Just getting into wine, could use some recommendations

I’m focusing on red wine, though I like champagne as well (have only had Moet and Korbel brut/extra brut). My favorite bottle lately has been the 2005 Hacienda Lopez de Haro Reserva for about $12. Even though I’m still developing my palette, I’m essentially looking for the absolute best quality reds for under $20. I live in Central Jersey, so usually go to Joe Canals Princeton, Princeton Corkscrew, Wegmans Princeton/Manalapan, etc.

Buy more.

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Advice?
Your palate is the only arbiter of whether a wine is good or bad (for you). Palates do differ and indeed palates can change, or just get exposure to new experiences, but never lose sight of what you like (and any wine writer / critic who tries to imply THEY are the greatest authority on wine and you must follow their advice, is merely trying to build their brand in the way some religious leaders do.

If you’ve got any like minded friends, then getting a tasting group together can be a wonderful way to learn in a relaxed environment. I’d recommend the format some friends and I used to use.

  • Set a pretty loose theme - say an individual country or large region, or a fun comparison e.g. new world vs old world
  • Either get the host to buy the wines and split the cost out amongst the group, or everyone brings a wine ‘on-theme’ (we generally did the former to ensure a reasonable balance of styles). try to be adventurous in what you buy, as tastings are great ways to expand your experience and discover new favourites.
  • Set a rough price range to avoid worries about not being generous enough e.g. $12-$20 per bottle or $70-$100 for the full set of wines for the night.
  • Print a list of the wines on an A4 sheet of paper. Include Wine name, region, country, vintage and anything else that interests (I tended not to include alc % as this can influence opinions before the wine is tasted). We also used to do that as a table and have columns for Eye (what the wine looks like such as colour, depth, brightness and whether there was any age showing at the core/rim), Nose (what are the aromas, are they intense/fleeting) and Palate (what’s the taste like, what’s the acidity like - soft? piercing? etc., are there mouth gripping tannins?, does the finish go on and on with great complexity, or does the taste disappear almost immediately after swallowing?)
  • Try not to express too much opinion before everyone has managed to have a look, sniff and taste plus scribble a few notes. It’s easy for newbies to consider the whole experience like an exam and feel they must learn from the other tasters (see comments above about critics, which apply just as well here). Once everyone has had a chance to form an opinion, then let the conversation rip! People might spot elements you didn’t (which you may or may not notice or agree with on retasting). You may agree or differ, but pretty much the best rule is no-one is right/wrong. It’s all about learning about your own palate preferences, but other people can help open your mind up to different aspects/views. These notes will help you come to a broad opinion on what you think of the wine, but also are a useful reminder of what to expect if you buy a bottle.
  • We also used to say how much we would pay for the wine - i.e. what we thought it was worth. Whilst politeness may mean we are wary of dissing a wine bought by someone else, we shouldn’t be at all precious about it. We aren’t the owner of the winery or the grape-grower or the winemaker, we just bought a bottle in a shop to see if it was of any interest. We really have no skin in the game. This worked really well for me in the early days, as I knew little about specific wines/regions and what they might cost. It really helped me to decide just how much I liked a wine, and if I reckoned it should be about $15 and it turned out to be $7, then I should get myself off to the shop to buy a few bottles.

There is a very good book on this subject by Michael Schuster “Essential winetasting”, but plenty of other such good books exist. Not essential reading, but informative and can help you get more from the experience.

Finally, there is a very good recent forum thread on widely available inexpensive wines. We can’t guarantee you’ll like the wines, but they should provide a few ideas of interesting wines to try without breaking the bank.

regards
Ian

In line with the Haro, look for LAN and CVNE. I have found both of those to be widely available and good quality at that price point. Then if you cross $20 slightly look for Muga and Lopez de Heredia Cubillo . These will be different styles but well made and a step up from the others.

For sparklers look for Gruet or Roederer Anderson Valley Brut. A lot of Spanish Cava in this price range as well but I don’t what to specifically recommend as its been a number of years since I last explored Cava.

Not sure what else to recommend based on your OP as so much of quality is related to one’s preference. Also from Spain but not Rioja, you may try a Juan Gill or a Finca Sandoval (if you can find it). Different grapes from different regions and different styles but may help you better define what you like. Outside of Spain, try a chianti or two but not sure which to recommend as my favorites all cross $20 these days.

Go to wine tastings at local wine shops and restaurants and explore different wines to see what you like. Read, read and read. So much info out there. Possibly join a wine tasting group(s).

Ian is spot on.

Go to as many tastings as you can, try as many different things as you can, and listen to YOUR mouth. If you like it great, if you don’t like it dump it out and try something else. There is no right or wrong answer as it’s all about what you like, not what others tell you to like.

Don’t get wrapped up in the price of a bottle. There are some great $100 wines and there are some horrible $100 wines. Conversely, there are some wonderful $20 bottles that are far better than that horrible $100 bottle.

The only other advise I will give is don’t buy a large amount of any type of wine until after you’ve gotten a pretty good grasp on the type of wine you like. I’ve seen so many people buy dozens and dozens (and into the hundreds) of bottles that one or two years later they end up regretting getting as their palate has now shifted and they don’t like that type of wine anymore. Learning what you like will take time, until then have fun and try everything :slight_smile:

Thanks everyone, I’ll get started ASAP!