# can you recommend a red wine I might like **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** wine\ **Created:** [August 19, 2012, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988 "2012-08-19T18:58:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/21 "2012-08-20T14:27:26Z")
> [@Snickers](#): > > There are some blends that are also excellent; I like Apothic and Menage a Trois. They’re very fruity without being sweet. IMO both those wines are VERY sweet considering they’re not labelled as sweet wines. Not that it’s a bad thing, but wanted to point that out for those that don’t like sweeter reds. I know a lot of people who like both of those, so maybe it’s a good choice for the OP. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/22 "2012-08-20T14:49:29Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > Are Alsatian Pinot Noirs really a thing now? I know they exist because I’ve toured Alsace. But I can think of a grand total of one Alsatian Pinot Noir that I’ve seen in a US store in the past 5 or 6 years. Are they getting more popular somewhere? I’ve no idea, but I’ve been to Alsace and found out how gorgeous they can be. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/23 "2012-08-20T15:12:58Z")
I’m piling onto the Beaujolais, Red Zinfandel, and Valpolicella choices. All are fruity, if not jammy-tasting, without being sweet. A bonus is that most Beaujolais is dirt-cheap, and doesn’t have the very high alcohol level that many Zins can get to. Chile and Australia are good places for versions of other varieties (Shiraz/Syrah, Merlot, Cab Sauvignon) that are less expensive. I am not a big fan of inexpensive Pinot Noir—I didn’t care for Talbott’s Pinots (but oh boy, do I like their Chardonnays)—but maybe that’s just me? When done right, the perfume on Pinot Noir is second to none. **Martin** , I second **Athena** ’s recommendation of Old World wines, if you don’t care for a fruit-forward wine. Most, if not all, competently made red table wines, whether Old or New World, should be “dry”, in that they’ve no residual sugar, but the Old World wines will taste less fruity and ripe, all else remaining equal. There are always exceptions, both to the fruitiness, and to being fermented dry. Many Alsatian Rieslings—I’m thinking Trimbach or Hugel—are fermented to dryness, and have enough acid to balance any sweetness anyways. Muscadet is another white that usually is perceived as very dry. Loire Cabernet Francs (Bourgueil, Chinon) is a red wine that is not fruity at all, but very herbal, often complex, and usually food friendly. For pizza, or anything else tomato-heavy, I’m a fan of Barbera. They’re usually not that expensive, either. I agree with **FGIE** that, if you can, **Jackie** , find a not-so-local wine shop with knowledgeable staff, tell them what you’ve told us, and see what they say. I learn new things all of the time from the staff at the wine shop I go to; wines I never would have picked up otherwise. It’s hard when you live a ways from town, though. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/24 "2012-08-21T14:02:41Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > IMO both those wines are VERY sweet considering they’re not labelled as sweet wines. Not that it’s a bad thing, but wanted to point that out for those that don’t like sweeter reds. I know a lot of people who like both of those, so maybe it’s a good choice for the OP. Well, it kind of depends. I’m not sure what the OP means by “sweet.” If **Jacki** e’s at all like my mother-in-law, for whom Manischewitz is just about perfect and on target, Apothic and Menage a Trois aren’t going to be sweet at all; they’re not even going to be in the same neighborhood as sweet. Depending on what Rieslings she likes, Apothic and MaT might be a little sweet, but still drier than what she’s used to. That said, they’re certainly not dry. I don’t know that I’d characterize them as “VERY sweet,” though. But I also deal with people whose idea of “sweet” in wines is characterized by port, white zins, or those Arbor Mist wines (or the aforementioned Manischewitz. Seriously, my MIL _loves_ that stuff) - you know, close to the grape juice/dessert side of the spectrum. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/25 "2012-08-21T14:04:50Z")
Oh, and if you like sweet wines, the Apothic white blend is a very sweet wine. It’s not really for me - I love their red, but I find the white too sweet - but it might touch your fancy. I’d put it in the dessert wine category. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/26 "2012-08-21T15:55:15Z")
If you end up looking at Spanish rosés, they come under two different names: _rosado_ and _clarete_. The _rosados_ are rosés, the _claretes_ have had the skins left in until the end of the fermentation - they’re nowhere near as tannic as reds from the same areas, though (I get an instant headache from reds, not from _claretes_). _Claretes_ tend to be on the drier side but not dry; they have a reputation for being “traitorous wines”, as it’s easy to drink more than you realize. ---
