Attention all wine lovers: I need your help!?!
Answers: I am really starting to get into wine. I enjoy a nice dark red wine, I usually drink Merlot. I tried some homemade elderberry wine but I didn't care for the after taste. I can't stand sweet wine. I welcome any suggestion as to what I should try. Thank you in advace for your help.
If you like Merlot, you are trying a medium-bodied, semi-sweet wine: half-way between the sweet wines and the dry wines. Chianti would fall into the same basic category. If you really prefer something drier, try a Shiraz or a Cabernet Sauvignon.
However, what you are likely to find is that these distinctions are not what makes the difference between whether you like a wine or not. Well made wines will taste very different: generally smoother on the palate, with less harsh aftertaste, than a cheap wine made of the same style of grapes.
Allow me to suggest a Clos du Bois Merlot, or Thomas Hyland Penfold's Shiraz, as two to start with. Or, if there is a chance that you might like something sweeter, try the Estancia Pinot Noir: it is very smooth as well.
Good luck with your new explorations!
a rose blush maybe? dont like it, it is kind of bitter, and unusual, but since you dont like sweet wine, i would give this a try.
Cellar 8 Merlot is pretty good, and easy to find.
You might want to try a "Shiraz" or "Beaujolais"
Try a Malbec, either Cappollas or Starbucks. Neither are overly expensive, $15 - $20 USD, but a fairly big red--maybe a step ahead of a Merlot.
try Lambrusco / riunite also the rosatto is very good but my favorite is lambrusco !!!!! butcher......
I don't like sweet wine either. I recently tried smoking loon pino noir and really liked it. It's really good and it's reasonably priced. I think I'll get another bottle this weekend.
Any of the following brands, Oz, Alice White, Yellow Tail, Turning Leaf, more pricey Ferrare Canara 2002, Gato *****, Delicato, all make good cabermets. Whites, go for Pino Grigio or Chardanay,sauvignon blanc. Rosemont Cabernet and most Pinot Noir are good dry wines.
Stay away from "blush or Rose" they are kind of blended, and seem to have the worst qualities of whatever they were made from. There are a lot of really good Australian wines on the market these days, and they aren't all that expensive. I would try to find some place that has a wine tasting night, that way you can sip before you buy.
merlot is starter wine for someone whose like dry wine. i suggest the next thing you want to try would be shiraz or cabernet or pinot noir. pinot noir and shiraz are quite close to merlot but cabernet is a little dry than others.and dont forget to look for the years too. try something like 2004 or less.
After I had merlot, I next tried Pinot Noir. That was good. Red Zinfandel after that I also liked. I don't care for Cabernet too much, though.
A pinot noir from 2005 is pretty good and easy to find. That grape produces wines which do not need to be aged long to be ready for market.
Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz.... are good red wines. Also Burgundy is a good one. They're all on the dry side. It just depends on how dry you want to go, as to which one to get.
If you can get to a wine tasting event or a winery, you'll do much better. You'll be able to taste a wine and decide for yourself if it's good or if it's just expensive vinegar.
Remember, a good one wine is one that you like. Just enjoy it, what ever it is, as wines are made to be enjoyed.