Wine craving - please help

[Andres]

I suddenly just had a craving for a glass of wine. I have never been a wine connoisseur, so I don’t know anything about all the technical aspects of quality; I just know what tastes good to me. Some brands that I have had before and enjoyed are Blue Nun and also Arbor Mist. I am sure these are not even considered real wines to those of you who drink the good stuff, so please help me out. I need some recommendations of some good wines to try. I am on a budget , plus I don’t know if I’ll like it or not, so please try to keep your recommendations under $25 a bottle. Or is it impossible to get good wine for this price? Also, I realize that most wine goes best when paired with a specific dish, but are there any that are just good for drinking by themselves? Thanks in advance for your advice!

 

[Curt]

Andres,

I enjoy Menage a Trois, a California red wine which is a blend of three wines (hence the name). It is relatively inexpensive at about $13-15 per bottle.

 

[Christusregnat]

White wines are lighter; red are heavier. Fetzer's Gewertz is cheap and good for a white wine. Root 1 is also good (Chilean). If you can get anything from Wente or Concannon, those are good wines from my home town (whatever type you choose).

Cheers,

Adam

 

[Soonerborn]

Just my 2 cents. I have experimented with different types of wines and you will find out what your likes are. Personally, I enjoy the Cabernets.

In my un-professional opinion, there is not much difference in a $7-8$ a bottle wine, and a $25 a bottle wine. My personal "limit" is $10 a bottle. For the wine snobs, that may be laughable, but again I don't see the difference in taste.

Part of the fun is trying different wines and finding out which ones you like.

I don't know the exact name, but one I particularly enjoy is a brand named Woodcrest in the Cab variety.

 

[KMK]

If you decide to get red wine, just make sure you don't look at it!

Pro 23:31 Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.

 

[Tripel]

Yes, you can get good wine in that price range. You can get a good bottle of wine for $10-15.

My advice is to talk to your local store owner and ask for help. When it comes to shopping, I generally like to get in and get out without talking to anyone---But two exceptions to that are shopping for alcohol and tobacco. It's beneficial to seek the recommendations of those in the business.

 

[s.morris]

One thing that works wonderful for any bottle of wine is a wine aerator. It essentially forces the wine to "breathe" very quickly and it makes a $10 bottle taste, for all practical purposes like a $50 bottle, In my humble opinion.

 

[Tripel]

I have never been a wine connoisseur, so I don’t know anything about all the technical aspects of quality; I just know what tastes good to me.

That is the most important thing you need to know when it comes to wine. Buy what you like. Don't be intimidated by what you think you ought to like or ought to know.

 

[Ron]

Andres,

I enjoy "big reds" from the Napa area, and I can assure you that $25 is more than enough for very good wines that are more than just "drinkable". First, I would recommend Columbia Crest (Washington State). Their 2006 Cab-Sav ("Grand Estates" - not their "Two Vines") is very nice and a great bargain at eleven dollars. Their Merlots are slightly less expensive and get very good ratings, especially for the price. I still kick myself for not buying several cases of what I remember was their '04 Merlot, Grand Estates, which is now way past the distributor's shelves and all the stores.

Wine Spectator is a very reliable source for ratings. You might consider going on line and seeing if you can find some of their picks, or even picking up a magazine.

Good luck!

Ron

p.s. If you large fruit-forward big wines, then stay away from the Pinots and go toward the cabs, merlots and (red) zins.

 

[SteppingHeavenward]

I'm not an expert, and typically prefer something like Arbor Mist... but my extended family likes to try different wines, and a couple I would recommend would be a Moscato or Winemaker's Notes - Trade & Media - Wisconsin Wineries: Wollersheim Winery, Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin
Both are fruity white wines that are affordable, and may a good place to start if you're accustomed to the light fruity flavor of Arbor Mist.

 

[Grafted In]

Andrew,

I second the recommendation for the Columbia Crest Cabernet in an earlier post. Their "Vineyard 10" is also a good blended red wine and retails for under $10.

If you like a great full bodied red, I would suggest my favorite varietal, Zinfandel. The best Zinfandel that I have purchased below $25 is produced by Ridge Vineyards that produces a handful of different labels from different locations (Lyton Springs, Geyserville, Sonoma Station). All of them are wonderful.

Cheers!

 

[Ron]

Andrew,

I second the recommendation for the Columbia Crest Cabernet in an earlier post. Their "Vineyard 10" is also a good blended red wine and retails for under $10.

If you like a great full bodied red, I would suggest my favorite varietal, Zinfandel. The best Zinfandel that I have purchased below $25 is produced by Ridge Vineyards that produces a handful of different labels from different locations (Lyton Springs, Geyserville, Sonoma Station). All of them are wonderful.

Cheers!

