Foo - Any wine drinkers up in here??

For some reason, I have recently become very fond of wine. I have been on a real health oriented diet for the last few weeks and I have read that red wine can help lesson the chance of heart disease. So I got a couple of bottles just to see if I could drink the stuff. I have tried a few bottle now and I really enjoy a glass every once in a while or two. I am still learning about wines and don't understand yet what all the varieties of grapes are supposed to taste like.

So what are some of your favorites? Gimme something to try next time I go browsing. There are just too damn many bottles to choose from. :eek: :o

We've been buying something called 'mouton noire' at sam's club. its pretty cheap but very drinkable.

- Domaine Magellan "ALTA", 2000 - quite reasonable at $10 a bottle, although we got a 2-for-1 deal locally... a very nice French red table wine; full, smooth, drinkable, 13.5% and also good for a splash in a spinach frittata...

- Trinitas 2003, Old Vine Cuvee - a Contra Costa red table wine that explodes with flavor and has a good afterbite.... $18.99 a bottle...

- Toad Hollow Pinot Noir - we've been buying the 2002 vintage of this Sonoma County wine at $19.99 locally in the supermarket - very pleased...

- whatever you do, DON'T spend a whole lot of money on wine... you should be able to please your palate by doing tastings of under $20 bottles... what will happen is that you'll find something you really like, get a case or two, and then it will be gone forever - just a fond memory!

:-)

If you live near a Trader Joe's, they have a terrific selection of wines at good prices and a money-back satisfaction guarantee. The employees are usually knowledgable about their products too. I'm partial to pinot noirs and cabernets. They tend to be a little lighter bodied than the zinfandels and syrah/shiraz's.

Penfold and Black Opal -- two seperate wineries -- are a good value. Most of the time $8-9. The shiraz, shiraz-cabernet and cabernets are my favorite of theirs. Not a big fan of the Merlot.

If you get a headache, drink a little less next time :)

I drink the local stuff. Linganore is a good winery near Frederick, Maryland. I dont have to go to far to get it as most of the well stocked liquor stores around Annapolis carry it.

I actually picked up a Sonoma County Pinot Noir from Sam's Club last night. Havn't had a chance to try it yet. Can't remember what the bottler was but hopefully it will be drinkable. It was about 17 bucks I think. I don't plan on buying too many bottles that are much more than about $15 or so. Keep the suggestions coming! I'll print this thread out and go shopping later. :D

The stuff that got me into wine drinking in the first place is Mouton Cadet. Try it. The red is very good.

Trader Joes two buck chuck started me. I still occasionally drink it, the Shiraz is very good. No need to be a snob. If it tastes good with no weird aftertaste or headaches, its probably a pretty good wine. I've had cheap wines that are more palatable than $30 and 60 dollar bottles. Go figure.

With a world wide grape glut still in full swing, there is no reason to spend more than $10 on Cabernets, Zinfandel or Shiraz (syrah). Good Pinots are a little pricier, but I found Turning Leaf PRIVATE reserve - around $10-$12 (on sale for as low as $8) - to be a very good pinot. Mouton Cadet is a nice red

My poison of choice lately has been Ravenswood Cabernet or Or Barefoot Zinfandel

I did a wine tasting in Chenango County New York this weekend and had several 'non traditional wines' Dandelion wine (my fave), raspberry, blueberry, blackberry, apple wine and apple cider. i don't much generally care for grape wines, and this was the first time i had most of these. I guess some were technically 'Mead' but they were darn tasty. Just something to think about if you get a chance to try some wines made out of something other than grapes.



***EDIT*** We went here: http://www.blackbearwinery.com/

Pinot Grigio drinkers represent. Im not picky.

The key to a good wine is the story behind it, and the ride to get it. North Carolina is producing some great wines and many are with riding distance which makes for a nice days outing. Check out some Yadkin Valley Wineries: Yadkin Valley Wine (http://www.allamericanwineries.com/nc/yvwt/)