What is a good red wine?!
What is a good red wine?
I am looking for a red wine that isn't too tart or tangy. I love Berengers White Zinfidel but I just don't know what to look for in a red wine.
Answers:
You will probably like Pinot Noir. It is light & definitely on the fruitier side. Its a good starter Red wine. Estancia makes one that is about 10-15 bucks & really good, plus you can get it almost anywhere.
Or try Red Zinfandel. Its bold & fruity & it's my personal favorite. Yummy with BBQ'd food. A good one is E.O.S or also Estancia makes a niceone of these too. Or try Wild Horse, I think it's called.
A good red wine that isn't the "pink" wine is a pinot noir. La Crema is one of my personal favorites. Not too strong and not too sweet.
have you tried the white Merlot? I think it's close to the Zinfandel, but it is stronger. It's got a good flavor. As far as a true red, I haven't found any that I really enjoy. I would rather have a nice Riesling.
It depends on what you are going to have for dinner. But knowing you like white zinfandel, it tells me that you like fruity wines. If that is the case, go for a Pinot Noir and then work your way up from there. Maybe a RED zinfandel too. Tell the wine guy at your local wine shop to look for something light. However, keep in mind what you are going to serve with it. If you serve a huge steak, or something like it, it may be too light and the food will overwhelm the wine.
Good luck and bon appetite
I love La Crema or Estancia Pinot Noir.
Ravenswood Zinfandel is my favorite reasonably priced table wine. Its between 10 and 16 bucks depending on where you buy it.
Gumdale merlot from austrailia is a good choice or Kimmberly River zinfandel.
A nice light wine would be a Pinot Noir some of the best come from the Williamette Valley in Oregon. If your looking for a more substanial wine Cabernet Sauvingnon (sp) from Napa is great. I love Zinfandels from the foothills of California Amador or El Dorado Counties.
I would get a nice beaujolais (but not Noveau which can be too zingy). Try one of the nicer villages like Fleurie. You will not find a US wine that has the character and charm of a good Fleurie.
A nice Pinot Noir from Burgundy or a Cotes du Rhone. Croze Hermitage. These are Nice Soft Red not to overbearing ,and can go with anyting.
francis coppola pinot noir is one of my favorites. I have been exploring the reds for my health and I really have become fond of that one.
Spanish riojas are a good value and very drinkable. Very accesable to people that are not hardcore wine drinkers.
A really good red wine (and really affordable) is Riunite Lambrusco. Nice flavor and smooth, not bitter, tart or tangy. I got alot of my friends and family hooked on it, and even my cousin who's a sommelier likes it.
I know this is cheezy, but you could try "Chillable Red", Peter Vella box wine. Not a true real red wine, but alittle more bolder than Berenger and White Zinfidel. Try that and then you can move on to some bolder wines. My personal favorite is a Chilean Merlot from Diablo
For what it is worth, the reviewers of "Decanter", generally thought of as the world's best wine magazine, and some independent newspaper wine critics I have red, claim that the world's best red wine value among wines that are widely distributed is the Concha y Toro Castelleiro del Diablo Cabernet Sauvignon, from Chile. It costs about $US 6 - 9 in the USA, and about $CDN 11 - 14 in Canada, and comparably depending on taxes in other countries. However I am guessing it might be a bit too tannic (tart) for you.
I suggest you introduce yourself to red wines with ones that are soft and fruity. A French Beaujolais probably (there is a very good review of Beaujolais in last Friday's wine column in "The Wall Street Journal") or a wine like Gamay de Touraine made from the same grape (gamay). If you can find them so are German and Austrian Blaufrankeishes; also hard to find but you probably will like are French Passetoutgrains and Swiss Dole, which are blends of gamay and pinot noir.
Pinot noirs are quite variable and some are tannic also. They have a unique taste which requires some subtlety for some before they begin to appreciate them.
Otherwise, of popular reds you would most likely enjoy merlots from California or southern France (from the d'oc) which tend to be unassertive, smooth and round in the mouth.
Until you become more sophisticated probably you will enjoy most the least expensive ones. If you are American and near a licensed Trader Joe's try their private label "3 Buck Moe" (J.W. Morris brand). We have a friend with a large family of red wine novices and when we go to Boston as we must each month (we live in Montréal) he asks us to bring back as many bottles of J. W. Morris as we can as his relatives give it accolades.
I would suggest a Zinfandel such as:
Renwood 2003 Old Vine ZinfandelThe 2003 Old Vine Zinfandel is medium ruby in color. The bouquet consists of brown sugar, caramel, sage, eucalyptus, and bursting with dark berry fruit. The flavor is a sumptuous blend of warm blackberries on the entry, with a hint of dried fruit, finishing with sweet fleshy tannins.($19.49)