Good one! Ridge Zins are quite nice, but you'll be bumping into the the stated price point.

Also, Sebastiani makes reds in the price range of about $15.

Best,

Ron

 

[Andres]

thanks everyone! I will most definitely take your suggestions into consideration next time I go shopping for a bottle! (and I will be sure and report back my findings)

 

[Edward]

What do you like - dry or sweet, fruity or oaken?

My personal favorites are Riesling from the Mosel and surrounding areas of Germany. A light, somewhat sweet and refreshing wine. With the fall of the dollar, the price has moved up, but they are still in your price range. Look for a Qualitätswein - not the top grade, but almost there. Drink it cold.

 

[MarieP]

I was about to recommend Riesling! I also like several kinds from a winery in Southern Indiana (Huber's, Sweet Marcella and Harvest Blush). I prefer sweet or semi-sweet. I don't really care for dry.

 

[Idelette]

I was about to recommend Riesling! I also like several kinds from a winery in Southern Indiana (Huber's, Sweet Marcella and Harvest Blush). I prefer sweet or semi-sweet. I don't really care for dry.

That's funny, because I was going to recommend Riesling as well! I tend to like reds but this is the only white wine that I really enjoy!

Also, if you have a Trader Joe's nearby, I would highly recommend buying from there! They have an excellent wine selection at incredible prices! I've gotten some quality Pinot Noir's, Cabernets, or Shiraz as low as $7 a bottle!

 

[21st Century Calvinist]

Italian wines are my favorite. Try a nice Chianti, like Ecco Domani. Should be about $10-12 in the grocery store.
I also second the Trader Joe's recommendation.

 

[Edward]

I was about to recommend Riesling! I also like several kinds from a winery in Southern Indiana (Huber's, Sweet Marcella and Harvest Blush). I prefer sweet or semi-sweet. I don't really care for dry.

I'll have to look for them to give them a try. I know what I'm looking for with the German labels, so I generally stick with them. And we don't drink much wine these days, anyway.

 

[Curt]

Brother,

I just came across another resource. The NRA has a wine club! There are a number of options and I'm just beginning to look through myself, but m initial response is positive. The URL is NRA Wine Club - Powered by Vinesse.

 

[SolaScriptura]

I have never been a wine connoisseur, so I don’t know anything about all the technical aspects of quality; I just know what tastes good to me.

That is the most important thing you need to know when it comes to wine. Buy what you like. Don't be intimidated by what you think you ought to like or ought to know.

This is the best advice to be given.


If you're craving wine, scratch that itch with what you know you like. Experiment later.

 

[Curt]

Unfortunately, upon further reading, I discovered that you can buy wines through the NRA (without joining the wine club, even), but I cannot. Wines can be shipped to TX, but not to ME! Talk about discrimination.

 

[Andres]

Unfortunately, upon further reading, I discovered that you can buy wines through the NRA (without joining the wine club, even), but I cannot. Wines can be shipped to TX, but not to ME! Talk about discrimination.

chalk up one more reason why I should never leave Texas!

 

[Curt]

Unfortunately, upon further reading, I discovered that you can buy wines through the NRA (without joining the wine club, even), but I cannot. Wines can be shipped to TX, but not to ME! Talk about discrimination.

chalk up one more reason why I should never leave Texas!

But if you should ever wish to visit friends or relatives in the US, do you need a visa? (In your passport, not your wallet).

 

[CatherineL]

We like dry whites here (I can't drink red or my face breaks out!). A friend of my husband gave us a bottle of Spy Valley Sauvignon Blanc and we loved it. Its dry but has almost a citrus flavor. We had it in the summer and it was perfect and refreshing. I think its about $10-13. Thanks for giving the pregnant lady a wine craving.

 

[Richard King]

Since you are in Abilene...I am going to shamelessly promote some Texas wine options.
Some of the best vineyards are up here in the high plains area.
Some of the growers also go to my church and they are just great family people.
Try the viognier from Becker Vineyards, it should be under 15.00 bucks. Though the winery is in Fredricksburg...those grapes are grown just outside of Lubbock.
The stuff from St. Genevieve Vineyards near Ft. Stockton is probably as inexpensive as any you will find and it is not bad.
If you really want to have some fun tour the wineries in the hill country. There is one place not too far from Abilene in Comanche. Welcome to Brennan Vineyards
And of course you can always make a trip up to Lubbock and tour the Caprock Winery, the Llano Estacado Winery and the Pheasant Ridge Winery. Each place has folks who will let you do taste tests and they will teach you about the different grapes etc.

 

[Rev. Todd Ruddell]

I'm partial to the California Syrah's.

Anything by Stag's Leap is good. Also enjoyed a good Pacific Northwest wine the other night: It was from Snoqualmie Vineyards.

Cheers!