Total Newbie...need help

[emkb2271]

I've just started getting into the wine thing, and as I've looked through the threads already posted I haven't seen an answer to my particular dilemma.
Basically, I'm looking for a wine which is a bit stronger than grape juice to start with...my plan is to eventually work my way into the more alcoholic wines, but for right now I'm looking for something with a minimal alcohol content.
I would prefer red, but white suggestions would be fine, too. I've noticed on several of the threads that location seems to be a matter of importance, so for reference I live in Northeastern Ohio (USA). Also, I probably should mention that I'm on a college-student's budget, so any recommendations on cheap wines of the sort I mentioned above would be appreciated.
I must admit, if this is an ignorant question, I apologize...my experience with any type of alcoholic drink is very limited.

[winoweenie]

Hi emkb and welcome to the board. The entry wine of choice around here seems to be white zinfandel. Its' slightly sweeter taste is pleasant to most newbies, plus it fits into a studenta price-point. Sutter Home, Beringer, aand Beau;ieu Vineyards are players in this field. Welcome to the wunnerful wurld uf wine! WW

[hotwine]

Also suggest you look for Schmit-Sohn Riesling. It's a German white wine at only 7-9% alcohol and $4-$5 at Sam's. Serve it cold with seafood, pork or poultry.

[MuddyOne]

Alcohol content is listed on wine labels, so you can peruse the bottles to find lower content wines. For a red, I would recomend a red zinfandel. I think it is a good starter wine.

Wine is generally brewed until either the sugar runs out, or the alcohol kills the yeast. So you might want to try some higher content wines at some point to see if you like less dry wines. Just drink in moderate quantities.

[Bonita]

look at the comments posted on Nasinque's "looking for a good red" at about $4.00 a bottle you can't beat Riuniti Lambrusco.

[Innkeeper]

Hi Emkb, I agree with much that has been posted. It is best to start with sweeter wines such as white zinfandel, off dry riesling, and lambrusco if you are just coming off soda pop or tonic as we say in Northern New England.

We love red zinfandel, but it is dry and usually very high in alcohol. It is a wine to move to rather than jump into. Other reds you may might to try first include Beaujolais (from France), Salice Salintino (from Italy), and Rioja (from Spain). These are all smooth and relatively low in alcohol.

Incidentally wine is fermented, not brewed. Alcohol content is primarily determined by how much sugar was in the grapes to begin with. If there was not a lot, which happens when grapes have a hard time rippening as in Germany, you can get dry low alcohol wines.

Wine is usually fremented completely dry. If it is a wine that usually carries residual sugar, this is added with backblending with unfermented grape juice. If the wine contains natural residual sugar, it is usually very expensive.

[This message has been edited by Innkeeper (edited 09-11-2002).]

[emkb2271]

Wow...thank you all for your comments! Your reponses are more than I ever expected; thank you very much! I shall have to try what you all have recommended.

For anyone who more suggestions: please feel free to leave them, I would love to keep this discussion open. I'll post my thoughts when I have them :-P

[MuddyOne]

Innkeeper, thanks for the additional info on wines. I make beer, so "brew" first came to mind meaning ferment. Brew only refers to fermenting grains.

For a Zin, I had something like http://www.mariettacellars.com/wine_99zin.html in mind. I am fairly new to wine, and this was my first red. While not sweet, I found it to be quite balanced. And when eaten with spicey Tex-Mex, a hint of sweetness comes through. Until then, most of my wine has been either German MSR Reisling Auslese, or a Texan Late Harvest Reisling.

[Innkeeper]

Marietta makes a dynamite zin. At condsiderable less cost rcommend their old Vines Red (currently) Lot #29. It is a very easy drinker (catch that Emkb) that is very popular with several regulars on this board. I find it the wine to pop when I can't think of anything else, and always keep a box of the current Lot handy.

[milchopcapt]

I can't believe what I'm seeing .. White Zin as a recommendation. yuck.. Personally since you want to get into reds I would suggest a light Pinot Noir, the Calera El Nino is a very light Pinot, to me it tastes like grape juice but it's a good starter wine in the Red realm. Pinot's are what I started with when I started to drink reds, eventually you'll venture to try other things as well, before moving to Cabs I would suggest getting a nice Russian River Valley Unfiltered Pinot .. it's got some kick but still won't hit you like a good Cab will.

