drinking wines

[ragnar_danneskjold]

"drinking" not in the sense of being a lush- i'm afraid to come across that way...

hey, and thanks in advance.

i love a good wine, but am in no way wise to the vast selection (though i hope to some day become so). i fell in love with a home-made romanian white while i was there, but language limits prevented me from finding out wherein it might fall in the wine family tree, so to speak. i'm also quite a fan of merlot, and shiraz to a lesser extent.

sorry, my question is this. i (and often my fiancée) enjoy, every so often, just drinking a wine for its own sake- not with any food or anything- and merlot, my favorite, is too dry to really enjoy in this function. she's not a big fan of whites, either, though i'm sure she hasn't had more than half a dozen. any suggestions?

[Thomas]

Don't know your desired price range, but try either Beaujolais Village or one particular Crus Beaujolais (Fleurie); the latter is more money but you do get what you pay for.

They each are approachable reds that can even stand a slight chill for summer. Do not, I repeat, do not settle for Beaujolais Nouveau, should a retailer try to foist that upon you when you ask for Beaujolais.

As a second idea, good, solid rose wines are also an option. Rose wines come from all countries and in many styles. Generally, the best of them have the strength of reds and the lightness of whites.

Good luck.

[Innkeeper]

Hi Ragnar, and welcome to the Wine Board. Agree with Foodie's suggestions. Just about my favorite quaffer is a Valpolcella Vino di Ripasso. Before you think this is something exotic and expensive, let me assure you that it isn't. You can get a Cesari, Mara, Vino di Ripasso for less than $10 in some places, and for a little more elsewhere. It is very widely distributed. Other Vino di Ripassos run between $10 and $25. They are journeyman Valpolicellas that are refermented over the pomace of Amarone. The latter is a very expensive wine and one of best from Italy. The Ripasso is a wonderful wine at about one third the price. Try one, you will like it.