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- jameslay - 04-01-2007

Greetings everyone. Myself and my wife are new to the art of wine drinking, and I'm looking for suggestions on where I can start finding better labels for us to taste and try.

We have sampled most of the types, with pinot noir or merlot being our top ranking in red, and chardonnay topping our list of whites. While these are our faves, it dosn't mean we limit ourselves to these types.

She likes a nice fruity white, while I prefer a more full red. Are there any good periodicals or reference books that focus on the differences between vineyards, regions and countries? we have stuck mostly to Cali and Aussie labels, however, we would both love to look at some great French and Spanish grown selections.

Any fingerpointing in the general direction that I should go would be greatly appreciated!!


- TheEngineer - 04-01-2007

James,

Welcome to the board. This is one place that I think you will continue to fine useful as you grow in your understanding of wine. I know I did when I first found this board. The people here are great.

Which comes to the first item on your list. If you are looking for an artform, you may not find it here, most of us here think of it as a beverage, a drink, abet a very nice one that we always love and whether its $5.99 or $159.99, it does not matter much. (As I said, the people here are a great bunch!....really grounded!!).

If your wife likes a fruity white, I would suggest (and both are easy to find), look for a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (which will have a lot of tropical fruit flavours and can be dry to just a hint of sweet) or a German Riesling (look for a Riesling Kabinett or a Riesling Spatlese which are indications of levels of sweetness, with the kabinett just a hint dry and the latter a bit more sweet). Take a look in the Germany forum here for some additional labels but for under $15 you will find plenty good such as Leitz dragonstone, Dr. Loose, Dr. L. August Kesseler R, and just north of $20, the wines will be very good. For another region where the wines are in general less sweet, look to tha Alsace from France and their rieslings. These two will start to get you away from Cali and Aussie

For Reds, away from Cali and Aussie, they in generaly will be less powerful (but not always). You can start off with a bang in Bordeaux (for sub $40 look for La Grange, Comtesse de lalande, Pontet Canet, for $40+ plenty of good stuff). For $40+, the sky's the limit. In Spain, there are a few in the sub $30 that are very good including Muga Reserva, Geol. For a big cali style wine, $100 will bring you a Torre Muga and a ton of others like that in the international style that might fit the bill. You might also try a few Malbecs from producers in Chile and Argentina.

There are Thousands of wineries out there that make great products accross a great price range (and price not being the final indicator of value). Great stuff coming from the Loire, Languedoc, Portugal, South America, Maybe if you can give us a bit of a price range, we can be more specific. Have fun!


- jameslay - 04-01-2007

Thank you for that bit of info. Price wise, we aren't too overly concerned at this point. So far, we have been sticking in the mid-teens range. And we have found some in the sub $10.00 range that we like. My top brand so far has been the Orogeny Pinot Noirs, which are around $30 a bottle here.

I'm more concerned with quality however. Price isn't always reflective of this. Same with cigars (Of which I do consider myself a quasi-expert, lol). Just because it's a Montecristo doesn't mean it's the best cigar out there. I would assume the same is true here as well.

But our median price range is going to be between $10-30. However, if it's a really special deal, $100+ isn't out of the ballpark, especially if it's something I should stick back and sit on to really enjoy it at a later date.


- Innkeeper - 04-01-2007

Let me add our welcome to the Board. For a great introduction to wine and how to taste it, recommend Andrea Immer's "Great Wine Made Simple." It is available hardcover, paperback, new and used. All that Engineer recommended us good stuff.


- winoweenie - 04-01-2007

Hi JS and let me add my welcome to the board. Where in the blazes is Naperville(sp) Tenn? I lived in Dalton, Ga and it doesn't ring a bell. The advice given by the mighty Eng is rite on. If you want some advice on wines to cellar let me know. Occassionally I hit a double, less often a triple, and once in a blue moon a homer. WW


- dananne - 04-02-2007

Welcome to the wine board, James. If you liked the Orogeny, you might also like the Roessler "Blue Jay" Pinot Noir (around $25) and the Red Car "Box Car" Pinot Noir (around $30). Both have similar profiles to the one you like and are ready to go right now.

Oh, and answering for him, WW, it's located in NE Tenn, near Knoxville.


- wondersofwine - 04-02-2007

And it says Sevierville, TN.
Welcome to the board Jameslay.