what would be a good wine for a beginner?

Question

i really want to get into wine tasting as much as my current beer tasting. the very first bottle of wine i ever had was years ago and just horrible (probably because it was cheap). i have to say that i am an avid beer drinker, & i try not to stick to one particular beer, i am not a vegetarian (don't know if that matters). now, i am older and money isn't an issue, so what wine would be a great real "second" first taste?

Answer 1

Wine does not have to be expensive to be good. We've joined several wine clubs and have learned that experimenting on your own is just as good......but the wine tasting is more fun! Try just ordering a different glass of wine each time you go out for dinner. Purchasing at a liquor store can be confusing because of the volume...just ask questions. You could buy two bottles of the same wines and have two different reactions as to how they taste. All depends on what you are eating with it. Experiment! Some you'll love, some you'll won't. Try with dinner or with a plate of cheese and grapes. If you've got a wine shop near you - go ask questions! They love to share their knowledge and many times will let you sample. Winery tours are especially fun. Try it......and enjoy!

Answer 2

Wines, like beer, have different tastes to them. Some are sweet and some are so dry you'd swear you were just given vinegar.

If the type(s) of beer you prefer, tends to be on the sweet side, then go for the sweeter wines. Wines with different fruit flavors infused into them, or made with other fruits. The color of the wine doesn't make that much difference. It's just the taste and bouquet you're after.

If you like the heavier, more dry tasting beer, then go for a heavier bodied, dry tasting wine. Again, the color doesn't really make a difference. It's the taste you're after.

If you decide you don't really like the sweet, and you really don't like the dry, try a rose. It's somewhere in the middle. It's dry, with a bit of sweetness to it.

Your best bet would be to go to a winery and sample the different wines. Ask lots of questions. They're more than happy to tell you about their wines. Whether the grapes are locally grown, or imported will reflect in the price, but not by a lot.

There are also wine sampling opportunities listed in the paper. Several wineries will get together and host a festival of some sort. You pay a price to enter and, once in, you can sample to your heart's content. From that point, you can decide for yourself which wines are the better ones, and which ones to steer clear of.

Like anything alcohol related, it's all a matter of personal taste. I may like a particular type, but you might think it's disgusting.

Good luck, and enjoy.

Answer 3

You will probably want a sweeter wine to start out with; try Rieslings, they are a sweet white wine. My personal favorite is Chateau Ste. Michelle's Riesling...it usually runs $10-12/bottle. A rule of thumb that I use with wines is that anything in the $12-15 range is going to be pretty decent. Pinot Grigio's might be good with Korean food, they are a white wine that wouldn't be too sweet but not too dry either. Schlink Haus Red Wine Sweet might be a good red wine for a beginner, it's very sweet though. Another even cheaper brand ($6-10) that I've had good luck with is Yellow Tail. I think the other posters pretty much answered your questions about how to store.

Answer 4

You're going to have to decide how you want to start... there's two routes I would say:

1) start light and work your way up. Sweeter white wines are the way to go for YOUNG people starting to try wines (because taste palets are still developing). Generally, they're a little bit too sweet for older wine-drinking types... but they're DEFINITELY the easiest to start tasting on and then develope down from. If you're going to do this, i would go with a decent riesling. Someone mentioned blue nun, and it's not bad. Chateau Ste Michelle (normally eh for wines) just came out with a joint wine project with Dr. Loosen from germany (a true master of German wine). There's several different types, but the first one I found was here: http://www.wallywine.com/ps-20904-506-2005-chateau-ste-michelle-riesling-eroica-dr-loosen-n-750ml.aspx which should be a very good wine.
This page offers several types of Dr. Loosen's which are varying costs and sweetnesses. The one that would probably suit you is towards the bottom for 25 a bottle, it's a little less sweet than the others so you probably wouldn't be overwhelmed by it. Dr. Loosen's is incredible, so try all of them if you like: http://www.klwines.com/content.asp?No=25&N=4294967210+4294967055+4294967012+4294966963&Ne=38&Nr=OutofStock%3AN&Ns=QtySoldLast30%7C1
A sweet sparkling red which is a good wine starter is lambrusco, though it's difficult to find good brands in the states (even the cheaper brands still taste good, however).

2) start bitter and tough it out. If your palet is strongly developed to the point that you don't mind something that isn't sweet, you might be so bold as to start with a red. I would say go with a syrah or a chianti... something that is full flavored but low in tanin acids (in other words, it's not the sour tart taste that scares a lot of people off wines). Chianti has got to be, hands down, my favorite red wine. If you're going to go this route, i'd recommend you tag your tasting up with a good peppery steak. Take a bite of red meat and while the taste is in your mouth, take a swish of the wine... the flavors are truly complimentary. My favorite Chianti is Rufino:
http://www.winecountrynorthplainfield.com/product.aspx?Item=2666

Answer 5

I always recommend that people go into a wine shop and ask a lot of questions. Many times, they will have tastings going on, and you can try before you buy. I'm a red wine drinker myself, as much for the health benefits as for the taste. Cotes du Rhones are easy to drink and very affordable. There are also a lot of delicious and affordable Spanish wines out there.

Answer 6

If you want to try whites I would go with Muscats which tend to be a sweet style or perhaps a Riesling. As for the reds, they tend to be much more of an acquired taste. Merlots being a rather fruit forward and supple varietal are good starters, cheap Australian merlots. You could also try Spanish Grenache, is low in tannin and fruit forward as well. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

You can try a red wine called Ravenswood and it is a red zinfandel. You would drink this at room temperature and it is usually served with red meat or pasta.
Another you can try is this white wine- Sterlings Sauvingonc Blanc which is served chilled and is great with fish.
Both of these bottles are found at liquer stores and grocery stores and are popular. Each bottle running about ten dollars. Both are not dry and are easy to drink.
Now they are aquired taste but try these and see if you like them. I think you will since they are easy on the tastebuds but please try as I suggested them so you can get the most out of the flavors.

Answer 8

Try a white wine - Pinot Grigio. Cavit makes one thats around $10 and is not too bad. Pinot Grigio has a fruit flavor and is not too dry. If you like that theres another Pinot Grigio thats around $30 by Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio. I consider it the best tasting one around.

Answer 9

i go for the cheaper wines
i like meirs from cleveland ohio
i also like those box wines

Answer 10

about 3 litres?...eh i dont know where you are in the world but try a red shiraz and a white dry from Jacob's Creek its from Australia.....hic...oops sorry