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+--- Thread: Please help! (/thread-18394.html)
- LaurenQ - 03-03-2004
Hi!
I am VERY new to the world of wine... I need help locating a red wine that is under $20, pretty sweet, NOT bitter, and can be enjoyed alone. I have tried some, but the are all very bitter. I would like a wine that doesnt have a strong after taste, just very fruity... Can you help??
thank you,
Lauren
- LaurenQ - 03-03-2004
OK, I did a little more research on past posts, and figured i should revise my post a little! (by the way, I am sorry that I am asking a tired question!!)
I do not want a dry/ spicey wine at all, and after reading some past replies, it seems that a port could be what I am looking for, does this sound right? If so, can you recommend some that are great, but aren't too pricey?? I appreciate your answers!! Also, I live in the kansas city area-
Thanks again,
Lauren
- marleyspud - 03-03-2004
Hi, a great and affordable port is Australia's Clock Tower($11). It is a tawny port and one of the best Ive had. MS
- Drew - 03-03-2004
Benjamin is everywhere for $10 or less also Wiskers Blake is excellent for about $15, btw, both are Australian tawney ports.
Drew
- Innkeeper - 03-03-2004
Hi Lauren, and welcome to the Wine Board. The "Ports" from Oz are fine. We particularly like the Wiskers Blake. A nice one from Portugal is Warre's Warrior, Special Reserve, Porto. It is widely available for under $15. If you want to jump up the $20-$30 price point there is a sea of great Port from Warre and others.
- Tastevin - 03-03-2004
Hi Lauren, thought I should mention that Port is strong stuff compared to 'Table' wine. About one and a half times stronger, and pretty heavy too. Quite potent if you're not used to it. May I ask, why do you want a red particularly? T.
- wondersofwine - 03-03-2004
Sweet red wines are not that common. Lambrusco, from Italy, is one. Mavrodaphne from Greece is another. Some California blush wines are on the sweet side. Sometimes we recommend a Beaujolais-Village or a Beaujolais Cru (such as Fleurie or Brouilly or Julienas, etc.) as fruity red wines that may seem to be sweet although they are actually dry wines with very little residual sugar. Beaujolais wines are made from the Gamay grape. Some of the Pinot Noir
wines are fruity and exhibit less tannin than other red varietals and therefore are less bitter. The basic Argyle Pinot Noir from Oregon (about $18) is one that suggests cherry fruit and lacks bitterness. If your local wine shop doesn't carry it, they might be able to order it for you to try. More likely to be in your grocery store or wine shop is Villa Mt. Eden Pinot Noir, quite inexpensive.
- LaurenQ - 03-03-2004
Thankyou for your responses! The reason I am in the market for a red wine is because I made the mistake of falling in love with one without getting the essentials I would need to go purchase it! I was at a friends house and she had two red wines, one slightly lighter and slightly less sweet than the darker of the 2, but both were great! I cant get a hold of her now to ask... but I figured this was a shot in the dark! All I know is that the tastes werent over bearing, and nothing like a Merlot, Cabernet, or shiraz that I have tasted. Does it sound like I am describing a Port?
Thank you,
Lauren
- aetre - 03-03-2004
I had a white merlot from beringer two nights ago (less than $10) and it was sweet. not dry at all, but had body. I would say alcoholic kool-aid. I do not know enough about wine to give an accurate response, but I'd figure throwing white merlot your way couldn't hurt.
btw, the white merlot I had wasn't white at all, it was bright red ruby.
- wineguruchgo - 03-03-2004
Lauren,
Did you drink the wine with dinner or was it served after dinner. Most people won't serve port with dinner.
Do you remember what the bottles looked like? Did they look like regular wine bottles or did they look different?
Port bottles look more like liquor bottles than wine bottles.
If the bottles looked more like a chardonnay bottle than a cabernet/merlot bottle then the wines were probably pinot noir.
If you don't know the difference between the bottles just check any online liquor store and you will find pictures.
Sorry I can't be of more help.
- LaurenQ - 03-03-2004
We drank the wine while watching movies. I do not remember what the bottle looked like, but I do not think it was out of the ordinary... It was simply sweet, not overbearing, not bitter, and the taste didnt scream ALCOHOL! : ( After 2 and a half glasses I was good. : )It tasted more like an alcoholic kid's fruity drink... I am not one to enjoy anything strong!
thanks again for all of your help in my search!!
lauren
- wondersofwine - 03-03-2004
You might also enjoy wine coolers (a bit of wine with fruit juice and sometimes carbonated drinks). Arbor Mist, Bartle & Jaymes, Sutter Home and maybe Fetzer are some names of producers. Or you may like Sangria which is also red wine with fruit juices based on a popular summer drink in Spain. Real (pronounced Ray all) and Yago are two major Sangria brands found in grocery stores. However, I hope you will give Beaujolais or one of the lighter Pinot Noirs a try at some point to see if you can enjoy wine by itself (not doctored with carbonated drink and citrus juices, etc.).
- Tastevin - 03-04-2004
Aetre, interested to know why, if your white Merlot was red, you called it white?
- PinotEnvy - 03-04-2004
It looks like IK answered the question as to what is white merlot in a the wrong thread.
Copying IK's reply here:
----
White merlot just like white zin and many other "white" wines made from red grapes is what American's call a blush wine. These normally are less red than a rose', but not always. Have seen white merlots and other blushes that were actually light red in color.
----
Back the the PE: I have tried 1 White Merlot so far and enjoyed it. It was Forest Glenn, and I paid (I think) around $6-7 for it. Like White Zin, it was definately sweeter than a red merlot.
- aetre - 03-04-2004
Tastevin - It was what PinotEnvy said about what IK said =) It says white merlot, and I asked for it at the counter of Premier wines, and he told me beringer makes one. It was very very hard to find, only two bottles were there, and it was red! I was confused but brought it home and then I knew why...it tasted like kool-aid =) definately not a red merlot, that's for sure
to follow with a question, are there any white merlots that ARE white? and any better than the beringer?
- Tastevin - 03-05-2004
Thanks Aetre and PE. T
- winoweenie - 03-05-2004
Aetre and Tastevin to answer your question " Are there any White Merlots?". No. Merlot, like Zinfandel is a red grape and the primary reason they are vinified as a blush rather than traditionally is normally these are the younger vines crop that wouldn't make successful reds. To acheive the tint in the juice, when the graapes are crushed the amount of time the juice is allowed contact with the skins determine the extraction of color; less time of contact lighter pink, more time darker pink. Hope this clarifies your question. WW
[This message has been edited by winoweenie (edited 03-05-2004).]
- PinotEnvy - 03-05-2004
Not here to collect an unearned "thank you" (though appreciated), I pass my thanks to the Inkeeper for it was not my answer. My part was only the comment on the 1 and only white merlot this novice has had.
- Tastevin - 03-05-2004
Wino, where did I ask 'are there any white Merlots'? T
- winoweenie - 03-05-2004
Now, Now Tasty, don't get testy. Was a tongue-in-cheeker for your oblique answer to Joepatricia about the different Merlot colors in the USofA. Included youse as a throw-in. Where in the blazes is that "Dry English Humor" I've been told 'bout? WW