First time for wine

[jgg2045]

I've recently been introduced to the world of wine and would like to continue my new found interest in wine. A friend of mine gave me 3 bottles of wine to start me off. 1. 1999 Bodega Norton Privada Mendoza, 2. Chateau LaRose-Trintaudon 1998 and 3. Valdadige Pinot Grigio White Wine 2002 Santa Margherita. I like white more than red, but have started taking a liking to red. I have two questions... 1. are these good wines and 2. what would your recommendations be for a novice thinking about starting a collection.

[Innkeeper]

Hi Jgg, and welcome to the Wine Board. Don't think we have enough info on the first one. What you have told us is that it come from Bodega Noron in Mendoza and is a private bottling. The second one is a Bordeaux from Haut-Medoc. If you have a place to age with temps below 70 degrees, it will mature over two or three more years. You could drink it soon, but may do well with decanting (pouring into another vessel) for an hour or so before drinking. The Italian White is a nice refreshing wine, but very overpriced. You should be thankful it was a gift. There are many more Pinot Grigios of same or better quality for much less money.

If I were you, I would not be thinking about collecting wine at this point, if you mean acquiring wine you want to hold for a while. Well over 90% of the wine produced in the world is meant to be consumed on release. Once you have tasted several hundred of these we can talk about getting some long term agers. In the meantime get a rack that holds a case or two of wine, and buy a variety. Then you can choose from many to decide what to have with dinner.

Try to get to tastings at a local retailer that you feel comfortable with. The more you taste, the more comfortable you will get with wine. Andrea Immer's book, "Great Wine Made Simple" will walk you through much of the mystery in a very informal way.

Good luck.

[TheEngineer]

Hi! from a fellow newbie!

In addition to trying wine and going to wine tastings to see which ones I like, I've also done two other things which I think have helped me out.

I went to a local, well respected wine store and told them that I would like to learn more about wine. They introduced me to their staff and have promised me that they would take me on a wine introduction over the course of the year, trying out new things at a pace that I am comfortable with and a budget that I can afford. They also put me on their email list so I get the rest of the wine banter.

I also purchased a couple of wine books. They helped me to better understand what I was suppose to be looking out for and helped me to better appreciate things sooner. The books that I have are (1) The Wine Bible, (2) the Wine Atlas and (3) Oxford Wine Reference.

The internet is also a fabulous place for information as long as you don't take everything to be definitive. As the people on this board have already shown me, wine is meant to be fun, educational and nutritional....but never pretentious.

The long timers here have lots of experience. I've enjoyed reading their posts on a daily basis.

[jgg2045]

Sounds like great advice, I will check out some of the suggested books and get with a local wine store. As for a better idea of the Bodega Norton Wine I listed previously, it is a red wine 40% Malbec; 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot. Bottled in Lujan de Cuyo, Argentina. I tasted another bottle of this previously and liked it, but wasn't sure if this was an exceptable wine or not to save for a special time. I'm usually a Martini kind of guy, but I'm finding that I like wines too. I'll take the advice given and maybe one day in the distant future I can give the same good advice as you all have given me.


[This message has been edited by jgg2045 (edited 01-06-2005).]

[Innkeeper]

It is a $15 or $16 wine. In my book that makes it a borderline everyday drinker/special occasion wine. Take your pick.