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

[Cowboyin Blake]

Just want to know if anyone can tell us novices what specific type of wines, specifically reds, put out by winemakers/wineries should we be staying clear of... cause im sure there are cheap god awful ones out there that are a waste of money and taste like sludge.

[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.

[Cowboyin Blake]

Im in NYC and NJ and it seems the popular wine right now, besides Pinot Noir because of Sideways, is Kendall Jackson's line...i really dont think its of that great a quality...what's everyones opinion on there wines?

[Kcwhippet]

Personally, I'm not terribly fond of the KJ Vintner's Reserve line, though it is a huge seller. They seem to have more residual sugar than you'd expect to find in a supposedly dry wine. In fact, I've heard (from the usual reliable sources) that they add back some unfermented Muscat juice to their Chardonnay in order to make it more appetizing to the occasional wine drinker who may be put off by really dry wines.

[dananne]

I, too steer clear of some mentioned above, but again -- individual tastes differ. For instance, I can't for the life of me see what's behind the Yellow Tail phenomenon -- I find it insipid, though I know people who only buy it and never try anything else. I don't know -- maybe it's the clever label, the easy-to-read labeling, and the ever-presence of it.

I, too, dislike KJ wines.

As for "grocery store" wines that I like, I enjoy Bonny Doon year in and year out.

A higher-end winery that I shy away from based upon personal bad experiences as well as the experiences of others is Coturri, though I'm hoping this doesn't spark the kind of rancor that a similar topic did not too long ago on the board. Just my opinion!

Oh, and I generally avoid Beaujolais Nouveau, preferring Cru Beaujolais or Beaujolais Villages.

[Innkeeper]

KJ manages to stay independent, but that is about the only good thing I can think of. Try their Vinters Reserve Pinot next to BV Coastal Pinot at exactly the same price. Bingo! and BV in now a susidy of Gallo Bros.

[Kcwhippet]

Yeah, and Mirassou is now owned by Gallo. Them that has, gets. Two of the Mirassou kids were hired by Gallo to put their names on the bottles at a healthy retainer, presumably to try and maintain some sense of continuity. This I got from a Mirassou I've known for almost thirty years who's disgusted by where her family name has gone.

[californiagirl]

I agree w/KC and IK. But above all, liking is about personal tastes. Just b/c we don't care for a particular wine, doesn't mean that you don't. Our faux pas might be your favorite. Basically, explore your options. Try different wineries, different varietals and discover what your tastes are.

[californiagirl]

BTW- If you're looking to explore decent, more common wineries, give Bogle and Bonny Doon a try. Definitely what most would call above average.

[stevebody]

My suggestion is: just try to taste as many wines as you can. In the purely subjective sense, whatever wine YOU like is a good wine - for you. In the larger sense - such as what us wine geeks think of as "good" - I've found that even some normally bad wineries can produce the occasional nice bottle. I had that universal Gallo prejudice for years but the Gallo Sonoma is pretty hard to find fault with. Ditto for Fetzer, which I just wouldn't touch for years...until I had one. Then I liked some of them. And Delicato, one of the cheapest grocery wines, is pretty good across the board.

[wineguruchgo]

I think that Gina Gallo has brought that company a long way. My Mom was a great fan of Gallo and despite my efforts (believe me I tried) I couldn't sway her. In the end I gave up. Gallo made her smile. I couldn't ask for more than that.

[Zinner]

Please do understand that how much you like a wine sometimes depends on the circumstances too.

Some time ago, a friend was preparing spicy Thai food and several of us brought wines. One of the group brought the Fieldstone Gewurtztraminer(sad last vintage was the last one), which was dry and lovely to sip. But one of the wines I brought along was the KJ Gewurztraminer BECAUSE I knew it would be a little sweet and thought the spice needed some sweet. And no surprise...the KJ was much better with the food than the dry one. One better before the meal and the other better with it.