Hi all, I apologize as this is probably a topic already discussed but in my search I was unable to find a relevant post. I’m looking to get into wine, and I have no idea where to start.
I’m just looking for recommendations on some good wines to try as the wine section of every package store is a flurry of different brands and types and is a bit intimidating to someone who doesn’t know what they’re doing.
I’m not overly fond of bitterness, but I don’t like anything too sweet either, so something in the middle would probably be best for my taste. I’m also not a rich man, so anything over $25 a bottle isn’t going to go over so well for me. Also I live in New England if that makes a difference.
Thank you in advance for any advice!
I would start by understanding what is on the labels, I think that understanding regions and appellations could be a huge help. The more specific the label in terms of geography generally the better your chances are (sweeping generality). There is no great starting point given the depth and breadth of wine, but the videos Andre Mack does on YouTube are super informative, they do a much better job of explaining wine to the layman than I ever could.
1 Like
2 suggestions.
-
identify any wine store near you that does tastings and go as often as you can. Keep track of what you like and dont
-
search here for “best value” - there are a ton of threads with reccos.
Best wishes
2 Likes
If you access to a decent local wine shop, I would suggest stopping by and start your exploration live with someone in the shop. Most things in an actual wine shop are a step (or two) better in quality (but not necessarily price) from what you’d get at the supermarket. Given the time of year, I’m sure there are more than a few nice Beaujolais (not Nouveau) in the shops. That might fit in the ~$25 range with the non-bitter, not too sweet category.
3 Likes
100% on finding a local store that does tastings and visit often and become friendly with them. They will get to know you, your tastes, your budget and make some recommendations. After a little trial and error you’ll likely get it dialed in.
Wine (or anything taste related) is too personal for someone to say ~$25 or less buy XYZ. So you need to buy some to try some.
I kind of joke, but when someone asked me this recently, I said if it is still wine (not sparkling), make sure it has a vintage, grape and location more narrow than a Country/State/ on the label and you are off to a good start. If a label just says “Red Wine Product of California” I’d steer clear. If it has a vintage (2021 as example), a grape type (Cabernet as example) and a location (Santa Barbara, Paso, etc) then you are at least headed in the direction of a likely better made wine. May not be one you like, but it shouldn’t be plonk.
5 Likes
I have the following suggestions:
Choice 1: go out and drink some Yellowtail, Ripple, Cupcake and anything called Retsina. You will hate them all and you will decide to drink good Scotch or beer or whatever instead. Then come back to me in 10 years and thanked me for all the money I save you.
Choice 2: Buy a couple of different styles of wines on Berserkerday, which is, if I recall correctly, at the end of January. You can get reasonably good items at fair prices. Taste through them and decide which styles you like the best. Focus on those for future purposes, and gradually expand over time. What is that quote? Wine is a journey, not a destination.
Choice 3: Find some good, generous friends with experience and deep wine cellars who are willing to share some really good wines with you that you otherwise could not afford. Then go back and reread Choice 2 and aspire to get to the ability to eventually be able to buy those wines.
Choice 4: after you decide what style you like, go out and buy a few bottles of wine in that style that are about two steps beyond the most expensive ones you think you can afford. Stash them somewhere in a cool dark place and let them age for as long as you can keep your hands off them. Then open them and enjoy them and think about how smart you were to buy them so many years ago when they were much less expensive. I just opened a bottle of 1973 Château Mouton Rothschild that I bought in 1976 or 1977. Give or take a few dollars, the current retail price is about 100 times what I paid for it. I only wish I had bought something that wasn’t a Parker rated 65 point wine. But it was quite good.
1 Like
This is an excellent idea. It is a variation on my choice number two, and probably better, because it allows you to taste a lot of different things. You need to start out with the idea that you have no idea what you like and anyone who tells you that they know what you like is wrong. Try as many different things as you can find and try to home down your preferences. If you like austere dry wines, you are less likely to want to drink German Auslese, no matter how good it is.
First of all, welcome! I think if you stick around here that you will find a large population of knowledgeable folks who are eager to help someone who is new to the hobby.
I also suggest that you search for the phrase “QPR” which stands for “Quality to Price Ratio.” You’ll see it used like “that wine has a high QPR” meaning that the wine is a higher quality than most wines that of the same price.
