What is the best red wine for a novice who knows nothing about wines?!
What is the best red wine for a novice who knows nothing about wines?
Answers:
A merlot or pinot noir is a good start. Make sure to spend atleast $20. Sorry, but cheaper wines are cheaper for a reason and $20 is about as low as I go. You can go with a Beaujolais (which is inexpensive) but it is a seasonal wine so if you buy one make sure it is a current release or it will taste like total CRAP.
You need to get your mouth ready for red wine, however. Have you watched those "stupid" people take a sip of wine and swish it around in their mouth - looking like total weirdos? They are preparing their mouth to accept the tannins in red wine. These people know what they are doing. Take a sip of wine and swish it around real good, all over your mouth, then swallow it. Don't even bother tasting it. Repeat this process again and THEN take a sip of the wine and taste it. Enjoy the berries and chocolate and coffee flavors of the wine. Try to taste the different "notes" in the wine. It's complex. Red wine should be served around room temperature as well, and most should be decanted for an hour or so. Decanting will help some of the alcohol taste blow off.
Good luck. Hope you find something you like.
you would probably enjoy a merlot best as it is a nice smooth red with not much aftertaste
any frizzante semi sweet wine
Try out any of the Reunite wines. They are all very popular and pretty good.
Most wines are not sweet. You will know if you're a wine person on the first try. It took me a long time to learn to appreciate wine. My oldest brother is a collector. He was the first person to show me something beyond what I knew from the liquor store's refrigerator.
When you try that great Merlot, it will bring you around.
I would try a good Merlot or Shirez.
depends on if you like them dry, fruity or sweet...they way to find out is to experiment a little try 3 different kinds: a pinot noir (light and fruity in the $10 range-mirassou,mark west or mondavi), cabernet (full-bodied and dry in the $10-14 range-avalon, chateau ste michelle or hawk crest), and merlot (supple and lush in the $10-14 range-red diamond, blackstone, and santa ema). If none of the above appeal to you yet, you may need to develope your palate with a white like a sauvignon blanc, french chardonnay (no oak), or a nice dry riesling before moving on to reds (sometime some people's palates are not quite ready for the tannins in red wines and need to work up an appreciation for them)
any wolf blass red
If it is a place with a good selection ask for a $10-ish Spanish Rioja. It is about the most drinkable wine in the world.
Even wine Spectator has a feature where it rates god wines under $20 often it will give a $12 or $14 dollar bottel a score in the high 80's or low 90's. There are plenty of yummy chilean, spanish and calafornian wines in the $12-$17 price range.
Well first - what do you like in a wine? Do you like dry or fruit forward? A lot of French reds are dry, not as fragrant but can be quite different from say a California Merlot or Zin.
What price range? I'm sure people can recommend a lot of good spendy wines that will make you look like a pro! I've found some sure hit reds that are not the run of the mill reds (like Rosemount or Mondavi - which are good but everyone's had them).
If you're looking for a fruity, absolutely wonder Zinfandel, in the $14-15 range try:
PlungerHead or Byrd-Cooper. TERRIFIC wine, very lush, very easy to drink with or without food and people will comment on them. Very good wines indeed!
Same price range but Shiraz's from down under:
Layer Cake, Ball Buster or if you can find it - Torbrecks WoodCutters Shiraz ($20). Torbrecks is a BIG, bold red though - very full bodied but most folks who know about wine, know Torbreck. They have some $100+ wines as well.
yellowtail shiraz