Got some, this stuff is awful (Re: my wine choosing thread from yesterday)

[pX]

OK, I posted yesterday how today is my 21st b-day. I have never drank, so I decided to go buy something to drink, I wanted to get some wine and I did.

I got some stuff called "wyndham estate: BIN 444",, and australian red wine, it was like 12 bucks for a bottle. I went with australian because someone told me they tasted better yesterday when I asked. I have never had wine before, I expected it to be,, well at least tastey,, I mean people are always wanting to taste wines. Finally got the cork out,, some of it down in the wine, but oh well, and went to taste, damn this stuff is disgusting! Tastes like grapes, yeah, but really f'in bitter ones! but that is how they make it I suppose, I have drank like 4oz now by chasing it down with gatorade. man, I am a lightweight arent I,,, I mean damn, hard liquor is supposed to be a lot worse right?

Anyways, I know nothing of alcohol as you can tell,, and I will probably never drink again after tonight. However, I am going to drink a glass or so of this. How much does it take to "sedate the frontal lobe" as they say?
Also, if I decide to drink anything again (actually I was planning on it in two weeks w. my girlfriend on her b-day) anyone have any reccommendations on ANYTHING that tastes actually good?

thanks guys

 

[jpsj82]

australian wine? the only thing I have heard that was there is fosters.
i didn't even know they made wine there.

 

[Rallispec]

okay.. you want something good--- start off light--- get the girl drinks..

mikes hard lemonade,
shmirnoff ice,
Boones Strawberry Daquari
etc...
dont start with Wine or Beer... they both taste nasty

or just get a bottle of vodka, some orange juice, and mix your own drinks

once you get a little more used to drinking alcohol, start drinking beer becuase its cheaper.. Beer will amost never taste "good"... after 3 years of drinking it- i can tolerate it-- i'll have a beer with dinner occasionly.. but as far as taste goes, it will never out do a mountain dew or sprite.

But with any alcohol, after a few drinks... (for me, its about 3-4, and i'm a small guy) everything ends up tasting the same and becomes pretty much like drinking water.

 

[glenn1]

what you got was a bottle of Shiraz. Not too bad, but a bit complex for a wine n00b. Plus, you should have given it a few minutes after you poured it to settle down... most reds need a few minutes to "think" before their flavor firms up, and the edge goes off. I still say you should start with something light, like my previous recommendation of beaujolais noveux...

 

[pX]

yeah i got to the store, and i couldnt find the ones you all mentioned, i just wanted to get something and get out. i saw "australian reds" and looked over the bottles and this one looked good.

i didnt know anything about letting it settle, it took me like 20 minutes to get the cork out, in numerous pieces,,, so as soon as i got it open i put her to my lips and took a sip,,, it sucked.

 

[jtallon]

Best way to get 'used' to drinking a wine is with a meal - straight up I don't care for many wines, but nothing is better than a good merlot with a steak off the grill... Best thing about a merlot is that a really good bottle is only about $20. I HATE beer, but I'll take a good glass of wine with a meal any day.

 

[pX]

man this junk tastes like pure f'in ethanol,, well, i guess i don't even know what that tastes like. i think ill go offer this to the "old wierd guy two apartments down", he has about as many friends as I do,, zero.

 

[Russ]

pX,

If you check that thread you will note that I told you that, as a new drinker, you would not like red wine. You were warned. You should listen to your elders.

Russ, NCNE

 

[Rallispec]

<< pX,

If you check that thread you will note that I told you that, as a new drinker, you would not like red wine. You were warned. You should listen to your elders.

Russ, NCNE >>




russ, do you have a white wine to recomend?.. i'm not a fan of any wine, but i've always thought the white wine's were more dry and didnt taste as good..

 

[Russ]

rallispec,

It's actually been quite a long time since I was in to wine, so I've forgotten most of what I knew. But, the dry whites are the Chardonnay's, so the quick answer would be don't buy one of those. Are you interested in a dessert type wine? The best I ever had was a California winery (can't remember the name) that did a Botritus Sauvignon Blanc that was absolutely delicious. "Botritus" actually means "rotten grapes".

Russ, NCNE

 

[pX]

Russ
truth be known, i am a health/fitness freak. i have my personal training license etc... i read some studies about how red wine lowers risk of heart disease so i wanted to start drinking it daily. so i decided to get a bottle when I was 21 to start it out, and see if i liked it at all...

ok,, here is a really dumb and cliche question "when will I feel something?",, I have drank like 8oz now,, I am not a big guy 5'5". 150lbs, fairly low bodyfat,,, I wanted to at least get a feeling out of it before I called it quits... as retarded as that must sound.

 

[mithrandir2001]

A shiraz is not the best choice for a wine virgin. If you want red wine, think light and fruity like a Beaujolais. If you want white wine, a crisp Sauvignon Blanc should be fine.

 

[glenn1]

<< do you have a white wine to recomend? >>



Pinot griggio and Gew&uuml;rztraminer are both excellent. The former is better for sitting out on a veranda on a nice summer day and quaffing, while the G. is better for a meal or on chilly winter day, IMHO.

 

[Rakkis]

I'm the same as you. In short, I think alcohols tastes like ass. Excuse the french.

There is ONE alcoholic beverage I like. A light (4% alcohol by volume) dessert wine called Electra. I found it at Beverages and More (www.bevmo.com).

More Info

 

[notfred]

What were you expecting? Hell, I don't drink, but I know red wine isn't sweet.