**Author:** ![Greekfreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c68b51/32.png) [@Greekfreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Greekfreak)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/27 "2012-08-21T22:49:42Z")
[http://www.masi.it/eng/products#prodotti](http://www.masi.it/eng/products#prodotti) Masi Bonacosta goes with just about any occasion. Most versatile red wine I’ve ever had, and very affordable. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/28 "2012-08-21T23:28:54Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > If you end up looking at Spanish rosés, they come under two different names: _rosado_ and _clarete_. The _rosados_ are rosés, the _claretes_ have had the skins left in until the end of the fermentation - they’re nowhere near as tannic as reds from the same areas, though (I get an instant headache from reds, not from _claretes_). _Claretes_ tend to be on the drier side but not dry; they have a reputation for being “traitorous wines”, as it’s easy to drink more than you realize. Clarete wines are closer to Roses than Reds because the skins actually are _not_ left in contact with the juice throughout the entire fermentation process like red wines are…just for part of it…Rose wines have the skins macerated in the juice _before_ fermentation begins. Those clarete wines are also made with grenache, a quite amenable and approachably fruity grape without a lot of tannins in the wines made from them. Claretes are also blended with white grapes but I can’t remember which one(s)… some off white grape variety. They are extremely rare outside of Spain at any rate. I have seen one exactly once. Also, I wanted to express something because I encounter this quite frequently. Its the usage of the word “sweet” to describe wines that actually are NOT sweet but because of the type of grape being used generates a hugely fruit-forward flavor profile that people misinterpret as “sweet”. Sweetness in a wine is defined as the presence of residual sugars after the fermentation is completed. A wine like say, a Red Zinfandel from a really warm, ripe grape growing region is going to produce a huge-bodied (alcohol) wine with a metric shit-ton of fruit flavor. People often confuse that sensation with sweetness when in actuality all the sugar has been consumed by yeasts during fermentation and the wine is completely dry and devoid of actual sugars. A true sweet wine is going to be a wine where either the fermentation is arrested, often by the introduction of brandy, sulphur or neutral spirits, leaving sugar behind (like Port wine) or in the case of a wine like a Sauternes, Eiswein, SGN Alsation dessert wine, Hungarian Tokay wine…the natural concentration of sugars via noble rot or in some cases chaptalization (adding sugar to the juice of an inferior vintage) is so high that the yeast cannot consume all the sugar during fermentation so there is sugar left behind (“residual sugar”). OK, I feel better now! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/29 "2012-08-21T23:32:27Z")
Thinking about Italian wines here…I wonder if the OP would like Amarone? OP, do you like raisins? ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/30 "2012-08-21T23:41:52Z")
I also want to link you guys to an article written by a guy I used to work with that is extremely knowledgeable about wines in general and Burgundies and Rieslings in particular. And yes, the store in the link is where I used to work about a decade ago. Cincinnatians flock to this Northern Kentucky superstore right across the Ohio River for its cheaper prices, knowledgeable staff and convenient location. Seriously though, this article is a great primer for those interested in exploring wine: [http://www.thepartysource.com/wine\_education\_view.php?article=00042](http://www.thepartysource.com/wine_education_view.php?article=00042) ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/31 "2012-08-22T00:06:55Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Thinking about Italian wines here…I wonder if the OP would like Amarone? OP, do you like raisins? yes, I like raisins. (and who you callin’ Opie?) ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 12:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/32 "2012-08-22T00:21:31Z")
I also really like Shirazes–“jammy” is a great descriptor for them. They taste like fruit, something not all wines do, and that might be something that works for you. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/33 "2012-08-22T00:24:08Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > I also want to link you guys to an article written by a guy I used to work with that is extremely knowledgeable about wines in general and Burgundies and Rieslings in particular. And yes, the store in the link is where I used to work about a decade ago. Cincinnatians flock to this Northern Kentucky superstore right across the Ohio River for its cheaper prices, knowledgeable staff and convenient location. > > Seriously though, this article is a great primer for those interested in exploring wine: [http://www.thepartysource.com/wine\_education\_view.php?article=00042](http://www.thepartysource.com/wine_education_view.php?article=00042) interesting, thanks for posting. oh, and I was kidding earlier: I know what OP means. someday I’d like to vacation somewhere there are many vineyards to visit - let the tastings commence! ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/34 "2012-08-22T00:33:41Z")
