Who am I? Wine-wise

Hey everyone!

I’ve been drinking wine for far too long to not understand what kind of wine Im actually drinking. I drink at least 2-3 bottles a week during fall and winter, then switch to beer for summer. I stick to the Trader Joe’s selection under $10 and its always hit or miss for me since I kind of dont know exactly what to look for.

All I can say is that my favorites mostly come from Spain. Campo Viejo Gran Reserva is one of my favorites. Im not sure if its because of the grape taste similar to Welches Grapefruit Juice or what but… Wines that are dark in color with that sour kind of taste are my favorites.

Lots of tempranillo wines have been pretty good to me too.

What should I do, where should I start, who am I wine wise? I dont know and its driving me nuts!

Hi Efrain
Welcome!
I’d say you don’t need to know where to start as you’ve already made a start. It will be a journey, so always good to balance buying what you know and love now, with sampling different stuff which may be a dead end or open up a whole new area for exploration.

Worth trying a Faustino 1 Gran Reserva as it’s released with good age on it (about a decade I think). Whereas we could argue other Riojas are ‘better’, the suggestion is there to allow you to explore whether wines with age on them might appeal, which can get you into cellaring your own. Also some Crianza Rioja wines can make for a cheap cellaring bet (find somewhere dark and fairly consistently cool e.g. cupboard under stairs is where many start). They can be quite different at 5-8 years from release, to how they are on release.

Dark in colour / slightly sour / grapey taste opens up a lot of possibilities. Hopefully someone can chime in with some US good value suggestions, but it might be worth trying some Aussie Shiraz (maybe a Wynns Shiraz if you have it locally vs. one of the richer versions from warmer regions of Barossa, McLaren Vale (or Langhorne Creek - Bleasdale typically good value). Valpolicella from Italy also worth trying, both in standard and ‘ripasso’ versions

Probably worth trying a few Zinfandels (again hoping people can chime in with some good value suggestions).

However don’t be afraid to just get to a tasting and try what’s there. A random bottles can make a huge difference to what you buy and drink if it excites.

Enjoy the journey!

Regards
Ian

Hi Efrain!

it sounds like wine-wise you are an oak and earth lover. for the earth side of it, I’d suggest seeking out some decent sangiovese based wines. for a well priced and reliable option, look for wines from chianti CLASSICO. important thing I would note is the classico versions will be MUCH more reliable than the regular chiantis. A standby around here that is a great price is Monsanto Chianti Classico Riserva (not the same Monsanto). Also look for rosso di montalcino, right now especially from a year like 2013 or 2015. for the oak side, california cab is a great next place to look.

i would imagine that part of your hit-or-miss is not knowing what to look for, but also theres a decent piece of EVERYTHING in the sub-$10 price range is hit or miss. TYPICALLY there is a huge quality step up from sub $10 to sub $20.

I would suggest leaving Trader Joe’s behind as you can’t get much help there. Look for a few good wine shops in your area stop in and talk to the staff. If you find someone you feel comfortable with have them give you a few ideas taste the wines go back and give them feedback as they get to know you they will guide you to more things you will like. They will miss from time to time but will hit what you want more then not. This way you get more wines you like and save a little money so if you want to move up and try something a little better you can afford it. And once you are more confident with what you like and don’t if you want to go back to Trader Joe’s you can (but you won’t).

If you are going to continue buying from TJ’s get to know the local wine buyer who can tell you the really good wines from the others. They buy bulk wine and relabel it so sometimes it can be pretty good. There are also online reviews of their wines which describe the source and quality.