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- Moff - 02-20-2003
Hello
I'm new to drinking wine. Does anyone have a link to a good site that explains what most wines are generally supposed to taste like. Or why they are different, for example what make a merlot different from a zinfidel.
The wines I like are mostly whites like Reslings and Piesporters.
I would like more information on how I may be able to find wines that are close to theses tatse and then expand from there.
I dont really like red wines for just drinking but I would like to maybe be able to pick one out for dinner or to take as a gift to a friends house.
Thanks for you help in advance.
- ShortWiner - 02-20-2003
Hello Moff! As someone who was new to wine fairly recently, I'd recommend starting with a good book. I started with Oz Clarke's "Introducing Wine," which worked fine for a while. Many of the pros on this board (which is excellent, by the way--stick around and you'll learn a lot) recommend "Wine for Dummies" which I'm sure you'll be able to find.
Welcome!
- Innkeeper - 02-20-2003
Most Piesporters are made from riesling, so you really like riesling. Great place to start. It takes some folks decades to finally come around to riesling.
Some other whites you may enjoy are chenin blanc as in the Vouvray from Loire, and gewurztraminer. All three, including the riesling come in all different styles and degrees of sweetness to allow you to experiment broadly.
For reds you might start with Beaujolais such as a Beaujolais Villages. Other Beaujolais known as "Crus" include Fleurie and Julienas on the lighter side.
Also recommend the books from ShortWiner.
- ShortWiner - 02-20-2003
Why do you think that is, IK? I mean that many people take so long to come around on Riesling? General ignorance of the quality of German wines? Difficulty deciphering German labels? It seems odd, since Riesling is mostly affordable, easy to appreciate, and extremely food-friendly.
- Innkeeper - 02-20-2003
The white wine that most people were weaned on is chardonnay, so they associate the taste of white wine with oak. Since riesling rarely contains any oak, people don't like it until their tastes are very well developed.
- blueheron - 02-20-2003
Hi Moff,
I'm new to wine drinking also. The two books that I'm using are: Sotherby's Wine Encyclopedia (wonderful) and The Wall Street Journal Guide To Wine, this book is easy to read and explains the different types of wine well. I am very fond of Riesling too.
If you get a chance try Hogue Late Harvest (2002)and Markus Molitor (1999) Spatlese Rissling I'm sure you will love them.
- mrdutton - 02-20-2003
For a web site - which was the original question asked at the beginning of this thread - try:
www.stratsplace.com
- Moff - 02-20-2003
Thanks for all your help.
I will post back after I make my next trip
to Cork and Ale.
I'm glad I have an already refined taste in wine [img]http://www.wines.com/ubb2/wink.gif[/img] (I keep telling everybody that I'm high class)
I like the wines like Resling because it is crisp, clean and slightly fruity with very little after taste. Also I'm not much into room temprature drinks and the reslings and piesporters are great chilled.
The reds I have had have always been serverd warm and I dont find it enjoyable.
Again Thanks for the help!
There is a $80 bottle of wine at my locale store. If is called a winter wine from traverse city MI and the salesman was telling me that they leave the grapes on the wine till after the first frost.
Anyone ever have a wine like this?
$80 was a little steep for my blood and
it wasnt even a full size bottle.
- Thomas - 02-20-2003
Moff, I suspect the $80 wine you talk about is an Ice Wine. The reason for the high price is twofold. First, to produce the wine you must first leave the grapes on the vine well after maturity, which means they dry out and lose juice volume; after that, you wait for the proper conditions for ice to encase the grapes, setting them in an intensely rich state of dry concentration of all their elements, i.e., acids, sugars...Secondly. they are handpicked, and many grapes do not make the cut. This is a labor-intensive process that doesn't happen every vintage.
Since juice to grape ratio is low on these kinds of wines, and since they are labor intensive, they are expensive. They are also quite sweet.
[This message has been edited by foodie (edited 02-20-2003).]
- winedope1 - 02-20-2003
and very yummy!
- ShortWiner - 02-21-2003
If you want to try one they can be found for less that $80, however. . .
[This message has been edited by ShortWiner (edited 02-21-2003).]