First time wine drinker here - just tried Chardonnay and Merlot...?!
First time wine drinker here - just tried Chardonnay and Merlot...?
...and almost threw up! I thought they both tasted (and smelled) awful!! I'm sure it is an aquired taste, but is there a way to ease into it? Is there a better tasting wine I can start with?
Answers:
I am sorry for the bad experience, but there are a lot of wonderful wines out there to try. Chardonnay tend to be very acidic and dry, while Merlot can have tannin which people are not used to. You just have to keep on trying to find the wines you might like. Here are some recommendations from me.
As for white wines, for beginners, I usually recommend Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling. Sauvignon Blanc tends to be fruity, slightly sweet, and crisp and easy to drink. I always enjoy drinking a glass of Sauvignon Blanc such as Duckhorn Sauvignon Blanc ($18), Caymus Conundrum ($25), or Chateau St. Michelle ($15). As for Riesling, it is usually sweeter but also plenty of fruit. I recommend either Californian or German. A good one to start is Bonny Doon Pacific Riesling (either dry or sweet, $12).
As for red wine, I would recommend either Cabernet Franc or Zinfandel. Cabernet Franc is slightly sweet red wine, with quality resembling that of Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot but without such bitterness. There are a few good Cabernet Franc, including Peju ($30) and Titus ($35). As for Zinfandel, that is much more reasily accesible and available, as well as cheaper. Zinfandel is the grape that also makes White Zinfandel (without the grape skin, the wine is sweeter, with grape skin, it is more complex). Red Zinfandel, or Zinfandel as we call it, is a wonderful slightly sweet wine with lots of fruit/berry, but they also tend to be higher on alcohol content. You can try Zinfandel from Chateau Montelena ($25), Frank's ($35), Rosemblum ($12-30), and Ridge ($20-35).
If you want the really sweet wine, then try dessert wine. White dessert wine such as Ice Wine (Inniskilling $65) and Sauturnes (Chateau Rieussec $50 or their second wine $18/half) are very nice to drink after dinner, while Red dessert wine, hands down, is best represented by Port - Sandeman and Dow makes some cheaper Port costing $15-20.
Good luck and keep on trying. . I hope you will find something you will like from this.