Winebibbers! Recommend Me a "Good" Wine Because Reasons - Update #2 Post-T&E

[Jellybean]

> See page 2 for post-test results and thoughts.

>See second post on page 2 for the local shopping list update
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So, as with a number of random side-ventures in my life, yes, video games are to blame for this...
If anyone here is familiar with the Witcher series, in the most recent one there's a portion of the game where you go to do quests in an area of the world that's basically Italy/France wine country, and you get a vineyard as part of your reward from the local monarch.
Anyway...
I was hit by a sudden realization that I have no idea WHAT wine even is. I mean, I've never bothered with alkyhawl for most of my life. And sure as heck don't know what people are talking about in regards to a "good" wine. Aside from some female acquaintances that seem to get a bit *too* excited about the stuff, which alone was enough to turn me off of the whole topic...
Well, that and there was the one case of finding a couple really old bottles of the stuff left over from the parents' wedding and downing them with a sibling at a very young age (cuz kids WILL drink anything...), after which I don't remember it being very good, or having any ill effect, other than laughing our asses off for the rest of the day... but I digress...

Anyway x2, upon reminder that winebibbing is super manly pursuit and not just for loony women, and with another strange desire to explore the reality of a fantasy world burning an itch at the back of my brain, I sallied forth, only to be blindsided by a bewildering bazaar of bottles. Which immediately raised the dilemma - what IS a "good" wine? And how do I find it without trashing a credit card or two?
Does this work like guns where I can simply buy X brand and be good, or is it more about the makeup of the wine, less the brand? Red? White? Dry? Or some of this other colored stuff? Am I supposed to look at the vintage? Or does that even matter if buying "off the shelf"? Oh, and apparently certain wines just MUST paired with certain foods, to be simply de-vine, blahblahblah...Ugh.




So... I figured before I do something dumb, I'd ask the experts...

Basically, looking for something reasonably available and affordable, but better than your average plebian swill you'd find being quaffed in mass quantity at a female book club...
Something in the category of, to a more informed connoisseur, they'd be like "oh yeah, that's pretty good", but that also won't cost mass quantities of money, as I don't intend to make this a habit.
I have no financial intention/interest in getting "into" wine or collecting the stuff, or such, but I also realize I have no idea what to look at/for, and I'd hate to pick something truly awful as a first try...
This is simply a little side-quest of self discovery.

TL;DR, I don't need the KAC of wine, but I'd like to avoid the Anderson poverty-pony stuff, if possible.

[Averageman]

8-12 bucks a pop German Resielings.
Fruit flavored, imagine green apples and pears. Be careful this shit will sneak up on you an mug you.

[uffdaphil]

I was a beer and bourbon guy until I hit 60. Then good friends who are big wine nuts began having wine tastings to raise money for ALS. I started keeping a log of what kinds and brands of reds and whites I like. Now after several hundred comparisons there is no favorite, only what is good enough to try again and what to avoid.

But one area may have a bad year so you can’t write off a type until you have tried many different vineyards and years. Plus your tastes may change with wider experience. I started much preferring whites like Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, then red Pinot Noir was king. It took a while to appreciate heavier Cabernet Sauvignon. Now I try just about anything from all over the world.

I’ve had really good $8 bottles and $20 stuff most folks love that I hate. $10-18 seems to be my sweet spot.
Your local liquor store may charge double the Total Wine price. I only buy by the case for 10% off and with coupons from the TW club for an average of 15 to 20% discount.

A baseline to compare others with: Angeline Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. They have not disappointed so far. Know that corked refrigerated whites will keep better than reds in the fridge. I always finish a bottle of either by the next day. Some Pinots I think should be finished the same day. Especially expensive ones. Pretty disgusting to find a $35 bottle losing half it’s goodness. Fortified wines like Tawny port can keep for weeks.

Find some tastings and maybe a wine group where you can sample different stuff without having to buy whole bottles. Good luck.

[gunnerblue]

I don't know much about wine at this point beyond reds go with red meat and whites go with fish, but I'm finding it a fascinating rabbit hole. Hunting in South Africa a few years really got me started. I don't know why,, but SA wines are amazing and unfortunately hard to find around where I live.. I seem to prefer cabernets, otherwise.

I do notice a big difference between sub-$10 bottles and bottles in the $20 range. Haven't tried anything more expensive than that as I doubt I'm knowledgeable enough to know the difference.

As far as brands go, Chateau St. Michelle is out of Eastern Washington that I've seen for sale all over the country as well as overseas. I've enjoyed all of their offerings which I've tried and they're reasonably priced.

[Todd.K]

Costco is the answer if it’s an option for you.

The house brand stuff always seems to be a good value and a good representation of the style.

Their Malbec with a ribeye is the manliest way to try wine.

[Gabriel556]

Bean, I don’t know your AOR or I could recommend places to go in many parts of the USA. But I will suggest finding a winery somewhere and go in to their tasting room with A) an open mind, and B) a willingness to admit you know nothing and are interested in learning. Reason being is that tastebuds are different in many people. As mentioned wines could be the same “style” but depending on where the grapes are from and the weather that year, the wine can be drastically different. Depending on where you live some or all the wines may be sweeter (Michigan and most of the northern mid-west) or dry/fuller bodied (California). And don’t let anyone tell you you shouldn’t enjoy one that you like because “it’s girly”. PM me if you would like, I’m not a sommelier (wine guru) but I’ve spent years tasting and buying wines from (mostly) the US.

[MonteSmoke]

I may be able to help if I know your cigar, liquor, beer or other bad habits choices along those lines.
Can help find a sweet or dry red or white.
Honestly its a trial and error kind of game.

[donlapalma]

Costco is the answer if it’s an option for you.

The house brand stuff always seems to be a good value and a good representation of the style.

Their Malbec with a ribeye is the manliest way to try wine.

I second this. I'm not a wine connoisseur, but I'm no wine slouch either.

Go to Costco and try the different Kirkland brands. Or look for specials and stay right around the $10/bottle price point. Once you develop a flavor for what you like and what you don't, branch out from there.

In my experience, the Kirkland wines are actually pretty good and a high value. Many of my wine snob friends agree.

At the end of the day, drink what tastes good to you. Forget what you read on the internet. Your taste buds will become educated over time.

If you have a chance to do a winery tour, go do it and ask a bunch of questions. Learning about how wine is made helped me tremendously in fully appreciating its nuances.

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

[fedupflyer]

Go to Wine Warehouse or other large beverage store in your area.
Look at their website and find what the employees like and are under $20.
Lots of good things out there for under $20.

Try a Zinfandel (not a white zinfandel) and a Carmenere.

[THCDDM4]

I could go so far down the rabbit hole with you on this one, however- I’m gonna list a few you should grab to try, come back and give feedback on them and then I can provide more intentional recommendations based on your feedback.

These wines range from $9/bottle up to around $75.

Pinot Noir:
-A to Z
-Meiomi
-Erath

Red blends:
-Cashmere Black
-Primal Roots
-Dark Horse Double Down
-Trouble Maker
-The prisoner
-Project Paso Lonely Oak Red


Cabernet Sauvignon:
-Toasted Head
-Project Paso
-

Malbec:
-Infinite Monkey Theorem
-Tekal Amorio

Zinfandel:
-Beran
-Titus
-Opolo

Claret:
Tyrus and Evan

Drinking white wine instead of red is kind of like sucking on titties through a sweater, sure- it’s not bad, but just rip that sweater off and start motor boating already….