I'd like to have some wine on hand for the ladies...

[Jeff7181]

So a couple times now I've had a female friend over that ended up drinking water because she didn't like my selection of drinks.

I'm not a big wine drinker, but I will drink it... usually just red. I was thinking, though - as I plan on entertaining women more often now I'd like to have a couple bottles of red and white wine around.

What kind of things should I look for when selecting a wine? I don't want to get anything that's an acquired taste... I'd like some reds that are palatable to anyone that likes red wine... same for white.

Oh, and $20/bottle is my absolute max... $10 would be better.

 

[guyver01]

$10 would be better.

for $10... the best you're gonna get is

 

[Jeff7181]

Maybe for a wine aficionado... I'm just looking for an alcoholic drink for my lady friends that don't enjoy beer to drink rather than crap like wine coolers and Mike's.

 

[Rubycon]

LOL $10 bottle of wine is like watered down camp stove fuel!

 

[broon]

Your best bet is to go to a decent liquor store and ask them for help. You can get decent wines for ~$10 easy. Cab Sav or Merlot are popular reds. Chardonnay for a white, or Riesling for those who like a sweeter white.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Fact of the matter is people, even the self proclaimed experts, can't tell "good" wine from "bad" in blind taste tests. People at large seem to enjoy the taste of cheap wines more than the expensive stuff.

So don't waste big bucks on wine thinking that shit is awesome or anything. Just get a decent decanter and some wine that comes in a nice bottle that's within your price range. Try it out after letting it breathe for about half an hour and if it doesn't make you gag you're onto something.

*Waits patiently for a self proclaimed wine aficionado to barge in and start screaming about how full of shit I am*

 

[alfa147x]

LOL $10 bottle of wine is like watered down camp stove fuel!

Wemon loves that!

 

[zinfamous]

OP, where do you live?

My favorite value wine is probably from Ravenswood. Vintner's Blend series are absolutely awesome, and I can always find them at Safeway (CA) for about $6.99 a bottle. sometimes on sale for $5.99. The 06, 07 Shiraz is my favorite.

and it can easily outclass plenty of $20 bottles.

And don't believe what people tell you, there is tons upon tons of value and greatness in the wine world for ~$10 a bottle.

http://volunteer.blogs.com/winewaves/2006/01/ravenswood_vint.html

originally posted an Aussie blend, but here's a link to their CA petite Syrah (had no idea that Ravenswood had Aussie ownership? They are in Sonoma)

http://gabesview.com/2008/11/24/ravenswood-2006-vintners-blend-petite-sirah/

I'm guessing Shiraz = Aussie; Sirah/Syrah = CA. (same damn grape, just a regional difference in naming. Shiraz is the original, "true" name, btw. the varietal originates in Shiraz, Iran)

 

[QueBert]

the fuck is ATOT's problem? you can get a very decent bottle of Robert Mondavi for $8-10. I don't ever drink wine, but I know people who do. And there are plenty of bottles in the $10 range that will be fine for any person who isn't one of those stupid fucking wine snobs.

 

[Terabyte]

[Yellow Tail]

Took a wine making class (boring), but the professor recommended Yellow Tail for cheap wine

 

[broon]

the fuck is ATOT's problem? you can get a very decent bottle of Robert Mondavi for $8-10. I don't ever drink wine, but I know people who do. And there are plenty of bottles in the $10 range that will be fine for any person who isn't one of those stupid fucking wine snobs.

My favorite wine is a $10 bottle of Robert Mondavi Pinot Noir. I like all of Mondavi's wines.

 

[zinfamous]

Fact of the matter is people, even the self proclaimed experts, can't tell "good" wine from "bad" in blind taste tests. People at large seem to enjoy the taste of cheap wines more than the expensive stuff.

So don't waste big bucks on wine thinking that shit is awesome or anything. Just get a decent decanter and some wine that comes in a nice bottle that's within your price range. Try it out after letting it breathe for about half an hour and if it doesn't make you gag you're onto something.

