Talk to me about wine

[bobosensei]

If they like red wine try a beaujolais or cote du rhone.  You can find a good beaujolais for around 10 dollars.  I also really like spanish reds or Argentinian malbec.  But malbec is good with steak so if they don't eat red meat a wine that strong might not be a good choice for them.

Like others have said wine people can be specific about what they drink.  When I get a wine that I don't care for I wait until I have a dinner party and put it out as an additional offering because people have different tastes.  I like dry reds and most people I know do not.  They either like white wine or sweet wine.

[sarcasticgirl]

Dec 7, 2014 4:56:01 GMT -5 bobosensei said:

If they like red wine try a beaujolais or cote du rhone.  You can find a good beaujolais for around 10 dollars.  I also really like spanish reds or Argentinian malbec.  But malbec is good with steak so if they don't eat red meat a wine that strong might not be a good choice for them.

Like others have said wine people can be specific about what they drink.  When I get a wine that I don't care for I wait until I have a dinner party and put it out as an additional offering because people have different tastes.  I like dry reds and most people I know do not.  They either like white wine or sweet wine.

I don't eat red meat and malbec is one of my faves. Yum!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using proboards

[chiver78]

Dec 7, 2014 9:36:40 GMT -5 sarcasticgirl said:

Dec 7, 2014 4:56:01 GMT -5 bobosensei said:

If they like red wine try a beaujolais or cote du rhone.  You can find a good beaujolais for around 10 dollars.  I also really like spanish reds or Argentinian malbec.  But malbec is good with steak so if they don't eat red meat a wine that strong might not be a good choice for them.

Like others have said wine people can be specific about what they drink.  When I get a wine that I don't care for I wait until I have a dinner party and put it out as an additional offering because people have different tastes.  I like dry reds and most people I know do not.  They either like white wine or sweet wine.

I don't eat red meat and malbec is one of my faves. Yum!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using proboards

^ditto. Malbec and Carmenere, also from the same area of South America.

sent from my electronic distraction

[imanangel]

There is a really good Malbec from Argentina that I used to buy from Costco, but I can't remember the brand.  

[Opti]

Dec 7, 2014 0:38:32 GMT -5 justme said:

White zin is considered dry? I used to be ok with them, but I guess my palate has totally swerved dry if that's considered dry. To be fair I haven't had it in a while, but I only drank it when a friend bought it.

In the wine industry, a dry wine, by definition, is a wine that contains little or no residual sugar after fermentation. To be more specific, "little or no" is often quantified as less than one percent residual sugar.

Any wine with less than one gram per liter of residual sugar is an entirely dry wine, regardless of what it tastes like. As with some of the Sherry varieties I have written about recently, you can have a completely dry Sherry that will taste somewhat sweet due to glycerol concentration or other factors that have nothing to do with sugar.

I think perhaps some people confuse "tannic" or "acidic" with "dry."

People will talk about not liking dry red wines because they have a harsh or bitter flavor.

What they are tasting is tannin, not "dryness." In the same way, some very acidic white wines will seem sour on the palate, but again, this is not "dry" that you are tasting, but rather acidity.

It is important to have a wine vocabulary and to understand the meaning of various terms used in association with the enjoyment of wine. It is even more important to know what you like, and why you like it.

If you like a wine that is sweet, fruity, crisp, or any other descriptor, you should know what makes it taste that way, so that you can understand your personal preferences better. Whether a wine is dry or not is a matter of science; whether you like to drink it is most certainly a matter of personal taste.

thecabin.net/stories/082807/sty_0828070035.shtml

When I think of dry wines I mostly think of wines that do not taste sweet although as

noted above some dry wines can taste sweet. I think most white Zinfandels taste on

the sweet side although Beringer may still make a less sweet tasting version.

[Deleted]

Boyfriend must tell you sweet or dry and red or white to choose correct. If you cannot know that I suggest you buy something different for them to try like an ice wine. Also you could buy something for wine like table bottle holder if you do not know of the wine to buy. How long you been dating this guy?

