Any wine experts?!
Any wine experts?
I love wine! Especially Cab and Shiraz, but I don't really know much about it...I would like to know more about what Im drinking and how to choose my next bottle...any helpful hints?
Answers:
I'm a young wine drinker as well. California and Australian wines are great for beginners and quite tasty. These wines are made in what is called the new world style. Warmer climates make for higher alcohol, fruitier wines. One thing you'll realize about these wines is that they tend to overpower the food you eat with them.
A great discovery for me was wine made in the food-friendly, old world style. French, Italian and Spanish wines have difficult names to pronounce and require months of research and study to get to know, but it is well worth it in your wine experience. They're silkier, less fruity, less sweet, and they accompany food very well. Overall, it's a more relaxing experience.
My first recommendation is to find a small, local wine shop where you live. Get to know the owner and follow his recommendations. Chances are he can give you some ideas for daily quaffers, ready-to-drink crowd pleasers, and collectibles (if that's your thing).
My second recommendation is to pick up an issue or two of Wine Spectator. Yes, Robert Parker is more famous, but he tends to exaggerate the quality of "new world" style wines, perhaps for marketing purposes. Also poke around the Wine Spectator forums. It can be intimidating, but it's worth it for the amount that you'll learn about wine.
Welcome to the world of wine. Above all enjoy yourself. Your dates and family get-togethers will be that much more enjoyable with a little added pleasure. .
Since your on the internet anyway..
why don't you go to their websites?
everyones taste is different, and wine doesnt have to be expensive to be good. try organizing a tasting with some friends. experiment. if you like cabernets, assign each friend you invite a country or region to select from. nice cabs can be found in france, italy, australia, south africa, chile, argentina as well as domestically in califonia, washington and even new york. get as diverse a sample of moderate priced as you can, and sample and compare with your friends.
European wines, like the two that you list are a species called Vitis vinifera. Vinifera grapes make some of the greatest wines. If you like these two, then experiment with other vinifera species from France. Merlot, chardonnay, mourvedre, grenache, or others. It is also fun to go to as many small tastings as you can. Learn as much as you can.
You have picked two great grapes. If you drink Californian, it can be fun to try French Bordeaux Cabs or Australian or Chilean. Tasting these different expressions of a grape you already enjoy can teach you a great deal about Cab.
A next step is to investigate blends. Bordeaux styles or other meritages are fascinating. The wonderful nuances that one grape can add to another are a never ending source of amazement.
You should really attend a wine tasting (or a few) to find out what tastes you like. Knowing what you like begins with education- It actually makes drinking it fun. If you're not interested in taking that time, you can start yourself by sitting down with a glass of wine ( or a few different kinds) and start by smelling it. What type of fruit/flower do you smell? (honeysuckle, pear, plum, cherry, etc) That is the 'nose.' Then take a sip, and while it's in your mouth, what do you taste? Finally, the finish--is it crisp and light (usually associate with white, like sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio) full bodied (many reds) oaky (having to do with whether it's fermented in an oak or steel barrel, some chardonnays are oaky, such as Toasted Head) or buttery (has a lingering, thicker, smooth "texture").....
Then read the back of the bottle and find out if your senses were right. This will help you learn what you like by reading the bottle and wine reviews of that wine. Have fun, I hope that helps!
*You may have noticed, a good cab in one brand does not mean a good chardonnay or merlot...try the same type of wine in different brands if you don't like it the first time and it may be completely different. (I like most brand merlots, but all chardonnays are NOT created equally!!)
Blends are a fantastic choice: Rodney Strong make a great GSM that's worth a try, and a great cab/merlot blend (70/30, I believe) is Concha y Toro's Casillero del Diablo. Both are around $10-12
Invite your friends over for a wine tasting night once a week or every other week... Have them each bring a bottle of wine in the same catagory, like one night could be a California cab night.. You can taste all of the wines and write notes about what you tasted and smelled...
Some good Cali Cabs to try are Cinq Cepage from Chateau St. Jean and Brandlin from Cuvaison.....
Depending on where you're at, I have a franchise called WineStyles. We separate wines into Fruity, Mellow, and Bold sections for reds, Crisp, Silky, and Rich sections for whites, Nectar for desert wines, and Bubbly for sparkling wines. Check out our national website and see if one is available near you, because this system takes the difficulty out of the wine buying system (I'd suggest Bold reds, judging from your question). Did I mention everything we sell is under $25?
You don't have to know a lot about wine to enjoy it. Mentioning you like cabernet and shiraz is a great start. The only thing to know is that they are red wine grapes. Cabernet is grown all over the world in all different styles. Shiraz, origionally from France, but most drink it from Australia. Syrah from anywhere else. Research the grape and find what flavor characteristics they possess. Try these grapes from some place else. The grape characteristics should hold true. Climates vary, as well as flavors & style. Find out what about these grapes you like, for example the fruitiness, or spice, earth or mineral presence? Remember, wine is subject to taste, not everyone will like the same wine.