Any red wine lovers here ?

Question

My husband loves red wine. Can you recommend a good brand for red wine ? I like to get it for his birthday. Do explain too why do you recommend that particular wine.

Answer 1

I live in Washington State, and I'm more familiar with Washington wines, in general, than with others. An excellent Washington red is the 2003 L'Ecole Merlot -- one of my absolute favorites. It's about $28; L'Ecole is one of the few Walla Walla winemakers that price their wines in a range I can actually buy once in a while. It shows the qualities that you expect in a good Washington merlot; it's a big wine, but with depth and complexity.

More expensive, but well worth it, is the Whitman Cellars cabernet -- also from Walla Walla.

Another favorite of mine is the Clos du Val cabernet sauvignon from California (about the same price, maybe slightly cheaper). Clos du Val makes excellent wine, in general. Their cabernet is relatively dry and restrained for a California wine; it goes well with food. It's really remarkably subtle and well-balanced for the price.

Cheaper, but similar, is the Coppola Claret (2003). It needs to breathe for a while, but a few hours after opening becomes quite good. It's only about $18 or so if I remember correctly.

A bit of advice, in closing: it's quite difficult to buy wine for someone if you don't know much about it yourself. Even then, it depends on your knowledge of their particular tastes. You could buy a $100 bottle of Amarone, only to find out that your husband doesn't care for that style. Many people don't, although it's one of the world's great wines. Buying wine that some stranger on the internet thinks is "good" may not be the best way to go about this.

The best way to buy a wine your husband will like is to ask him; the second-best way is to make a note of which wines he drinks and take the list to a reputable wine shop in your area. Ask them to recommend something similar, but nicer, to what your husband is already drinking -- that way you'll end up with something that's sort of his style.

Answer 2

It's not all about brand. It's about what he likes, how much you want to spend, and how experienced of a wine drinker he is.

If he's just a beginner and can't tell the difference between two buck chuck and Sassacaia, then the Chateau St Michelle or a cheap/mid priced Merlot are fine. There's no reason to spend $75 on a bottle of wine if he won't know the difference. Perhaps a nice bottle of Shiraz?

If he's likes red wine A LOT and wants to advance his palate, then you'll want something a little more grown up than those. Perhaps an Archery Summit Pinot Noir Cuvee? It's around $40 a bottle and is a great mid priced bottle for Pinots.

If he's fairly familiar with red wine, then go with something fun. Try to find a 2000 Barolo from a nice vineyard. Or, get an Arcus Estate from Archery Summit. Or, a Domaine Drouhin Laurene. Or, a reserve Beringer (you'll know which ones by the price). Or, a caymus wine. Or, a Stag's Leap. Or, a Silver Oak. Or a bottle of Twomey merlot. All these will be able to age another 10 years (at least), but will be completely palatable now.

Good luck and have fun!

Answer 3

Red wine lover here. For his birthday I'm sure you'd like to go all out and buy a nice expensive bottle. For my daily reds I go with Lindeman's Cabernet and Blackstone Merlot. They're cheap wines but delicious. I couldn't tell you about birthday level wines, but I recommend those.

Answer 4

I love red wine. My favourites are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Okuzgozu, Bogazkere. Look at Onder, Lemar, Metropol supermarkets in north Nicosia, Cyprus. Prices range between 5 to 20 US dollars a bottle.

Answer 5

I dont drink alot of wine and do not consider myself to be a wine connoisseur , but I did find a winery which made the best Cabernet Ive ever tasted when I visited the Biltmore Estate, which has its own winery. It doesnt taste like red grape juice ( like some) yet like a real, bold red wine, yet still sweet. I know you can order online here: http://www.biltmore.com/shop/winefood/wine.shtml

Answer 6

You just asked the toughest question in the world. There are tons of great wines out there. You have to ask what kind of wine he likes, and what he likes about it. Then go to your local wine shop and ask them to recommend something based on his tastes. Then you have to figure out how much you want to spend on it. But to get you started, I just recently started drinking Rodney Strong from Sonoma County. Everything I've had from them has been really good and nearly unbeatable for the price.

Answer 7

Any Central Coast (California) Pinot Noir works for me, but, since it's not for me and it's a special occasion, might I suggest a bottle of Frog's Leap Vineyards lovely Merlot? a 2003 will set you back a mere $30 - $35 and your husband will think you splurged bigtime!

Answer 8

Go to Trader Joe's and buy a case of Two Buck Chucks. Decant a bottle into a mason jar and add orange peel and cinnamon bark. Seal and leave in refrigerator a few days. That's a "good red wine."

Answer 9

You don't mention where you live - that'll make a difference.

I like a Pinot Noir or a Baronne. And don't take the cheapest - get something from the middle of the price range.

Answer 10

I love Druid's Fluid (blend of Merlot, Syrah, Zin and Cab) from Troon Vineyard in Oregon! It is super smooth, easy to drink, has kind of a cherry and spice flavor, and goes well with everything.

You can get it online at http://troonvineyard.com/