Wine Newbie

[greenapples]

Which wine is the best for starters? Also .. um .. how do I exactly go about drinking it?

[CK4U]

u just need to start trying different kinds to be able to compare and be able to tell a good wine from a not so good one...and know what makes it a good wine.

for most people it is an acquired taste....so you should be able to really taste the wine and not just swallow it down...

expensive wine doesnt mean good quality.

[monty613]

anything but merlot

[TigerEROS]

Wolf Blass ... Yellow Tail

[trini]

Wine is the biggest scam!

Types of wine...........Gewürztraminer is the most versatile wines, as for countries Chile is the best bang for the buck and it will always boil down to what taste you like.

[commie]

anything but merlot

I think you watched too much Sideways...lol

Merlot is one of the most easy drinking wine out there...and some of the most expensive....

They don't call Mellow Merlot for nothing...lol

[mlc2000]

Wine is the biggest scam!

Types of wine...........Gewürztraminer is the most versatile wines, as for countries Chile is the best bang for the buck and it will always boil down to what taste you like.

What a ridiculous comment.

[CoffeeAddict]

until you can start tasting significant differences in wine I would start out with cheap bottles that are still very good but won't break the bank. A $100 bottle, and even a $40 bottle are probably wasted on you until you really really really like wine and teach your tastebuds and your memory to recall specific odors and tastes.

A quicklist off the top of my head of value wines... none over $15. Some as low as $9
- Any red Errasuriz (chile)
- any red or white concha y toro (chile)
- any red obikwa (south africa)
- any pierre sparr alsace white in the LCBO general catalog (Assuming you're in Ontario)

I lean towards red heavily as you can see

You can also take wine tasting classes at tons of different locations in and around where you live most likely.

There's some good guides on the net too.

For a starter set of wine glasses you can go get the LARGE red wine and white wine glasses from ikea for $2.50 each. They're a good shape for a variety of wines out there. Eventually you'll wanna get proper stemware but the ikea stuff will do for now. Better than an improperly shaped wine glass by far!

[CanadianMoFo]

Cat Pee On A Gooseberry Bush - Nice white wine. Drank at least a couple dozen of them this summer.

Fat Bastard - Red. You can open it for dinner and always be complimented on a good choice of wine.

CM

[NorthYorker]

I'd say it's better to start with something non-offensive, may be even those fruit-infused and sweetened "wine drinks". Dry wines take some tie to get used to. Among white wines, gewurtz seems a good suggestion - non-sharp, sweetish and light.Would you path cross with some Mosel Riesling, check it out too. Reds - I'd probably start with Zinfandel (pink), then go to Cabernet.

[trini]

mlc2000
I certainly don't see you adding or helping to the posters issue.

I am a chef and wine is a part of my business and as unfortunate as it is it is a big game.

[mdc]

You keep mentioning that you're a chef, but I have yet to read a post that makes any culinary sense. From reading your posts in this forum, if I had to guess, I would say that you were maybe a line cook or best case scenario a sous-chef ... but there is no way you are leading a kitchen of any value ... I'd bet big money on that

In a fine dining situation, a poor wine selection can undermine all of the work the chef put into the food. Saying that wine is a "scam" is absolutely crazy

Yes, there are some wines that are overpriced and not worth what you pay for ... I'll admit that. There are some gems out there that can really enhance a meal ... Saying wine is a scam is like saying that Extra Virgin Olive Oil is a scam ... why pay for that when you could use vegetable oil instead ... afterall, it is a lot less expensive. It is absolutely absurd

Wine is not a scam ... wine should be an experience.

I guess it is one of those situations where "you don't know that you don't know"

[mdc]

As for the OP ... if you are seriously interested in learning about wines, check out your local LCBO and pick up their newsletter

About twice a month, they have seminars regarding the different aspects of wine and what to look for and what to avoid. I have sent a few of my clients to these and while they aren't overly sophisticated, they do give you a decent foundation on the wine experience

Wine is a beautiful part of life that can really enhance your dining (and non-dining) experiences. It will take a little while to understand wine, but the journey is always more fun that the destination!

[stealth]

As for the OP ... if you are seriously interested in learning about wines, check out your local LCBO and pick up their newsletter

About twice a month, they have seminars regarding the different aspects of wine and what to look for and what to avoid. I have sent a few of my clients to these and while they aren't overly sophisticated, they do give you a decent foundation on the wine experience

Wine is a beautiful part of life that can really enhance your dining (and non-dining) experiences. It will take a little while to understand wine, but the journey is always more fun that the destination!

+1
Even better, GTA is so close to wine country (GVR too fro that matter).
Take a trip to a winery and take a tour. Great way to learn there as well. I recommned Peller Estates tour in Niagara. I think its $10. for non members.