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+--- Thread: Nuwcomer on Board.. Need suggestions :) (/thread-17052.html)
- glass - 09-11-2006
Hi All.. This looks like the perfect forum for us new starters in the wine world [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
I just tried my first wine last week (drank here and there before, but never actually bought a bottle and start noticing/appreciating the brands/types).. Anyway, the first bottle I bought was a CONCHA Y TORO Casillero di Ablo Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.. Enjoyed it to the very last drop.. The lightness and fruity traits are just right.. Naturally I went back to the local wine shop and determined to try something different, as they were having a tasting on some Italian wines, I went and bought myself a Castello del poggio. Grignolino d'asti '04.. It tasted good (on the tasting stand), however after finishing 1 glass, it started to become very dry and strong (I bought it because the description was light, and perfect to accompany meals).. When I tried to drink it again the next day, it just gets stronger (bold).. As my wife and I can't take the dry-ness in our throats (talk about being an amateur), we decided to discard it and bought ourself a Fortant chardonnay (which to us is the best ones we had so far)..
Here comes the question [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]
Any suggestion on some reds and whites (still wines) ? Something of good value (since we are still experimenting and learning, wouldn't want to waste good money on the drain) and are very LIGHT and fruity perhaps even sweet ?
and if it's not too much, anyone care to give some short words about Bordeaux, Merlot, Sauvignon etc ? (it's all french to me, pun intended).. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] Perhaps a website for me to learn more ?
any help/comments would be greatly appreciated.. I should've start earlier [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] Thanks again..
- Innkeeper - 09-11-2006
Hi Glass, and welcome to the Wine Board. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Keep track of the wines you like and those you don't like, along with the reasons. At some future date, when your tastes change, you may want to go back to some of the dislikes.
The Grinolino might have been a little too young. Even though it was older than the Chilean Cab, the latter was purposely made in a soft approachable style.
Recommend a couple of good books. "Wine For Dummies" is excellent. Don't worry about the dummies part, we all are in some regard. I recently bought "Italian Wine for Dummies!" The second book is Andrea Immer's "Great Wine Made Simple." In it she leads you through the world of wine in a very readable way, tasting various wines along the way.
Some good red wines for beginners include Beaujolais such as Beaujolais Villages, Cotes Du Rhone, and some of the inexpensive Borgeaux. You might also look at some of the inexpensive Spanish wines such as those made with Garnacha, Monstrell, and blends of these and other grapes. Argentine Malbec, and Cabernet are other choices, as are Shiraz from Australia and blends of Shiraz and other grapes. You might try some of the more inexpensive Pinot Noir from California.
Almost all whites are approachable as you buy them. We don't care much for those that have been subjected to a lot of oak as most New World Chardonnay is. Pinot Grigio is very popular. Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and South Africa is becoming more and more popular. Dozens of excellent whites from Spain and Italy are on the market. There is a wonderful world of wine out there.
- wondersofwine - 09-11-2006
Good advice from IK. I would add to that, try a Riesling Spatlese from the Mosel area of Germany. Perhaps a Wehlener Sonnenuhr or Piesporter Goldtropchen or Urziger Wurzgarten. The late-picked grapes in the Spatlese are a little riper and should provide nice fruitiness and perhaps a touch of sweetness.
- glass - 09-11-2006
Wow.. Thanks so much for the points [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] Will try to get those books [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] ..Tried Frontera Chardonnay (Concha Y Toro)last night, I personally liked the Fortant char better, but my wife likes this one better..
It is really a new world for us and we are already planning trips to some australian vineyards to see what wine is all about (ofcourse, after at least finishing those two books [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] so we won't be so lost in the tour lol)
Thank again for the infos.. Great forum this is [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] not much wine forums are open to newbies like us [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img] Hope to be able to participate more in the future (giving out refrences instead of asking obvious questions)..
toast !
- Jackie - 09-12-2006
Welcome. So nice to hear you enjoy the WineBoard. Stick with us & you can't go wrong.
Jackie