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- lucyluu - 03-10-2006
I would like to start drinking wine to help stay healthy. However, the wines that I have drank do not taste good at all. Can someone give me a few names of wines that taste nice. I know that I do not like the dry wines. Thanks
- TheEngineer - 03-10-2006
Hi and welcome to the board. Trust me, your question is one that is often asked so please don't feel like you are alone in this. In fact, it's asked so much, it's in our FAQ section which is where I've copied this from.
"1) I am very new to the subject of wines and have many questions! But for now, can someone suggest a wine that tastes sweet?
A) Do you like reds or whites?? Sweet reds are a bit harder to find, but if you like sweet whites, try a Riesling [Reez-ling]. Look for a Johannisburg Riesling and/or a Late Harvest Riesling, the latter being the sweeter of the two. The term "late harvest" refers to wines made from grapes left on the vine longer than usual, allowing more sugar to develop inside the grapes so they produce sweeter wine.
I have to say that my favorite slightly to medium sweet white wines are the Rieslings of Germany, sold as Kabinett [kah-bee-NET] or Spatlese [schp-ate'-laze-a] (German for late harvest). They're light, fragrant, crisp, airy; highly food versatile, and just as good by themselves! Any wine specialist retailer can recommend a good one. So don't be afraid to ask, since they usually take a lot of pride in recommending quality selections. Still sweeter German wines are designated as Auslese, Beerinauslese, Trokenbeerinauslese, or Eiswein.
Other types that might appeal to you are white zinfandels, which are really pink in color, sometimes referred to as a "blush" wine. DeLoach makes a nice one as does Beringer. Both should be easily found.
Asti Spumante is an Italian sparkling wine that is sweetish and often beloved by beginners.
As for red wines, a lower alcohol beverage wine with sweetness is Lambrusco from Italy. Riunite is a very affordable national brand that you can find almost anywhere. You might like Ernest & Julio Gallo's "Cafe Zinfandel", a sweetish red wine with a nice combination of fruit and almost a cinnamony undertone, very guzzle-able when cold.
Many have some degree of sweetness to them and some of the finest red wines in the world are naturally sweet e.g. Vintage Port, certain late harvest Zinfandels. Bearing that in mind, in most red wines--unless the wine is a dessert wine-- sweetness is usually considered either a flaw or an indication of being a "jug wine".
If you like REALLY sweet wine, such as a dessert wine....try a port. A port is a fortified red wine, which means it is higher in alcohol than table wines, but it can be great with or as dessert. We suggest you try Ficklin Port. It has nice sweetness, great ripe fruit flavors and is a wonderful after dinner beverage with or without some walnuts and/or a piece of cheese..
The world's most famous (and most expensive) white dessert wines are French Sauternes. Very sweet, so they are not something to quaff down with dinner."
From the FAQ section of wines.com