*Waits patiently for a self proclaimed wine aficionado to barge in and start screaming about how full of shit I am*

You're only half full of shit, honestly. There are absolutely certain bottles in the $50, $100, $200+ range that are obviously superior to cheaper versions, and some that probably aren't.

Plenty of blind tests have actually shown both to be true--it really depends on the cheapo bottle that is selected, compared to the expensive bottle.

What I find even more telling, though, in relating to people's expectations regarding their value judgment, is that one study provided a panel of somelliers with white wine, dyed with red food coloring, and without any other type of prompting, asked them to describe the taste as they would in any normal tasting. (Visually, the wine appeared red to them, and that is the only prompt)

The descriptions that they wrote down hovered around the "earthy, deep, rich" type of descriptions that are typically attributed to drinking Red Wine.

more of a study showing how closely related our senses are--how our expectations initiated by one queue (Sight), can drastically influence our perceptions when interpreted through an unrelated sense--taste (taste and smell often being the 2 senses most closely associated with each other; sight and touch are linked together).
...but there is also something here that speaks to our general ability to judge value objectively when our expectations are queued in some way (price per bottle queuing our of value)

 

[Jeff7181]

I live in south-east Michigan.

 

[zinfamous]

the fuck is ATOT's problem? you can get a very decent bottle of Robert Mondavi for $8-10. I don't ever drink wine, but I know people who do. And there are plenty of bottles in the $10 range that will be fine for any person who isn't one of those stupid fucking wine snobs.

I don't know a single "wine snob" (and living in NorCal, having friends that live in Napa, having lived in Italy, knowing those in the industry and knowing plenty with wine cellars--I do know plenty ) that doesn't appreciate and absolutely love an excellent cheap bottle of wine.

This assumption that someone who loves wine is some stuck-up bastard that can't appreciate value is such an American notion. It's completely ridiculous. We have a thriving industry here in the US--world-class, actually--and there is tons of appreciation for good value.

the "good 'ol boys" should learn to start appreciating their own home-grown product for the absolute quality that it is, and stop hanging anti-frenchie notions (none of which are even valid--No Frenchman would ever assume that a $10 bottle is le merde!) on people that actually know and appreciate the things that they spend so much time with.

 

[zinfamous]

[Yellow Tail]

Took a wine making class (boring), but the professor recommended Yellow Tail for cheap wine

well...I would have to recommend against yellow tail. There is better (and cheaper!) wine out there!

 

[Jeff7181]

Thanks, zin. That bottle looks very familiar... if I'm not mistaken a woman I used to date always had some of that around.

 

[Tsaico]

the fuck is ATOT's problem? you can get a very decent bottle of Robert Mondavi for $8-10. I don't ever drink wine, but I know people who do. And there are plenty of bottles in the $10 range that will be fine for any person who isn't one of those stupid fucking wine snobs.

Alittle stronger than I would have put it, but there are a few that I like.

Papio Merlot is very mild merlot. Many girls who don't normally like wine have liked this one,particularly if you have something with a strong flavor with it, like meats or cheeses like cheddar. Santa Margerite Pinot Grigio is a good one to keep chilled and nice by itself. You can also get a whole series of sweeter wines like Reisling, Gewrztraminer, Moscato are good. I tend to pair those up with some asian foods, since the spice makes them tend to drink more. Sneaky trick i know, don't tell the womenfolk...

If you are a casual one, then dessert wines can be good too, but they are often more expensive, since they often come in the half bottle size, so you pay a somewhat higher price for half the amount. You can also try to get a port, which is a red wine that has a higher alchohol level than your table wines, for me, I like Ficklin Tinta Port.

Oh all these can be easily had for $20 or less, except the Santa Margerite Pinot Grigio, it usually is mid $20's, though it is occasionally on sale for 19.99 at Ralphs (or Krogers).