You asked for wine suggestions, but didn’t mention any particular grape varieties that you favor, so I’m going to offer two wines that might fit the bill:
- Chateau Thivin Côte de Brouilly. “Chateau Thivin” is the producer. “Côte de Brouilly” is the area in France that the wine comes from. This is a high quality example of a class of wine that is generally referred to as “Cru Beaujolais”. The nice thing about Cru Beaujolais is that despite being generally high quality, they are relatively inexpensive. This is a “serious” wine that many around here will gladly purchase and drink. It will cost right about $25 per bottle. (Maybe a few bucks more or less.) You probably won’t find this at the grocery store, but it is pretty widely carried at serious wine stores.
If $25 is a hard upper limit, I’ll suggest one other wine…
- Cloudline Pinot Noir. This is a wine that costs about $15 per bottle, and is widely available at wine stores and even some grocery stores. This is not as high quality as my other suggestion, but I think it is high quality (high QPR) for a $15 wine. Although you won’t find its name on the label, Cloudline is produced by “Domaine Drouhin Oregon”(DDO), a producer that makes some very high quality wines in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. Cloudline is a “second label” for DDO. In other words, it is a label that they use to produce cheaper wines meant for immediate drinking (rather than aging). They use the “second label” to avoid associating their main brand with these cheaper wines. Despite being cheaper, DDO has access to some great fruit and take Pinot Noir very seriously, and I think some of that shows in Cloudline when compared to its peers in the same price range.
I hope this helps. My suggestion is use this board’s search feature to search for lots of different wine topics. If the information you’re looking for doesn’t appear in search results, ask away!
Fave fun!
1 Like
Agree, taste, taste, taste. What I would suggest in addition to the local wine store tasting: spend all your money for higher-end tastings, not on building up a cellar. 95% of wine collectors don’t like what the bought in the first years (and most of it can’t be sold). At these higher-end tastings you will meet other collectors and will get access to wine groups (Usually with a bring your own policy. Not having a cellar is not a problem: if the theme of an evening is Northern Rhone you just buy a high-end bottle to bring to the tasting). Within a a few short years you will have a pretty good idea of what you like or don’t like and then you can start a cellar.
1 Like
Trader Joes might be your friend here. And Wine Folly would be a good beginner resource.
3 Likes
Aside from tasting, do gather up a bit of theoretical knowledge so you know better in the future what to try and buy.
A great starting point, and I’m sure it was for a lot of members here, is Kevin Zraly’s Windows on the World Wine Course book.
The best advice given here is to go to a reputable wine store near you and ask people there for advice on what to buy which is within your budget.
And go to a lot of tastings with an open mind – you may be surprised by what you end up actually liking.
3 Likes
There are some good wine magazines out there who score “Best Buys”…wines that are often under 25 bucks a bottle and that have been tasted by professionals who know what they’re doing, regarding choosing highly quaffable wines with no flaws. Check out Food & Wine Magazine, The Wine Spectator, The Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits. All of these have good articles about wines and producers that help deepen one’s knowledge and they regularly review wines for entry-level and more seasoned drinkers. These magazines are available online, but I like to hold a hard copy in my hands and they’re all available in print, too.
William Goldman, the great screenwriter once said, “Nobody knows anything”, and while professional critics and educators can help us understand things better, it’s ultimately about individual taste and preference. My advice to any wine lover is the same advice I follow as a practicing Buddhist. “Always remain a beginner.”
Be open to new experiences and don’t let anyone intimidate you. Once you learn more, put others at ease about exploring wine. It’s a joyful beverage and not intended as a status symbol or to impress anyone.
Also, WashPo does a weekly line-up usually under $20-$25, though finding those wines can be hit or miss in your local market.
1 Like
IMHO: Taste! Taste! Taste!
Happy travels!
