Want to start drinking wine - HELP


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My wife and I have been discussing wanting to drink a glass of wine every now and again. (Guess we are old and want to act like we are more sophisticated than we really are :shifty: ).  

 

We have no idea where to start. Anyone have any good suggestions to start with? 

 

We want something sweet. We want a Red wine. 

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My limited knowledge of wine involves drinking certain types based on what you are eating to complement the meal, and generally the higher the cost the better the taste 

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Why have you been discussing drinking wine?  If you haven't before, why start drinking now?

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My wife and I have been discussing wanting to drink a glass of wine every now and again. (Guess we are old and want to act like we are more sophisticated than we really are :shifty: ).

We have no idea where to start. Anyone have any good suggestions to start with?

We want something sweet. We want a Red wine.

Yago Sant'gria is cheap and tastey :p
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My wife and I have been discussing wanting to drink a glass of wine every now and again. (Guess we are old and want to act like we are more sophisticated than we really are :shifty: ).  

 

We have no idea where to start. Anyone have any good suggestions to start with? 

 

We want something sweet. We want a Red wine. 

 

Do you like wine? If no, drink some nice high alcohol volume beer. Or vodka on the rocks. Or a mojito.

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Do not like beer at all. We aren't alcohol drinkers. We just wanted a bottle we could have a small glass on occasion with a dinner or just because the mood strikes us. That's why I asked suggestions, because we have no experience with wine and aren't looking any other alcoholic beverage other than wine I figured we would ask here.

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If you plan on having a glass every now and then, anything beyond the dirt cheap trash and anything as far away from vinegar on the taste spectrum will do. You'll form your own taste after a while. I always liked the homemade stuff best, so if there's anyone nearby that does it, just someone you might know or a small winery, also give that a shot. Other than that, I wouldn't really obsess or worry over it, since tastes are highly subjective (does anyone remember that story about the top connoisseurs who couldn't even tell the difference between red and white wine? hilarious). But I usually drank to get drunk (and red wine was definitely not my choice of drink), so take what I say with a grain of salt. And enjoy whatever you end up getting.

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Why have you been discussing drinking wine?  If you haven't before, why start drinking now?

 

I've heard it is actually good for you, in moderation of course. :)

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If you want sweet red, Sangria is a good choice. Moscato or other sweet reds are too sweet, IMHO. (And I drink a lot of wine. A lot. Probably too much.)

 

There are nice sangrias you can buy pre-made, or lots of recipes for making your own. If you're just going to have it occasionally, you might want to go that route since you can put in exactly the fruits and etc that you want to make it have all your favourite flavours. It will keep for a while once you've made it as long as you store it tightly and in the refrigerator.

 

That being said, if you're drinking it for the health benefits, the sugars in a sweeter wine will probably negate the benefits (also, you're way more likely to get a hangover the next day if you drink sweet booze). A dark red wine is best for the antioxidant resveratrol. Maybe try a few Merlot, Malbec, or Pinot Noir varieties and see if there are any you enjoy. And don't think the whole food-pairing thing is for snobs and it's all hooey--there really is something to it. Have a platter of cheeses, crackers, dark chocolate, and maybe some veggies + dip with it. I've had wines I thought were unpleasant, but with a nibble of a sharp cheese between sips it tasted totally different and was very nice. Experiment, find what works for you, and enjoy! :)

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If you want sweet red, Sangria is a good choice. Moscato or other sweet reds are too sweet, IMHO. (And I drink a lot of wine. A lot. Probably too much.)

Ahhh ... explains many posts. :shifty:

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I like red zinfandel. It's my fav, and can be found cheap, yet tasty/thirst quenching. Just a heads up, though....easy on the drinking, you don't want to cause problems with your wife/fiance/girlfirend/family. One can lead to two...which can lead to three....and so on and so on. All things in moderation! (Y)


Ahhh ... explains many posts. :shifty:

 

LOL! XD

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I don't know much about Wine but I always thought that Red was a more savoury taste, while White is the sweeter side. I may be wrong on that but out of the wines I've tried the White seems to be sweeter in most cases.

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Have fun, buy a few bottles of wine and learn what you like.

 

Just avoid the cheap stuff.  If it's in a milk carton, avoid it. If it has a screw off cap, avoid it.  If it's 3 bottles for $5, avoid it. If it comes with a free bag of chips, avoid it. If there are any famous cartoon characters on the bottle, avoid it.  The 7-11 or gas station is not the place to buy.

 

Also, Two Buck Chuck would not be the best starting point, even if some people love it.

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I would highly suggest finding a local (or at least "close" vineyard) that does wine tastings, and go to those. It's cheap, you get to try a bunch of different wines, and they usually let you keep the glasses.

 

My girlfriend and I did a wine tour last summer through a bunch of different vineyards around southern and south-western Connecticut, and it was really great.

 

Like others have said, Moscatos are really sweet, and can be good for beginners. Though, I would recommend getting a rose (or ros??) wine, which is a blend of red and white. They're sweet, but not as sweet as a Moscato, and they're pretty mild in terms of dryness and bitterness. I think you might like them.

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As has been said, a local wine shop would be good or even better - try and find a wine tasting course! I tried one evenings wine tasting course once (thanks to a voucher my ex-girlfriend had) which was basically just dipping into a 10 or so week course. It was great! The people were really nice and the guy taking the course supplied the wine, had tasting notes for it all, and ranged the quality from basic supermarket plonk up to some seriously decent stuff. It focussed on a specific region or country each week so you got to try all sorts of things. It'd be an excellent place to start if you want to get some good knowledge and fast-track yourself into the world of wine. 

 

Not sure how good Alabama would be for that sort of thing - I'm speaking of my experience here in the UK. 

 

Ah - looks like there is a pretty decent wine 'scene' in your area :)

 

http://www.alabamawinetrail.net

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Find a local wine shop and talk to them.  A lot of places will even let you sample them...  :)

This is definitely true if you have a nice liquor store near you. Some liquor stores are just sh-- holes, and I would trust their recommendations about as far as I could throw them.

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I think the wine tasting place is probably my best start. You guys can have all the suggestions in the world, but everyone's tastes are different and I don't want myself or my wife to loose interest due to buying a $10-$20+ bottle of wine to try and not liking it and feeling like its a waste of money.  I am going to see if I can find a wine tasting place locally and start there. 

 

Thanks for the suggestions guys

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How about this... look at what foods you enjoy and discuss a wine that would compliment well at your local wine merchants.  They WILL let you sample.

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Keep # 5 in mind when you're purchasing wine:

http://www.cracked.com/article_18380_the-6-most-statistically-full-######-professions.html

 

 

I've had $100 bottles (was a gift, would never spend that kind of money on wine), I've had $10 bottles.  The $10 basically tasted like the same thing.  Don't waste your money on expensive wines, but don't go TOO cheap either (a $3 bottle is only good to induce a hangover)

 

Personally I like white wines, while my wife loves red. I absolutely hate red wine, never had one I liked.

Definitely recommend the wine tasting to figure out your tastes but once that's done you're fine going to a liquor store to buy it.
 

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