Good luck and of course... PICS!!!

 

[Howard]

OP, where do you live?

My favorite value wine is probably from Ravenswood. Vintner's Blend series are absolutely awesome, and I can always find them at Safeway (CA) for about $6.99 a bottle. sometimes on sale for $5.99. The 06, 07 Shiraz is my favorite.

and it can easily outclass plenty of $20 bottles.

And don't believe what people tell you, there is tons upon tons of value and greatness in the wine world for ~$10 a bottle.

http://volunteer.blogs.com/winewaves/2006/01/ravenswood_vint.html

WTF? The logo is like an ouroboros but with 3 kangaroos eating each other's asses...

EDIT: You asshole, you changed the picture on me.

 

[Mike Gayner]

WTF? The logo is like an ouroboros but with 3 kangaroos eating each other's asses...

I'm not sure you know what a kangaroo is.

 

[zinfamous]

WTF? The logo is like an ouroboros but with 3 kangaroos eating each other's asses...

EDIT: You asshole, you changed the picture on me.

lol, yeah! I noticed that they have an Aussie blend, that has kangaroos, I wanted to find the CA version, b/c I don't think I've ever had the Aussie. I'm only familiar with the birds.

that pic is retarded huge, though!

 

[zinfamous]

I'm not sure you know what a kangaroo is.

this was the original pic. Stop being so unnecessarily confrontational

 

[zinfamous]

Thanks, zin. That bottle looks very familiar... if I'm not mistaken a woman I used to date always had some of that around.

women LOVE shiraz blends.

petite shiraz probably even better for some of them. But ask around, there's a lot of good stuff in that range. Not sure what kind of selection you have in S. Michigan, though

when I came back to the US from extended stay in Italy/Switzerland, I fully expected to be spending more time and money with wine than with beer. But being in NC and then Chicago, the availability and cost of wine was simply too prohibitive.

Things are totally different out here in Cali, though.

 

[AreaCode707]

Good keep-on-hand wines, all available at your local grocery store for $5-15.

- Sweet whites, great introduction for someone who isn't sure they like wine
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Fetzer Gewurztraminer

- Drier whites, good for someone who knows they like whites
Clos Du Bois Chardonnay
Kendall-Jackson Sauvignon Blanc
Columbia Winery Pinot Grigio

- Good solid reds for sipping or dinner:
Blackstone Cabernet
Covey Run Syrah
Dry Creek Zinfandel
Hogue Cellars Merlot

- Slightly off the beaten track reds (still cheap, vaguely flashy for someone unfamiliar with wine):
Bogle Petit Sirah
Goats Do Roam Red Blend

[edit]
I deliberately stayed with major brands to ensure they'd be easy to find and low-cost wines to make sure we're not breaking your budget. If anyone wants to get into a connoisseur pissing contest I'll go dig out my cellar list and we can go at it in PM.

 

[TheVrolok]

Good keep-on-hand wines, all available at your local grocery store for $5-15.

- Sweet whites, great introduction for someone who isn't sure they like wine
Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling
Fetzer Gewurztraminer

- Drier whites, good for someone who knows they like whites
Clos Du Bois Chardonnay
Kendall-Jackson Sauvignon Blanc
Columbia Winery Pinot Grigio

- Good solid reds for sipping or dinner:
Blackstone Cabernet
Covey Run Syrah
Dry Creek Zinfandel
Hogue Cellars Merlot

- Slightly off the beaten track reds (still cheap, vaguely flashy for someone unfamiliar with wine):
Bogle Petit Sirah
Goats Do Roam Red Blend

[edit]
I deliberately stayed with major brands to ensure they'd be easy to find and low-cost wines to make sure we're not breaking your budget. If anyone wants to get into a connoisseur pissing contest I'll go dig out my cellar list and we can go at it in PM.

Good suggestions.

 

[Sea Moose]