Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Common Interests Any red wine drinkers?

I want to start drinking red wine. Where do I start?

I have on glasses, no rack, no wine, no nothing.

Go to the store, buy a bottle. Don't need glasses, bottle drinking is cooler. I hear Boone's Farm is good.

I've started drinking as well.

SawMill creek is a cheap fav of mine. 13bux CND a bottle (1.5L)

You may want to start by going to a wine tasting. Not only will you get to taste several different types of wine, but you'll learn a lot about the background/history of the wines. You also don't just drink wine, there's more to it than that. You'll learn what foods to drink it with, and how to get the full flavor out of it. I bartend a little here and there, and have poured/drank many a red wine.

Mark

Definately check out a wine tasting class. There's always chicks in the class, too...

General good red wines to start out with (IMO of course):
Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Pinot Noir
These are usually easy to find, not too sweet nor too harsh, and generally other people like them, too (i.e. great for serving guests).

I love a good Shiraz but they're not for everyone.

Check out this site for a little background info on some of the wines.

Oh - remember that more expensive doesn't always mean better. There are tons of great red wines for about $10 a bottle.

I go through 2 bottles a week and have a small cellar stocked with just over 80 bottles, so I guess I might qualify.

It's rare if I have dinner without a glass or two.

You can go broke buying high-quality Cabs and Merlots. Unless you have developed a fairly sophisticated palate, you won't be able to tell the difference between a $200 bottle of Tyshon Hill Cab or a $20 bottle of Coppola Cab. Double-ditto if you have sinus problems. I do during times of the year and you could put piss in a jar against a Stag's Leap (probably my favorite Cab) and I couldn't tell the difference...

I might ask what you've tried in the past and liked?

Pinot Noirs and Merlots are usually a safe place to start. Cabernet Sauvignon have a much more "tannic" (if that's a word) taste to them and are typically stronger and much more full-bodied. They usually aren't the best place to start your wine tasting experience...

Give me a while and I'll get a nice, cheap starters list for you. I've got a group of friends that keep a list of bottles under $20; there are some astounding wines from California, Oregon and Washington in the US as well as Australia, Chile, Spain and Italy that won't destroy your budget and are a sheer pleasure to drink.

I rarely pay more than $40-50 for wine anymore; I got into the high-dollar crap for a while and to be quite honest, I have a hard time discerning the difference in taste and bouquet of these vs. some of the "cheaper" wines on the market.

A couple off the top of my head:

Smoking Loon Pinot Noir (can't remember year). Probably $13-15 a bottle. Good solid Pinot.

Wynns' Cab-Merlot-Shiraz '01. Maybe $20-30; haven't shopped it lately. Damn-best tasting blend to be found.

Estancia Merlot (year doesn't matter much). Don't pay more than $16-18 if that. It's cheap, but good.

Cabernet Sauvignon is tough, because this is one wine I do pay bucks for. Have to think on that one...

More to come.

I've never drank wine period. I've tasted here and there, but I've been a solid beer person for years. I'm trying to see what else is out there and I know red wines have certain healthy properties that can make them beneficial in moderation.

Thanks for all your help so far, folks. I be appreciating it.

Dridge11 is a serious wine enthusiast. He even owns part of a vineyard in Cali. If you ever bothered showed up to anything you could pick his brain.
Ravenswood is good and I like most Australian reds.

BTW- Grapefest in Grapevine was last week.

I went to Grapefest. But I drank beer.

Where do I find these wines? Can they be found in the grocery store??