RED or WHITE wine...Does anybody have any tips on what to look for when puchasing wine from the supermarkets?

Question

what sort of things should i look for to help me find a good decent bottle of wine and avoid a nasty tasting one. Any tips??

Answer 1

A few small tips:
1) Avoid flashy labels
2) Screw-top bottles are fine; it's no longer the sign of a bad wine.
3) Whatever people say, you often get what you pay for. Don't go for the cheapest (especially in a supermarket)! On the other hand, a lot of medium-priced wines are quite good, and the really expensive bottles aren't necessarily worth the extra mark-up.
4) For a while, try buying something new each time; that way you get to know a lot of different wines quite fast (but see above).
5) Paste the labels from bottles you've had in a scrapbook and make a few notes about what the wine was like. I don't do this, but I keep meaning to...

Answer 2

There are a lot of good answers here so I won't repeat them.
Supermarket wine is often subject to promotions where they try and push partcular brands or labels.
I advise taking advantage of these and buying a cut price bottle. Try a glass with an apple and piece of cheddar. If you like it then you can buy more, even when it returns to full price. If you don't like it then you have a cheap bottle of cooking wine.

Some supermarkets sell half bottles for about £1.50. Buy a few and try them.

Don't buy a 'brown' red wine. It should be red or ruby coloured.

If you ignore the promotions then you can reasonably take price as a guide, within certain bounds.
For example - if you buy a Cabernet Sauvignon (any label) for £6 and compare it with one at £3 then you'll see that the dearer one has a much better flavour and the cheap one will end up in the casserole.
If you then buy one at £13 you'll notice a considerable improvement and 'variety' in the taste and smell.
If you spend more than £13 on the same type of wine before your 'pallet' has become accostomed to the differences then you're probably wasting your money. The law of diminishing returns applies.

Answer 3

Plenty of people are posting about the process of buying so I thought I would take you on a stage.

When you are drinking wine use a nice glass - it makes all the difference. Drink wine at an appropriate temperature.

Good tip for red wine - decant it. Don't just take the cork out. Take the wine out of the bottle - if you want to pour it into a jug and then back into the bottle then thats ok too.

When the wine is in the glass swirl it - if it leaves "legs" on the sides of the glass it is likely to have more "vinosity" (body?) than if it just stays in the bottom of the glass.

Drink some, drink some more, don't get pretentious about it,, it is bottled sunshine- be happy.

Answer 4

Steer clear of French wines and go for either Australian, Californian, South African or Chilean varieties. Personally I prefer White Zinfandel which is a rose. This is extremely trendy right now but I have been drinking it for years! The best one is Blossom Hill which is around £5 a bottle. Look out for their special offers - usually 2 bottles for £8. It may be cheap but it's a great bottle of wine - so easy to drink on it's own or with most food.

Answer 5

That was funny, leave the supermarket. The wines at a supermarket are not for connoiseurs, they are for general tastes, they are usually blended, not vintages. The only way to learn is to try them. If you like that variety or brand note it down as one you like. If you don't like it, it becomes cooking wine.

I like Zinfandel, Concord, Blackberry, Liebfraumilch, Kabinett and a few other sweet to semi-sweet wines. Taylor used to make Delaware and some other good varieties under the Great Western label.

The best thing to do is go to a wine store and try those that are not in the supermarket. Find a wine tasting event where you can try small amounts of many types of wines. Once you know what types you like, then pick which winery is best.

Happy tasting, but have someone else who isn't tasting drive home. Keep it safe.

Answer 6

Overall its finding the right taste. I prefer red wine. white is a little sweeter and the brands all have a certain taste. I would say pick up a cheap bottle of red and white then chose the color and start going up by price till you find your sweet spot. Also red wine is a little more healthy and can be more romantic for some strange reason.

Answer 7

hi there, you can find reviews on wines on TV, in newspapers and magazines and on wine websites and also though friends.
some shops have information cards on shelves and look on the wine bottle its self as there are descriptions on the back.
you can also ask staff in store and they could help and maybe see whats popular.
you could also try wine tasting and find what works best for you.

i think a bottle of wine over £5 will usually be off a better quality as these i think use better quality grapes.
but lower priced are OK too.
Australia and Chile wines have good grape-growing weather and so are very consistent .

white wine.

chardonnay is a safe choice and pinot grigio is easy to drink.

red wine.

try a Beaujolais this is nice light, simple, fruity style taste.
hope this helps you.

Answer 8

it depends on your taste, each person has their own taste. What I like you may hate, for example I dislike sweet reds and like dry reds and whites, I like mature wines but have friends who say mature wines are too strong for them and prefer the recent less aged varieties.
It also depends on what you eat or even if you do nnot eat, with the wine as some will complement the food, some will overpower it and some will go really well.

You should go to a wine specialist, or a supermarket where it is possible to speak to a wine seller. Ignore he drinks on promotion as they may be sold under commission as oppose to being fantastic, but dont rule them out, simply approach them as though they were not on offer.
Ask the wine merchant for some advice, say if you are looking for a dry or fruity wine, what you ar eating with it and how much you expect to pay. Dont go lower than £5 as your into cheap plonk with no body, wines get bumped up by the retailer who will multiply the cost to meet the transport and etc, you can expect a wine that costed £10 to have been bought foranything from 50 pence to £3.50 from the wine seller (last time I checked) and isnt tah much in reality but enough to be better than 10pence on a £4 bottle

ask to sample first wherever possible, and remember, it is ok to like something someone else hates, its all about getting your own personal taste which will develop over time and change over time.

Answer 9

Pricing of the wine has lot to do with marketing and less to do with the quality of wine. Same goes for the type of grapes used. A type of grapes may be cheaper in one country while may be expensive in another. Just choose various types of wines from different countries and try them for yourself. You will notice that wines from other part of the world, though cheap are actually better tasting than traditional ones.

Answer 10

I prefer Red Wine