Nuwcomer on Board.. Need suggestions :)

[Innkeeper]

Hi Glass, and welcome to the Wine Board. Sounds like you are off to a good start. Keep track of the wines you like and those you don't like, along with the reasons. At some future date, when your tastes change, you may want to go back to some of the dislikes.

The Grinolino might have been a little too young. Even though it was older than the Chilean Cab, the latter was purposely made in a soft approachable style.

Recommend a couple of good books. "Wine For Dummies" is excellent. Don't worry about the dummies part, we all are in some regard. I recently bought "Italian Wine for Dummies!" The second book is Andrea Immer's "Great Wine Made Simple." In it she leads you through the world of wine in a very readable way, tasting various wines along the way.

Some good red wines for beginners include Beaujolais such as Beaujolais Villages, Cotes Du Rhone, and some of the inexpensive Borgeaux. You might also look at some of the inexpensive Spanish wines such as those made with Garnacha, Monstrell, and blends of these and other grapes. Argentine Malbec, and Cabernet are other choices, as are Shiraz from Australia and blends of Shiraz and other grapes. You might try some of the more inexpensive Pinot Noir from California.

Almost all whites are approachable as you buy them. We don't care much for those that have been subjected to a lot of oak as most New World Chardonnay is. Pinot Grigio is very popular. Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand and South Africa is becoming more and more popular. Dozens of excellent whites from Spain and Italy are on the market. There is a wonderful world of wine out there.