 

[Jzero]

I agree with the sentiment: Shiraz is not for wine newbies....let alone booze newbies. You should start out with either a white like pinot grigio or riesling. They are far less dry. Much sweeter. White zinfandel might be a good shot too.
It's also kind of bad to drink wine straight. You should drink it with food...or at least with some cheese or something...
mmm....wine and cheese.....**eyes up bottle of shiraz on the rack in the corner....

Anyway you should start with sweeter stuff...
Mike's Hard Lemonade
Chester's Hard Root Beer....
Smirnoff Ice

uhhh.....
maybe Boone's Farm

That kind of stuff. It takes some getting accustomed to the "bite" of alcohol.
As for rallispec's "assessment" of beer, don't let that stop you. Some of us happen to like beer, and there is a brilliant complexity and flavor to beer. Rallispec sounds like someone who has tried the few basic staples of American or Canadian beer and written off the concept entirely. For instance, while you might not like stout beers like guinness, you might like those Belgian style white beers--Tucher Weizen, Hoegaarden, Blue Moon, etc....
Even if you don't like stouts, you still might catch a fancy for Young's Double Chocolate which, believe it or not, actually has a chocolate overtone to it....

Let's just say that with a few thousand varieties out there (not including home brew) there's a beer out there for everyone.

 

[SammyBoy]

jesus, just get a 6 pack of corona and tough it out you weiner

i know of a lot of kids who never drank before...but none that waited til exactly there 21st B-day to try.

red wines (in my 16 year old opinion) are good to take a sip of. getting drunk of wine is kinda hard (for me at least), because even a full mouth full seems like a lot. Just sip the damn stuff, get a bottle of vodka, shoot a few down and skip the foreplay

 

[Spendthrift]

well i was in the same position as you. i started drinking wine when i turned 21 for a variety of reasons. at first i had to choke it down a little, but now i really like the stuff.

for whites
-if you like it sweet go with a johannesburg reisling, or a little less sweet is a reisling.
the johannesburg is a late havest of the grapes because of this has a high sugar content
-sauvignon blanc can also ease you in, not as sweet as the reislings but not as dry as a chardonnay
-Pinot griggio and Gew&uuml;rztraminer and Pinot Noir are all decent whites. follow glenn1s advice...the G tends to have a spicy little kick, quite good

for reds
-merlots and bordeauxs are my faves. great flavor, and i like them on the dry side. of the reds, these go best with meals in my opinion
-cabernet sauvignon tend to have more of a displeasing edge in my opinion, but to each their own
-shiraz and syrrah generally good middle of the road reds and shiraz cabernet blends are ok
-i like australian reds in general. esp jacobs creek and lindemans, but wyndham is ok as well

i generally like wine before a meal and not really with it. just my opinion.

if you drink half the bottle or so you should begin to feel it. wine buzzes feel great. the next bottle you buy will taste a little better cause you know what to expect.

good luck

 

[Spendthrift]

sammy boy - waiting til your 21 isnt that uncommon. most of my friends and i did. i had tried sips of things from my parents, though. and i did have drinks a couple of times in canada because i was of legal age there.

so anyway props to you pX!

anyway, youre gonna find that drinking gets old and that there are better ways to spend your time and money.

(wine and port being exceptions )

 

[mithrandir2001]

<< -cabernet sauvignon tend to have more of a displeasing edge in my opinion, but to each their own >>


That's the tannins at work. I love Cabarnet Sauvignon because it is so full-bodied, complex, fruity, oaky...everything. That said, young Cabs are rather difficult to drink because they have too many active tannins in them. They need to mellow out with age. Most Cabs can afford to sit for 3-4 years and the better ones can sit 10 years or more before drinking. I have a 1994 Beringer CS Private Reserve that I haven't thought about opening yet.

 

[kgraeme]

<< hard liquor is supposed to be a lot worse right? >>


Hard liquor is a completely different experience than wine. Don't let wine spoil you from a good vodka tonic. Gin and tonic on the other hand tastes like a pine tree. Be forewarned. Every alcoholic drink has it's own unique character. Other than the fact that they all kill your liver there are few similarities really.

I can't drink beer for some reason, and my system is particular about its wines too, but the hard stuff is a treat. Just be cautious of anything blue.

 

[sciencetoy]

Ah, memories. I can't have alcohol any more because of my medications, but I used to enjoy it.

They say that people who like the taste of alcohol when they begin drinking are the ones who are in danger of becoming alcoholics. Most people don't really like the taste.

I never much liked wine until I spent a summer in Germany way back when, with my band. We either slept in our van or stayed with people we met. We stayed for a few days with a dude who owned a vineyard. One evening the conversation came around to, why do people pay thousands of dollars for a bottle of wine, and he said, let me show you. We got a sampling of all of these great wines, and it was awesome. One after the other, complex, different, heavenly.

No, I can't afford fine wine. But I appreciate it. What a night.

 

[Tauren]

If you are trying wine for the first time, go with a sweeter wine. Also, if you are only 21 and you haven't had wine before, your palate is not mature enough for complex reds. Go with a White Zinfandel or a Liebfraumilch.

Otherwise just stick with wimpy mixed drinks.

 

[Tangerine]

I like Shirazz, but it goes better with food than alone as a drink. Merlot is really tasty and you should try that next time. Cheers

 

[IndyJaws]

Although pX's response to red wine is somewhat to be expected from a wine "virgin" ( ), there is the possibility that the bottle he got was "corked." In layman's terms, the wine had gone bad. Of course, there's only one way to find out...get another bottle!

P.S. My wife is not a big fan of powerful red wines, but she loves Rosemont Shiraz. It is fairly smooth and easy to drink. Not nearly as easy as a Beaujolais Noveux, though.