Red Wine advice

[John210564]

Hi,

Total novice & 1st time poster !!

My wife loves red wine, but i have no clue and would like to be able to understand what is a good wine and what isn't !!

I would like to buy a few bottles for her to try, but don't know where to start.

Does anybody have any advice please >

[Innkeeper]

Hi John and welcome to the Wine Board. You might start with a Beaujolias Villages. Do not get a Beaujolais Nouveau as this is a quickly made wine released in November of the vintage year, that passes away very fast. The Villages is a better made wine from the previous year. You should be seeing '05s or '06s now.

[pollypollycracker]

how do you know the difference. what makes a red wine good to try? how do you know it's good? what makes it good? I've got so much to learn!

[Innkeeper]

Hi Polly, and welcome. In this case it is a "know" and not a "think." Beaujolais Nouveau as stated comes out in November of the vintage year (the '07 came out in Nov '07). It is always made to be consumed very quickly after release and is kind of a novelty. You will see '07s in the bargain bins of wine stores now because it is already fading.

Beaujolais Villages is made the same way most other wines are made and released the following year. It is recommended for novices because it is always light and very fruity. Easy to drink.

What makes a wine good is how it tastes to you.

[wineguruchgo]

Polly,

It's easier to start with a wine that is low in tannin (easy to drink) and work your way up the flavor/style scale than it is to start out with a wine that is going to "smack you upside the head" out of the gate.

If John's wife tries the Beaujolais Village and likes it a lot than we know to point her in the direction of "lighter" styles of wine.

If she thinks is "ok" than we know to direct her into "medium" styles of wine.

This process goes on until we can figure out, stylistically, what people want.

Unfortunately for us many people know what they like and can't explain it, or they know what they like when they get there.

It's just a matter of us figuring out what "road" to send you down.

[mapsokardu]

Something else you might find useful -

A lot of times, wine is simply a matter of taste. But in general, start out with fruity california reds.

Also, try buying small bottles/containers of various kinds of wine. This will allow you to sample a variety of wine types without wasting money or wine. Plus, it gets you started on your first official wine tasting!



[This message has been edited by team (edited 02-07-2008).]

[Andreme]

Here's a very good blog with reviews of excellent Shiraz's:
http://tastingnotes.blogspot.com/2004/05/2002-australian-shiraz.html

[Duane Meissner]

I agree with the consensus here. If I go back to look at my first posts here and see what I was drinking and liking when I first started up with wine, I laugh. I would find them off-putting now. Back then, though, if I had tried what I'm drinking now I would have had just as negative a reaction. Same thing for me with coffee (started off with cream and sugar, and now I have to have it black), and beer (didn't like any of it at first, then started appreciating it, and now I prefer the stuff you have to drink with a spoon). Nothing is bad if you like it (wine, that is). Just enjoy the ride of your evolving preferences.