> [@JackieLikesVariety](#): > > yes, I like raisins. > > (and who you callin’ Opie?) Amarone is made from the typical Valpolicella grapes of Corvina, Molinara and Rondinella. The difference is the grapes are left out in the Sun on mats to shrivel and thus concentrate their flavors. There’s a particular raisinated quality to these wines (in a good way) due to their water loss and flavor concentration during the drying process. They trend towards high alcohol but are completely dry, yet don’t seem like it. Since they are produced in relatively small quantities, they are also generally moderately expensive. There’s a version that’s got residual sugars but I am drawing a blank as to its name. It begins with an “R”. Recoto or something like that. I’m flying by the seat of my pants without googling anything, so…there you go. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/35 "2012-08-22T02:20:51Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > If that’s the case, look for old-world wines. French and Italian wines tend to be dryer and less fruity than new-world (US/Australia/etc) wines. A Bordeaux is likely to be very dry compared to an American Cabernet, for example. > > And speaking of Bordeaux, the 2009 vintage hasn’t let me down yet, even though I stick to the cheap ones. I’ve found more than one 2009 Bordeaux in the $10-$15 range that has been great. Which is really weird and at the same time very welcome! (Bordeauxs are usually WAY more expensive). I’m too late, you said it all. Bordeaux. Its the way to go. A fine Claret, a good meal, and great friends. You can’t go wrong. ---
**Author:** ![oreally](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7ab992/32.png) [@oreally](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/oreally)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/36 "2012-08-22T04:33:00Z")
> [@Athena](#): > > A red wine I’ve found that many people new to wine like is Beaujolais. First thing that came to mind. Also cabernet francs. Tend to be rather “soft” for a red. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/37 "2012-08-22T07:51:50Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > Claretes are also blended with white grapes but I can’t remember which one(s)… some off white grape variety. They are extremely rare outside of Spain at any rate. I have seen one exactly once. For a while the winemakers from Navarra, La Rioja and Rioja Alavesa were trying to make _clarete_ be like champagne, one of those things where you can say you made a wine “according to X method” but you can’t call it by the name. In the end they decided the gain to be had simply wasn’t worth the effort, it’s not like there’s a ton of foreign wineries trying to make _clarete_ (and several of the ones which are happen to be subsidiaries of Spanish wineries). ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/38 "2012-08-22T11:50:47Z")
If at all possible, try and get hold of a South African Pinotage. Berries, chocolate and coffee. And I’m not talking in a “hint of” kind of way. Some Pinotage really tastes like coffee-wine, without any sleight-of-hand. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [August 22, 2012, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/39 "2012-08-22T12:02:19Z")
Would it be possible for you to enlist for a local [wine tasting course](http://www.decanter.com/wine-learning/courses-and-clubs)or wine taste trip ? I know the region of [Alsace in France/Germany has many such tours](http://www.winetour-france.com/alsace-region.asp), they were advertised all over when I travelled through that (very beautiful) region on other business. I wonder if wine producing regions in the US have similar taste trips. [California apparently does.](http://www.californiawinetours.com/) Also recommended: the 2008 movie “[Bottle Shock](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0914797/)”, starring Allan Rickman and Bill Pullman. The story of the early days of California wine making featuring the now infamous, blind Paris wine tasting of 1976 that has come to be known as “Judgment of Paris”. The tasting was infamous because the French tasters all gave very high ratings to the Californian wines, when they were extremely sceptical beforehand. ---
**Author:** ![JackieLikesVariety](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackielikesvariety/32/296_2.png) [@JackieLikesVariety](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackieLikesVariety)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2012, 11:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988/40 "2012-08-23T11:16:31Z")
> [@](#): > > I wonder if wine producing regions in the US have similar taste trips. California apparently does. thanks for the thoughts but the California link with the giant limo wasn’t what I had in mind. I was thinking more charming B&B where they then take you around to local wineries for tours/taste testing in more low key way. course a hot air balloon ride wouldn’t be a bad idea, either. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-you-recommend-a-red-wine-i-might-like/631988.md?page=3)