New Wine Drinker...Adivce?!
Answers: The last few months I've been drinking wine. I'm amost prefer it over hard liquor now and that's big for me. I drink mostly " Yellow Tail" It taste good and is inexspensive. I would like to try something with a bit more alcohol but I don't want to spend alot of $..Any advice
Oh, what a fun new hobby you have. There's nothing like trying new wines to discover the one (or several) that excite your taste buds.
To really get a good appreciation of wines, before spending a lot of money on them, try and find a wine tasting event near you. You pay a fee to get in, and all wine samples are free. You can pay for an entire glass of wine, if you wish, but that's if you really like the sample they gave you.
With several wineries hosting such an event, you will get a feel for each one and will discover that A has the better Cab, while C has the better Shiraz. And from there you can decide which wines to buy and take home at that point. After that, you'll be able to visit the winery (or wineries) and get exactly what you want.
If there isn't an event near you for some time, try looking at specialty wine shops. Many of them let you sample wines. You're limited to the number of samples per visit, but you'll still be able pick and choose your wines for your "wine cellar". (Mine used to be the bottom of a book case.)
What ever wines you choose, dry or sweet, enjoy them. Wines were made for one purpose, and one purpose only.... to be enjoyed to the fullest.
try blackbox in "shiraz" it's my favorite boxed wine..about $30 a box...
Red or White ?????
White ....... Chardonnay's are a good bet ..... Wolf Blass, White Bluff's, Asda's do a lovely Australian Chardonnay for under ￡4.00 a bottle ........
Red ......... Caberbet Sauvingnon's ...... Louis Felipe, Again Asda's have a fantastic range at low cost ....
Enjoy your new hobby ....... try all of it and you will find your favourite.
The reason a wine may have a higher alcohol content is dependent on several factors.
California wines tend to have a very high alcohol content and so the makers are allowed to add more water to the product...up to 6 and 7% (in France this would be unheard of as that means you are selling water for the price of wine).
Some have suggested that Cailfornia wines have a higher alcohol content because the vines are young or becuase we have more days of summer-like weather, I have also heard it is because the grapes are stressed more than others from lack of water, the possible reasons are numerous.
From personal experience, I would say that California, Chilean and Australian red wines all tend to have higher alcohol content. Cab Sav is my fave (Sterling, J.Lohr, Hess, Wild Horse are all reasonably priced). I also love a good pinot noir (Mandolina makes a good one).
The possibilities are endless! Good luck and have fun!
Sherry (fortified wine)
Port (~ 17% but very sweet)
Wine does not usually vary much for alcohol content (~12% to 14% is the norm)
If you want to get closer to hard liquor in alcohol content but still want a drink made from grapes you should try brandy. It is distilled wine. It can be bought in several price ranges.
You may want to do a search in your area for "wine tastings" they usually dont cost alot, you get to sample a number of different wines and speak to an "expert" about the taste or if there is a Total Wine or something like that near you. There is a sangria that comes in a bottle that I think is pretty good, unfortunately I cant remember the brand..its int a green bottle with a orange and white label... Wine is better for you anyway..lol..
Try any local wine bar, that way you can try a glass at a time , and buy the bottle later. We also would get a group of friends together and each bring our favorite bottle, and everyone could try a glass.
Oh yeah, we walked home.
I'm a big fan of wine. Everyone's taste is different. The only advice I can give on this subject is don't be afraid to try new wines. Also, don't judge wine based on one brand. I used to strongly dislike Cabernet because I had a bad one when I was younger. Now I love it. Merlot is good despite what everyone says about it. Brand wise I strongly recommend Toasted Head. Their Merlot is okay but the cab is wonderful. Under $20 a bottle also.