What's a good starter wine?!
Also, if I were to bring a bottle of wine to a dinner party, what is a good one to bring (not knowing what is being served)?
Thanks in advance
Answers: I married into a family of wine drinkers. I however know nothing about wine. I would like to start drinking wine. I need to know what is a good wine to start with (having not drank wine before).
Also, if I were to bring a bottle of wine to a dinner party, what is a good one to bring (not knowing what is being served)?
Thanks in advance
Answering your second question first, a rose is always a good choice. White zinfandels have given roses a bad name. Roses range from fruity to bone dry. Like white zinfandel, other roses are made from red wine grapes. The skins are removed from the fermentation vats before fermentation is completed, lending the resulting wine a pink color.
As for wines to try as a neophyte, try everything. If wine stores in your area hold tastings, go there and try the wine. Keep a small notepad with you so that you can write down info on the wines you are drinking at any given time (producer, varietal, vintage, and what you personally like about it).
As a wine professional, I also recommend the book "Wine For Dummies". This book is very good for people new to wines. It brings wine to a level without getting into what I would call "Winespeak".
White wines are generally a good startign point for newbies. Most white wines are fairly mild in flavor. Chardonnay is the exception since it tends to be aged in oak barrels a little longer than the rest.
A few good white wines.
Sauvignon Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Pinot Grigio
Sweeter white wines
Gewertziemiener (sp?)
Reisling
Muscat Canelli
There really is not a good "starter" wine. If your hubby is a wine drinker, try what he likes first. If he is a merlot drinker, and you think its bitter and nasty, then try something lighter, like riesling. Either way, the best way to learn what you like is to try different wines. Check your local wine shops, and see if they offer tastings or classes.
As for bringing wine without knowing the menu, you are usually safe with a white like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. If you would rather bring a red, try a Pinot Noir, or a Syrah (Shiraz, if you buy Australian).
i recommend starting with a sweeter white wine, such as a reisling. they have a nice fruity flavor and soft tannins (that feeling of your tongue clinging to the roof of your mouth). rose (with the accent on the "e") is another light, sweet wine -- if you get a good one, it tastes like strawberries.
as far as bringing wine to a party, i wouldn't recommend bringing a wine you haven't tried and enjoyed first. if you have the opportunity, go to a little local winery where you can taste a variety of wines before you purchase one.
as you probably already know, red goes with red meats, white with poultry or fish. it's hard to pick one without knowing what's being served, but generally if i'm bringing a wine to somebody else's party i bring reisling, piesporter, or a good merlot (that are lots of bad merlots, so make sure you try it first). those are all "crowd-pleaser" wines. most people enjoy them. merlot (a red) is very classic, but the other two (both whites) are a little more unique. zinfandel's really popular too, but i get a bit tired of it. we also get very good cherry wine here in michigan, so sometimes i go for that because of the local charm. :-)
brief note on years and locations: i've found that 2003 is a really good year for california wine.
If you wish to take a good respectable bottle of red wine to a dinner party i would recomend (red) Andrew McPherson's The Full Fifteen 2005 perfect for anything with spice such as BBQ's, curries etc etc as this is a very deep and fruitful vintage ideally only eaten with food as it is very heavy and does cling to the pallet.
If i was to take a white wine which would be mainly for a fish dish which compliments purfectly well with trout marrinated in lemmon juice and stuffed with boursin cheese and thinly sliced red onion and then slowly oven cooked wraped in tin foil with a little of the wine used to drink with meal pored into the foil before closing,then i would most definatly have to recomend Murray Fishing Club 2006 which is a nice crisp and ripe, dry chardonnay.
Both these wines listed can be puchassed from the sunday times wine club but also from laithwaites they are not cheap if ur the sort of person that goes for a ￡3.99 bottle for a Sat night in. There you will be looking at about ￡6/7 a bottle
If you decide to try my advice i hope you enjoy my recomendation and please inform me of such feedback.
Grahamemerton@hotmail.com
If you've married a wine drinker, ask him to teach you how to appreciate a good wine. You'll probably want to start with sweeter wines, like German whites, until you train your palate. White Zinfandels are the "soda pop" of wine (sweet). It's hard to recommend a wine to take to dinner if you don't know what's being served. A nice champagne to go with dessert would be nice.
You can start with reds and whites. I would start with the lighter reds like Pinot Noir or granache (my wife is newer to wine and loves grenache). On the white side start with something like a Sauvignon Blanc (Kim Crawford is a bombass sauv. blanc and readily available at most grocery stores) or reisling (Hogue is cheap and also readily available). I would also consider starting with an unoaked chard.
Previous answer is right - its always best to bring something you've tried and enjoyed, but I've also had tons of success going in blind by saying "this just looked really interesting". Try a varietal that people don't often drink like a charbono (red), dolcetto (red), albarino (white), or arneis (white). People who really like wine and are not just into it to look fancy generally like to try new and interesting things. Don't worry about pairing it with the meal - you can drink it before or after dinner.
i started with a chablis. nice light white wine. not too sweet, not to dry. Please do not drink white zinfandel, if your in laws are wine lovers, they will think you like fruit punch. I work in the wine industry in napa and none of us like it.
You don't have to drink wine if you don't like it. But it is a nice gesture to the family.
as far as bringing a gift of wine to a dinner party, please know that the host/hostess is not obligated to open it at the party. It is intended as a gift for the party giver. Unless specifically asked to bring wine, just bring something you think they will like.
That being said, my favorite wine to bring to party is actually a nice sparkling wine.Either a blanc de noirs or a blanc de blancs. Sparkling wine is often overlooked as just for holidays and special occasions. What is interesting is that it goes amazingly well with all sorts of food. It can pair with anything from steak to sushi to dessert.
Second choice would be a nice Zinfandel (the red kind) from the Central Coast of California. And third choice would be a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. All very food friendly.
As far as wines to try. I would say try some viognier, pinot grigio for white and then maybe a shiraz or pinot noir for red. All are fairly light wines.