[Bonny]

I agree with Ryan in terms of overthinking this.

If you can't get more info from your boyfriend and you can't find anything we've recommended then do the best with what the wine clerk recommends.

We gets lots of "guest" wines which I don't like; primarily Merlot and Chardonnay. I re-gift them!

[Spellbound454]

If I'm stuck, I normally go or a smart bottle of Shiraz

Its not an everyday wine, so can be used for a bit of a special occasion

However you do have to find out if they drink red....because some people don't.

[Deleted]

I don't drink wine.  when I buy wine for a party I go to Total Wine and choose wines whose bottle I like and all under $10.

[Opti]

I want to gift my boyfriends parents some wine for Christmas

Since this is supposed to be a Christmas gift, I don't understand why some

people say buy anything, who cares if they like it? Maybe if BF won't get

you better direction, perhaps a Gift card to their local liquor store or a grocery

store that sells wine?

[sarcasticgirl]

Dec 7, 2014 12:22:24 GMT -5 Bonny said:

I agree with Ryan in terms of overthinking this.

If you can't get more info from your boyfriend and you can't find anything we've recommended then do the best with what the wine clerk recommends.

We gets lots of "guest" wines which I don't like; primarily Merlot and Chardonnay. I re-gift them!

True... If someone brings I wine I don't care for it goes on my wine rack and eventually I either take it to someone else, or a guest drinks it when visiting. No wine ever goes to waste!

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using proboards

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

You really do need to determine their preferences.  Have you been served wine in visits at their house before?  Can you go from there as most hosts o not serve wine they do not like in my experience.

If we wind up with bottles we not like, it gets tossed....not served to guests.

[Peace Of Mind]

Buy a bottle of Fat Bastard Pinot Noir.  They will love it just for the name.  Trust!   

I did not know Pinot Noir was a dry wine.  That has been my favorite wine for about 2 years now.  I also like Moscato or a white Zin because most white's give me a horrible headache or taste bitter (I also thought that meant dry).  I say I hate dry wines but I love the fruity deliciousness of a Pinot Noir.  Not a fan of Pinot Grigio but that's what many drink when we go out who don't like the sweeter wines.

So my suggestion is:

1.  Check their recyclables and not their wine rack.  My wine rack has wines that were gifts that I don't drink along with what I do love.  My recyclables tell the true tale of what I like.

2.  If BF can't figure it out or offer suggestions I would buy both a white and a red.  One dry and one sweet/fruity.  Or I would buy a mid range (not too sweet or too bitter) Champagne/sparkling wine. 

Wine is never a bad gift so don't worry too much about it.  They can regift it, serve it to friends who would love it or cook with it. 

[weltschmerz]

Dec 6, 2014 21:15:18 GMT -5 zibazinski said:

I just got several bottles of Pinot Grigio for less than $9 a bottle at Publix. The brand was Cupcake. Everyone that drinks it says it's yummy.

Cupcake?

[weltschmerz]

Dec 6, 2014 20:42:42 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

you definitely need a little more information about their preferences. personally, I also don't like some things that are highly rated, but I have also impressed some self-proclaimed wine snobs with an $8 screw cap bottle of a small vineyard's amazing product. I won't touch a chardonnay or merlot, ever, and those are both very common gifts as well.

is there any way for you to discreetly ask questions about what they typically choose, so you don't spoil the surprise? your first questions need to be red/white/blush, and then whether they like dry or sweet.

sent from my electronic distraction

Screw cap vs cork really doesn't mean much anymore.

I got a sound lecture from an employee at the SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec) when I rejected a wine he recommended because it had a screw cap.

[weltschmerz]

Dec 7, 2014 12:29:48 GMT -5 Spellbound454 said:

If I'm stuck, I normally go or a smart bottle of Shiraz

Its not an everyday wine, so can be used for a bit of a special occasion

However you do have to find out if they drink red....because some people don't.

