sweet and juicy

[Brooke in BE]

I have absolutly no clue about wine!! However here in Belgium, it seems like everyone drinks wine at dinner! I don't care for the taste of alcohol. Can someone recomend a nice, fruity, smooth wine for me to order before dinner? Is it "ok" to drink the same type of wine after dinner as well? Someone PLEASE help this newbie!!! Thanks!
Brooke

[stevebody]

Brooke,

Welcome, newbie! One basic point and then a few suggestions:

If you are tasting alcohol in your wine, you have a wine that is either seriously out of balance or just plain bad. Excessive alcohol in wine most often shows up as a hot feeling in your throat; the mucous membranes literally being irritated by the alcohol. A good wine will have a tiny bit of a tickle in your mouth and feel "bright" from acidity. A really great wine will go down as smoothly as spring water. Since you're in Belgium and are probably awash in French or Italian wines, I suggest a Southern Rhone wine like a Domaine de la Janasse Cotes du Rhone or their Chateauneuf du Pape "Le Chaupin", a Chateau Pesquier (any of them), a good Gigondas like the St. Cosme, Domaine les Pallieres, Perrin, or especially the Montirius, or an Italian like the Zenato Ripasso, A-Mano Primitivo, Allegrini Valpolicella, Masi Serego Allegheri Valpolicella, Umberti Cesari Sangiovese di Romagna, or the Apolonio Copertino. These are all mass produced, so they should be available.

[Brooke in BE]

Thank you for the information! Think I'll look silly pulling out my "reminder list" at the table?? haha
Can all of these wines be consumed during the meal, or are they best before/after etc.? As you can see I have no clue about wines, but I am tired of the weird looks when I order a coke for dinner! hahahah Again, thank you!
Brooke

[stevebody]

Brooke,

As a general rule, Italian wines are very food friendly, since Italians see wine as a function of dining more than as an aperitif. The ones I've mentioned are great sippers and can be enjoyed with or without food. I really don't like wines that require food to fill out holes in their flavor profile, so any of them, French included, will be great alone.

Hope this helps. Wine discovery is a wonderful journey. Bon voyage!

Steve Body

[wondersofwine]

I would add to Steve's recommendations that you might try a German Riesling Spatlese for a low-alcohol white wine (maybe a Mosel wine) and a Beaujolais for a fruity red wine. I think these might be an easier introduction to wine than some of the Rhone wines.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 04-14-2003).]