The advice to find a good local store is my #1 suggestion as well. You want a store that is independent, so NOT Total Wine, Trader Joe’s, etc. Especially not Total Wine. Trader Joe’s has some good values, but they’re mixed in with a bunch of crap. High margin is the name of the game for retailers like that: buyer’s own brands (google it). That can be good once you have experience, but not when you still don’t know what you’re doing. Go to tastings. Talk to the staff. If the staff isn’t asking questions and getting to know your preferences over time, it’s probably the wrong store (not definitely – this depends on where you are). Try new things, sometimes on your own. Go home and read about them. There’s tons of free information out there on regions, grapes, etc. that’s fine for beginners.
If you don’t mind saying, where are you specifically? Someone here might have recommendations for stores. I’m familiar with wine shops in a good bit of New England, so you could even just send me a private message if you prefer. You can also try searching for threads with recommendations for shops in your area.
The very beginning is the hard part. It’s daunting. Make it an adventure. It’s great that you don’t know anything yet. You’ll learn much faster once you have a base of experience.
Get a good beginner’s wine book. Here are some suggestions:
Windows on the World
Idiot’s Guide to Wine
If you’re a nerdy type who likes to really dive into a topic, maybe start with The Wine Bible. It’s suitable for beginners and includes what I would call intermediate level content.
Whatever you go with, read the book. Try wines from grapes and regions you’re reading about. For extra credit, try them with foods from their regions.
Have fun!
1 Like
I’d also invest in the latest “The Wine Bible” by Karen MacNeil. Lot people trying to get into wine have found this book extremely helpful.
5 Likes
First off, welcome to the world of wine. It’s an amazing journey and you’ll meet some great people along the way. If I could give you some advice from someone who spent 20 years in the wine business…
-
Don’t stress about things. At first, the learning curve is basically straight up and nothing makes sense. People will throw around descriptors which you might struggle with. Don’t feel that you have to drink “the right” wine. Some people will tell you to drink what you like, but I’ve never liked that adage. Be adventurous. At your price point there’s a ton of wines that you’re going to love, and some of them may come from out of the way places - in the beginning it’s easier to focus on things like the grape rather than getting bogged down in AOC rules and regulations.
-
Take notes! Have a little flip notebook and a pen when you taste wine. It’ll help you focus on things you smell and taste and if you like it (or don’t), make a note of that too. When you go wine shopping, you should take your notebook in and tell your salesperson “hey, I liked this Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, what’s next?” or “I don’t like wines that have a strong grapefruit flavor, can you help me avoid those.” You should also go smell things - produce in the store, flowers, spices. Wine descriptors come from your experiences and they bypass a lot of your thinking brain. Don’t be afraid to write down a descriptor even if it sounds silly. You’re going to be right because your memories guide your descriptors.
-
I’m a big fan of comparison tasting. Seeing as you’re in New England, I looked at a Total Wine in West Hartford, CT. They have Dubordieu “Pure” Sauvignon Blanc for $16. This is from Bordeaux, one of the major winegrowing regions of France. They also have Justin Sauvignon Blanc from the Central Coast of California for $18. I’d buy them both, get some goat cheese and a baguette and drink them as close together as you can. If you have a friend similarly interested in wine, invite them over and open them both up and taste them side by side.
-
Find some friends who like wine and plan an easy tasting, like everyone bring a Merlot, or bring a wine from Washington. Set a price point and have some light food and plenty of water and have fun with it.
Thanks,
Zachary
Well said. At the end of the day, wine tasting is binary: you like it or you don’t. Then you can get into all shades of gray if you feel like it 
.
The other thing I would suggest is as soon as you find something you like come back here and open a thread saying “I liked X, suggest other things I might like”.
You’ll get lots of great answers from cheap stuff and great QPRs all the way to wine that you’d have to sell your car to get (guess it depends on the car).
And also, don’t feel like you have to break the bank. For every expensive wine that’s being suggested there’s a cheaper option around the corner that’s amazing as well.
Enjoy the ride and come back and post!
So many great advices here already.
Basically don’t forget to enjoy it.
Don’t drink stuff because other people tell you it is good, drink it because you like it, be honest with yourself.
It will probably feel very(!) awkward to describe wines to others initially. Atleast i found it super awkward because I probably cared to much about getting it “right”. Now I really don’t care and I will tell you that my wine smells of poop, some unknown candy (I had as a child) and rubberducks, that I like it stand by my preferences.
Don’t listen to people that tell you to drink Burgundy no matter what.
1 Like