I don't. Red wine gives me headaches.

[taz157]

Tomorrow, we are going on a cruise and we can take a bottle of wine or a bottle of champagne.  I don't like wine or champagne.  However, I did walk the wine aisle yesterday to if one caught my eye.  I ended up getting a bottle that talked it pared well with Mac & cheese.  I also liked the bottle (flip flops) and it was only $6 so I figure I will give it a try.  I'll probable hate it, but I'll try it anyway. 

[Bonny]

Dec 7, 2014 16:59:45 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Dec 6, 2014 20:42:42 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

you definitely need a little more information about their preferences. personally, I also don't like some things that are highly rated, but I have also impressed some self-proclaimed wine snobs with an $8 screw cap bottle of a small vineyard's amazing product. I won't touch a chardonnay or merlot, ever, and those are both very common gifts as well.

is there any way for you to discreetly ask questions about what they typically choose, so you don't spoil the surprise? your first questions need to be red/white/blush, and then whether they like dry or sweet.

sent from my electronic distraction

Screw cap vs cork really doesn't mean much anymore.

I got a sound lecture from an employee at the SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec) when I rejected a wine he recommended because it had a screw cap.

Yes. Whites have been transitioning to screw tops for some time after there was a problem with so many wines being 'corked" or spoiled due to a mold forming in the cork. It would be quite pronounced in whites because so many had a more delicate flavor.

Robert Mondavi showed real leadership when he bottled his Opus One twenty years ago in a screw cap. Take that, wine snobs!

The French haven't been able to leave the traditional cork yet. And my friends who live in France are still a little horrified that I drink so much "screw cap" wine. But the Kiwis (NZ) and Aussies have embraced it.

Now that I'm getting arthritis in my hands I'm much happier with screw tops than trying to pull out corks!

[Bonny]

Dec 7, 2014 17:03:49 GMT -5 taz157 said:

Tomorrow, we are going on a cruise and we can take a bottle of wine or a bottle of champagne.  I don't like wine or champagne.  However, I did walk the wine aisle yesterday to if one caught my eye.  I ended up getting a bottle that talked it pared well with Mac & cheese.  I also liked the bottle (flip flops) and it was only $6 so I figure I will give it a try.  I'll probable hate it, but I'll try it anyway. 

 For a plan "B" look up recipes for Sangria!

[taz157]

Dec 7, 2014 17:13:08 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Dec 7, 2014 17:03:49 GMT -5 taz157 said:

Tomorrow, we are going on a cruise and we can take a bottle of wine or a bottle of champagne.  I don't like wine or champagne.  However, I did walk the wine aisle yesterday to if one caught my eye.  I ended up getting a bottle that talked it pared well with Mac & cheese.  I also liked the bottle (flip flops) and it was only $6 so I figure I will give it a try.  I'll probable hate it, but I'll try it anyway. 

 For a plan "B" look up recipes for Sangria!

Thanks! I will keep that in mind.

[Tennesseer]

I am tired of the commercialization of Christmas.

The malls are too crowded.

I am supposed to be in a jolly mood this time of year.

There is not enough time to get everything done.

I hate cleaning the house for holiday company.
.
.
.Wait.....what?  Oh.  I thought this thread was about whine. 
.
.
Never mind.  Cannot help.  I don't drink.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

Life is too short for bad wine.  There are too many decent ones on the market that are reasonably priced.

[weltschmerz]

Dec 7, 2014 17:11:19 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Dec 7, 2014 16:59:45 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Screw cap vs cork really doesn't mean much anymore.

I got a sound lecture from an employee at the SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec) when I rejected a wine he recommended because it had a screw cap.

Yes. Whites have been transitioning to screw tops for some time after there was a problem with so many wines being 'corked" or spoiled due to a mold forming in the cork. It would be quite pronounced in whites because so many had a more delicate flavor.

Robert Mondavi showed real leadership when he bottled his Opus One twenty years ago in a screw cap. Take that, wine snobs!