[winedope1]

mil- just because YOU don't like white zin doesn't mean that others shouldn't or don't. It is a very good suggestion for those new to wines as it won't knock them over. It gives time to practice observing mouth feel, bouquet, etc., without being hit in the head by a giant cab or other big, possibly expensive red before someone is really ready to experience them. Further, there ARE some good, enjoyable white zins out there on the market. These are enjoyed by newcomers and others with experience.Search this site for relevant postings) You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but don't condemn something just because it isn't to your taste. If you stick around here you will see that people frequently disagree on taste, but all agree that it is a matter of opinion. If a wine is knocked, it is because of quality reasons. The rest is all in what appeals to you, personally.

[Kcwhippet]

Hear, hear. Yes indeed dear folk, there are some decent White Zins out there. Beringer's version comes to mind.

[winedope1]

absolutely, KC. As with almost any type, there are some sad examples, but Beringer is one of the best I have tried.

[ponycorn]

I agree, try a pinot for a red wine. I have seen many people trying to start wine ask for "the harsh stuff". A Ravenswood Zin is not what you want to start out with. If your coming off wine coolers, why not start with a sweeter German wine like Gwertraminer? Or try your hand at dessert wines like muscat canelli...

[Innkeeper]

I love many, many pinots. However, I strongly disagree that it is a good starter red. Pinots in general are an acquired taste. Additionally many pinots have distictive tastes, even from the same valley. There are different RRVs that taste like totally different grapes. Those from the Santa Lucia Highland are completely different from those from Oregon or New Zealand. Burgundies differ from row to row, and people fight to the death for their favorites.

[Mar]

I would have to agree with the Innkeeper. I think from a "starters" point of view, a pinots may be a little on the spicy side. As a starter, I would recommend finding a good merlot. I would look for something round and ready. You may be spending a little more, but I think once you taste a good quality wine you can then start to look for the good buy as you will have a sense of what you are looking for.

[emkb2271]

Ok, I figured since I started this posting I should probably weigh in now that I've had a chance to try some of these out.

A couple of weeks ago I went and got an Amantillado. I found the initial taste a bit strong, and the hickory aftertaste didn't bid very well for drinking it by itself. However, it went very nicely with some things (pizza, for instance), and was especially good when chilled.

As for the red zin, I have to admit I was disappointed when I first got it. The flavor wasn't as strong as I was hoping, so I shelved it for a little while and moved on the pinot noir.

As was commented, the noir was a little sprig, but the flavor was very nice once I learned to properly taste it. After trying the pinot a couple of times I went back to the red zin, and I found that I enjoyed it a tremendous amount more after finding some technique with which to properly drink it (I should probably mention that I drink most of these "solo"). However, I found that both the red zin and the pinot noir go especially well with chicken sandwiches (college-student budgets and all...).

Thanks again for all your advice. I'll check in when I've tried some more things.

[Mycah Leonhart]

Good stuff, keep this thread going!

[emkb2271]

Ok, thought I would add yet another update. Recently picked up two new wines: a syraz and a merlot.

To me, the syraz tastes like an intermediary between the pinot noir and the red zin, although it doesn't have quite the same lightness in going down as the pinot noir.

I quite looked forward to the merlot as I had heard both encouraging and disparaging comments before trying. Personally, it is not to my liking (at least, not as much as the pinot noir, red zin, or syraz - in that order) - I suppose that the best way that I could describe my reacion is that it seemed a little too bold and not fruity enough, with the boldness lasting a little too long on the aftertaste. However, I've only had the opportunity to taste it by itself so far, and my perception could change if I found a good complementary food or such.

As always, will continue updating this thread as I try new things...recommendations and suggestions are always welcome [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/smile.gif[/img]

[sigma_chi_guy]

i am on the same budget, a senior in college, but i on the otherhand and taking to wine because i had one to many "good" nites at the local bars. Needless to say i am done with beer. Anyways, i started out with Reisling since my parents are fond of it so i snagged a bottle from them. Give it a shot. Another wine that you might want to try is by Fonda Candida it is called Frascati. I am not sure if that is the correct spelling though but very similar. Have fun and good luck!!