CAN SOMEONE HELP US NOVICES BY TELLING US WHAT ARE BAD WINES!

[wondersofwine]

That's a hard one to answer because individual tastes differ. Others have a higher tolerance for tannins than I do. I may be able to tolerate residual sugar better than some, etc. In general I avoid most "grocery store wines" in preference for ones found at a good wine shop. The avoidance includes Woodbridge, Talus, Vendange, Turning Leaf, etc. There are exceptions of course (there always are). My usual grocery store carries Bogle Merlot (decent), Columbia Crest wines (good QPR or Quality/Price Ratio), Gallo of Sonoma Frei Ranch Pinot Noir (nice), Rancho Zabaco Sonoma Heritage Zinfandel and Rancho Zabaco Dry Creek Valley Zinfandel (I stay away from the Dancing Bull Zin), Villa Mt. Eden Pinot Noir (another good QPR) and others I will buy. Sometimes I venture into the inexpensive Australian shiraz or red blends such as Jacob's Creek or Rosemount with varying degrees of satisfaction. When seeking a Chianti, I usually spend more to get a Chianti Classico. Hey, but I started out liking Mateus Rose' and Sutter Home White Zinfandel, and Riunite Lambrusco and those are not my choices now, but others may still like them.