The French haven't been able to leave the traditional cork yet. And my friends who live in France are still a little horrified that I drink so much "screw cap" wine. But the Kiwis (NZ) and Aussies have embraced it.

Now that I'm getting arthritis in my hands I'm much happier with screw tops than trying to pull out corks!

What? I perused the French wine section at the SAQ and a LOT of them had screw caps.

This is an article from 2008.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/2263569/French-winemakers-abandon-the-cork.html

[milee]

Just curious, but if you don't drink and don't know what they drink, why did you pick wine as the gift you'd like to give them?

It might make sense to pick something else that will be meaningful - that you know more about or know they'll actually like. As others have said, they're not likely to throw any wine away (it's very regiftable), but it's also not a very personal gift if you don't know what they like and are just looking at finding something labeled "wine", so why not go another direction with the gift?

[chiver78]

Dec 7, 2014 16:59:45 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Dec 6, 2014 20:42:42 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

you definitely need a little more information about their preferences. personally, I also don't like some things that are highly rated, but I have also impressed some self-proclaimed wine snobs with an $8 screw cap bottle of a small vineyard's amazing product. I won't touch a chardonnay or merlot, ever, and those are both very common gifts as well.

is there any way for you to discreetly ask questions about what they typically choose, so you don't spoil the surprise? your first questions need to be red/white/blush, and then whether they like dry or sweet.

sent from my electronic distraction

Screw cap vs cork really doesn't mean much anymore.

I got a sound lecture from an employee at the SAQ (Société des alcools du Québec) when I rejected a wine he recommended because it had a screw cap.

oh I totally agree with that. but people that aren't as knowledgeable about wines, like the OP here, might be discouraged by an $8 screw cap bottle as being "cheap" whereas the boyfriend's parents would know to not even let that faze them.

[Ombud]

Poptart

Make it simple : if you're in California, go into bevmo and pick a wine rated 90 points or above. Whiskers Blake makes a phenomenal tawny port at somewhere around $6.99 which rivals Sandman's 20 yr selling for $80 so you can't tell by price.

If not in California, find a similar store. I'm just not sure what out there in other states

[Bonny]

Dec 7, 2014 17:50:41 GMT -5 weltschmerz said:

Dec 7, 2014 17:11:19 GMT -5 Bonny said:

Yes. Whites have been transitioning to screw tops for some time after there was a problem with so many wines being 'corked" or spoiled due to a mold forming in the cork. It would be quite pronounced in whites because so many had a more delicate flavor.

Robert Mondavi showed real leadership when he bottled his Opus One twenty years ago in a screw cap. Take that, wine snobs!

The French haven't been able to leave the traditional cork yet. And my friends who live in France are still a little horrified that I drink so much "screw cap" wine. But the Kiwis (NZ) and Aussies have embraced it.

Now that I'm getting arthritis in my hands I'm much happier with screw tops than trying to pull out corks!

What? I perused the French wine section at the SAQ and a LOT of them had screw caps.

This is an article from 2008.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/2263569/French-winemakers-abandon-the-cork.html

Thanks for sharing.

As I stated in my earlier post Mondavi bottled Opus One over 25 years ago. Getting the Napa and Sonoma folks on board has been a very slooooooooooooow endeavor.

It will take the French that long or longer. For sure it will invole some committee which will have someone involved with a cork distributor which will drag out the obvious conclusion.

[tskeeter]

Dec 6, 2014 19:11:34 GMT -5 Poptart said:

I want to gift my boyfriends parents some wine for Christmas, the problem: I'm not a drinker and know nothing about wine. I tried doing research on-line but my eyes glazed over and I quickly gave up. I've found a few bottles on-line that have great reviews but they cost between 10-20 bucks, can good wine be that cheap? 

Please help!

It's not always about the price.  Often you can find quite good, drinkable wines for less than $10.  

