Need help in picking a really good wine

[Marybeth]

I need some help, I have a family friend from the UK coming to town and they will be looking my family up, I have been told they like to drink wine. I don't and neither does anyone else I know, but I'd like to have some available for them when they get into town. Could someone give me some names of really good wines they may enjoy, that doesn't cost an arm & a leg to buy; somewhere in the price ranges of $15 - 30 a bottle? I'd really appreciate it.

[robr]

Sounds like you don't have any idea what kind of wine they like, so just taking a stab in the dark, they probably like what the Brits call Claret, which is French red wine from Bordeaux. They also tend to like Port, a sweet red wine drunk before or after dinner, sometimes with dessert. A really good Bordeaux can be very expensive, but some can found in the $20-$40 range. A moderately good Port is usually right around $20.

These are stereotypes, of course, but my help you in your selection.

[wondersofwine]

Welcome to the wine board, Marybeth.
A basic Rioja Spanish red wine might please. Rioja is the area and the grape is Tempranillo. Another inexpensive possibility is a Cotes-du-Rhone from France.
Depending on what foods you are serving, you may want a white wine too. A German Riesling Kabinett (maybe from the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer winegrowing district) or a Sauvignon Blanc from Sancerre, France or New Zealand might also do. If you want to take this opportunity to introduce them to some U.S. wines that they may not have had before, you might look for Columbia Crest Cabernet Sauvignon from Washington State or Seghesio Zinfandel or Rancho Zabaco Sonoma Heritage Zinfandel for red wines or St. Supery Sauvignon Blanc or Chateau St. Michelle Riesling for white wines. These are mostly in the $15-$30 range.


[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 02-01-2006).]