I have a question, I'm not a regular wine drinker, but what would be a good general type of wine to have on hand for say casual get-togethers?

 

A white zinfandel or c******nay.

 

I'd agree with Dan, those two choices are hard to beat. They don't have to be the really expensive stuff either. Gallo makes a really nice White Zin (around $10) and Kendall Jackson is a very good c******nay ($15 or so). From there try others till you see where your tastes range.

Ron

 

I also agree with keeping White Zin around. I prefer "Beringers", very nice flavor. I also keep a bottle of a red wine around - Cella Lambrusco.

 

I would lean toward the C******nay since I find most of the "pink" wines a little sweet to my taste.

For about $6 per bottle, you can buy Fetzer Sundial C******nay, pretty cheap and fairly complex, (as the wine snobs say).

Cocktail reds are tougher although I've never met a bad Pinot Noir, most of the better stuff is over $9 and a good bottle will set you back $16 or more, a little rich for swilling, (on my budget at least).


Best thing to do is find a place like Trader Joe, (CA, AZ, NV only I'm afraid), or Cost Plus and buy four or five reasonably priced jugs, invite the neighbors over and try em out. Can't hurt, they say it's good for your heart.


Don

 

I once tried some wine, it was ok.....but it was also homemade. Then I tried champagne and I spit that right back out. I think I will just stick with beer!


Gig'em

 

Yo Jen,

For the first 35 years of my life I thought champagne was the same as headache. I only experienced the stuff at weddings, drank too much and woke up hurt.

Try out some Chateau St. Jean (about $6), or Freixeinet Cordon Negro ($6). Lemme know.

 

I second the pinot noir suggestion. It pretty much goes with everything (except for maybe a big grilled NY strip with a gorgonzola-walnut butter... mmmmmmm). For red wines I would go for anything from Chile or elsewhere in South America. They are usually good and very reasonably priced.

I don't drink much white wine, but when I do it tends to be the more expensive stuff. Can't stand a cheap white. I second that blushes and white zins are way too sweet and generally don't have enough character for me.

I won't even touch cheap champagne. For me, if you aren't paying more than $30 a bottle, forget it. Of course, I don't do that but maybe once or twice a year.

Mark

 

For red wines the cabernet savignon is a very good choice. Great body
good flavor, stands up to steak or cocktail time.

For whites try c******nay or sauvignon blanc. C******nay has more of an oak and fruit aroma, and the sauvignon blanc is a little less dry. Both are a good choice for cocktails or fish and chicken.

I usually buy by the case in .750 or 1.5 litres and find that Robert Modavi vinyards of California provide an excellent wine for the value.

Glenn Ellen of California also provides a very good "Proprietors Reserve" in white wine. You may want to try their c******nay as well.

Some other good affordable vinters that have not been mentioned are BV, Beaulieau, Estancia, and Stags Leap, and Sterling Vinyards, to name a few.

For the expensive French wines look for the St Emillion Gran Cru vintages. There are many from this region. They are Bordeaux. You better know what you doing though. These can get pricey. Read the books on the better vintages and buy newer ones to store (properly) for a few years and even several years. You won't regret it. You may even be able to sell one bottle after several years to pay for the entire case! You must also show restraint in not drinking all of the wine for those storage years. Treat yourself to one or two bottles, but resist the temptation because if it is good after a few years, it will be excellent after five or ten.

Italian Chianti is an excellent red as well. There are several good brands. Make sure you buy the Chianti that is no more than three years old. Otherwise look for a "reserva". It will be properly aged. Usually you can look for a black rooster on the neck label, as it will assure you of a good vintage.

The Germans produce a white Mosel and Liebfraumilch. Both are somewhat less dry than the white listed above. Some people prefer them because of that. Look for Black Tower. With any German wine the Kabinett grape is the most ripe.

Lancers produces a excellent wine with a little fizz to it. Some people enjoy this little fizz, or added carbonated water. It can be refreshing.

One more thing, look up a recipe for Sangria, it is an excellent wine based party mix for a hot day. It is Spain's national drink. It contains plenty of fruit and dilutted wine. Great for partying. If you can't find one, let me know. I have one.

I have'nt mentioned too much about the French because their affordable wines are essentially the same as our California wines. They had a vine blight many years ago and came to California to get vine cuttings to replant some of their vineyards. You can do what I suggest above but be careful of what you are doing. If you want to try an affordable French red wine, try Chateaunuef Du Pape. You may want to try the Beaujolias as well. They are both around $25.00 to $15.00 respectively.

With any wine, first buy a small .750 ml bottle to make sure it is to your liking. Then if you have the resources to store and buy, purchases by the case to get the discount. Store wine so the cork is fully touched by the wine in the bottle and keep away from sunlight and sources of heat. Best stored in a cellar @ about 45- 50 degrees. Farenht. No cellar, then you must use a specially made wine cabinet for proper long term storage.

One more thing, white wine does not get better with age. What you have in the bottle will never get any better, unlike vintage reds. Also most wines contain sulfites usually noted on the label. Some people are extremly allergic to sulfites so let your guests know and if there is an allergic one amoung them, purchase some wine without the sulfites.

Drink the fruit of life, but drink responsibly.
Brien