First post

[jds22]

Hello all. I'll start with a brief intro. My wife and I are pretty new to wines. I tend to like reds more than whites, my wife is having a difficult time finding anything she likes other than Beringer White zin. Here's a list of what I've tried and liked, as best as I can remember.

Reds
Shiraz - Columbia Crest (Two Vines and Grand Estates). Liked these both alot, probably my favorite wine at the moment. Little Penguin, not bad.

Merlot - Columbia Crest (Grand Estates) liked it, not as much as the Shiraz though. Little Penguin, liked this better than the CC. Brookstone, didn't care for it.

Pinot Noir - Echelon, liked it, would like to try some others.

Beaujolais - Louis Jadot, liked it, but I need to try it again. [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img]

Cabernet - I don't remember the names but I've yet to try one that I like.

Zinfandel - I don't know the brand. It was a $25 bottle from No. Cal. I liked it. It was the strongest wine I've tasted yet.

Whites

Chardonnay - Columbia Crest, it was ok. It's my first chard so I don't really know what to expect. Would like to try others.

Reisling - Columbia Crest, not bad.

My wife liked the chard and reisling ok, she's not to fond of the reds but keeps trying. As you can tell, I try to stay under $10. I'm going to head over to a local wine shop and ask about some French wines to try. I'm sure I'll have to spend a bit more but I'll see what they suggest.

Jerry

[hotwine]

Welcome to the board, Jerry.
For Pinot Noirs in the $10-$15 range, try:
-Sterling
-Acacia
-Estancia
-La Crema
-Lincourt

Suggest you browse the other folders down the board .... those dealing with specific varietals (or producing areas/countries of origin)... for members' tasting notes. We try to include the price paid, alcohol content, and retail source in each note to help guide each other toward sources in our home states. Given the hap-hazard distribution channels for wines across the country, we need all the help we can get in finding the good stuff.

[wondersofwine]

You might ask the wine retailer about an inexpensive Rioja red wine from Spain. They can be quite fruity and enjoyable. Two more Pinot Noir suggestions are Castle Rock and Mark West.

[robr]

Another great Pinot Noir is Cartlidge and Brown, and for a really smooth almost sweet one try Robert Mondavi.

For Cabernet Sauvignon you need to get a 1999 or 2001 from California, Napa if possible, but Sonoma is just as good. They don't really taste good until they have a few years to resolve, I have been told that at least 5 years is a good rule of thumb...

Sterling, Beringer, Hess, and Mondavi are all good for Cabernet.

Some of the best Shiraz come from the south of France and Australia. The Australians are usually much cheaper. I like the Yellow Tail or Penfold. Yellow Tail also has an excellent Chardonnay, if you like the finish of toasted oak.

[This message has been edited by bernkastler (edited 09-28-2005).]

[californiagirl]

Try Dry Creek Fume Blanc. Slightly sweet and crisp. Similar to a Pinot Blanc. Very nice wine, should be around $10 +/-. Your wife should like it.

Also, I would suggest wine from Bogle Winery from that price range. A very tried and true good wine, no matter the varietal.

[This message has been edited by californiagirl (edited 09-28-2005).]

[winoweenie]

Hi jds and welcome to the board. If you go to the Best Buys/Real Deal thread and go back a year you'll find tasting descriptions along with pricing on all types of wines. WW

[jds22]

Thanks for the info. I'll definately give some of these a try. It's interesting how many of these I've seen but passed over.

Jerry