slightly lower alcohol content, which might make it easier for those who are not typically wine drinkers.

This wine comes in a green glass bottle with a white label and pretty pink floral design... very charming and sweet for a crowd pleasing appeal. A regular bottle (750ml) is about $7 and you can sometimes find the 1.5l bottles for about $11 or 12. I get it at Total Wine and More. Find a location near you: http://totalwine.com/ They often have items in the store that aren't shown online.

Please don't purchase the Almaden suggested above. Rhine wines are typically drier and if your guests are wine drinkers they may not touch the stuff. It'll be a "one sip flop." The Bloom/Petal is a tasty and acceptable crowdpleasing wine without reeking of "CHEAP" or "wine in a box" :)

Answer 2

"Sweet" or "fruity"? They are not the same thing.

Are you sure the large proportion of invitees who are wine drinkers are asking for something sweet with a meal??? That is not typical for wine drinkers.

Anyway: suggestion: get both a light, fruity dry red and a fruity, fragrant white. Beaujolais, Bardolino or Gamay de Touraine would suit for the red, a German reisling kabinet or California/Oregon/Washington/British Columbia dry reisling, a Vouvray or a California or British Columbia or South African chenin blanc, an Australian traminer (not gewurztraminer!!) or Austrian gruner veltlinger, or a northern Italian or British Columbian pinot gris/grigio would suit for the white.

Depending on what you buy, buying 9 bottles of each of the above will set you back as little as between $100 and $ 200 in the States, double that in Canadian dollars if you are Canadian (high wine taxes there), and between 45 and 100 pounds if you are a Brit.

Answer 3

You can't go wrong with Rieslings, Gewurztraminers or White Zins, but if you want to show your guests something a little more fun, try Ironstone Symphony. It is light, fruity and off dry, but not heavy or cloying. Serve it chilled and add a thin slice of peach to the rim of the glass to accentuate the stone fruit characters in the wine. You can also freeze the peach and use it as an ice cube!

Answer 4

Beringer White Merlot. Sweet and should be under $5 per bottle and a Super Walmart or grocery store. They make a White Zin that was very popular in a restaurant that I worked in for several years.

Chenin Blanc and Rieslings are almost too sweet.
I would pick up a couple of Chards and Cabernets for those that gag on sweet wines (Like me).

Good Luck.

Answer 5

White Zinfadels and Rose wines will do the job. Both a sweeter than reds and I noticed that more females will drink the White Zinfadels due to their sweetness.
There are several brands with prices less than $10.00 per bottle. You might attempt to find the wine in "boxes"...Its great for parties and keeps your costs down.

Answer 6

I would recommend a riesling. It's just a bit drier than a blush (like a white zin), but it's still sweeter than most whites out there, and I have yet to meet someone who doesn't like it. It is also very affordable, usually ranging between $10-15 a bottle. As far as brands go, I have not found one specific brand that I like better than any of the others.

Answer 7

Try Tabor Hill Classic Demi Sec for around $10.

Answer 8

I suggest Amaden's "Mountain Rhine Whine." It is crisp, sweet and fruity. It cost about $11.99 for a box with 42 5 oz. servings.

Answer 9

You should get either a Gewurtztraminer, Moscato, or Riesling wine.

I believe that Costco has a few that are pretty well priced.

Answer 10

Any Gewurtztraminer! Very tasty, sweet wine that is almost always inexpensive.