Winestories:

Sometimes you like a mistake.  Bought a viognier at a start up vineyard that had been made by a novice wine maker.  He'd aged the wine in french oak barrels.  We thought it was pretty tasty.  Next time we went to get some, it was very different.  The wine maker was doing the tastings that morning so we were able to get the full story.  We learned that viognier is supposed to be aged in stainless steel tanks, not oak barrels.  The wine maker didn't know any better when he aged the first batch in oak.  Too bad, so sad, no more oak aged viognier for you.

Sometimes nobody knows what it is.  Got a wine club shipment that contained a bottle of cabernet.  Usually these shipments contained wine valued at about $12 - $15 a bottle.  During a vineyard trip a month or so later, I bought a second bottle.  Since a cabernet can really exercise your taste buds, it's not something that I drink a lot of.  So the two bottles stayed in the wine cooler for about six years.  Finally we opened a bottle to share with friends.  Spectacular stuff!  The next week DW was going to be going close to the vineyard.  I asked her to pick up a couple more bottles if they had any left.  She came home and told me that she'd learned they had 10 cases left.  But they had discovered how good that vintage was.  They were preparing to sell the remaining bottles to wine club members at a price of $125 a bottle.  Ouch.  Wished I'd bought more when it was relatively cheap.  And wished I knew how to identify something that was going to turn into a spectacular wine while it was still young and cheap. 


If you have a Total Wines near you, it's worth the trip to have their staff help you with wine selections.  These folks are the best trained, and most knowledgable wine sales people I've run into.  The only person I've met who was more knowledgable than the Total Wines folks was a retired wine buyer for Trader Joe's.

[tskeeter]

Dec 7, 2014 16:28:17 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

Buy a bottle of Fat Bastard Pinot Noir.  They will love it just for the name.  Trust!   

I did not know Pinot Noir was a dry wine.  That has been my favorite wine for about 2 years now.  I also like Moscato or a white Zin because most white's give me a horrible headache or taste bitter (I also thought that meant dry).  I say I hate dry wines but I love the fruity deliciousness of a Pinot Noir.  Not a fan of Pinot Grigio but that's what many drink when we go out who don't like the sweeter wines.

So my suggestion is:

1.  Check their recyclables and not their wine rack.  My wine rack has wines that were gifts that I don't drink along with what I do love.  My recyclables tell the true tale of what I like.

2.  If BF can't figure it out or offer suggestions I would buy both a white and a red.  One dry and one sweet/fruity.  Or I would buy a mid range (not too sweet or too bitter) Champagne/sparkling wine. 

Wine is never a bad gift so don't worry too much about it.  They can regift it, serve it to friends who would love it or cook with it. 

[tskeeter]

Dec 7, 2014 16:28:17 GMT -5 Peace Of Mind said:

Buy a bottle of Fat Bastard Pinot Noir.  They will love it just for the name.  Trust!   

I did not know Pinot Noir was a dry wine.  That has been my favorite wine for about 2 years now.  I also like Moscato or a white Zin because most white's give me a horrible headache or taste bitter (I also thought that meant dry).  I say I hate dry wines but I love the fruity deliciousness of a Pinot Noir.  Not a fan of Pinot Grigio but that's what many drink when we go out who don't like the sweeter wines.

So my suggestion is:

1.  Check their recyclables and not their wine rack.  My wine rack has wines that were gifts that I don't drink along with what I do love.  My recyclables tell the true tale of what I like.

2.  If BF can't figure it out or offer suggestions I would buy both a white and a red.  One dry and one sweet/fruity.  Or I would buy a mid range (not too sweet or too bitter) Champagne/sparkling wine. 

Wine is never a bad gift so don't worry too much about it.  They can regift it, serve it to friends who would love it or cook with it. 

And ask the wine merchant to recommend something similar that they might not have had yet.  (If they can't recommend something similar, you're in the wrong place.)  For example, for a red, DW and I like something that is a little spicey.  Such as a sangiovese or a chianti.  So we also like similar wines, such as Cote Du Rhones and Malbecs from Argentina.