Red wine opinions

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squizza

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Hi guys

I'm not much of a wine drinker, (in fact I like nothing better than a pint of stella or a bottle of newcastle brown - CLASSY lady :lol:) but I really want to get into wine.

What is a really fruity, non bitter red to go for? I'm a lover of sweet white wine, so find the vinegry bitter reds hard to drink.

Any advice greatly appreciated, although I also understand its quite a subjective thing too.

Kind regards

Sarah
 
Take it steady, one step at a time. Why not try Rose first?

It is a very subjective thing, with loads and loads of things affecting your palette on a certain day.
 
I agree that red wine is very subjective. I prefer Rioja and really don't get on with most French wines, although I could be a minority!

I do find with red wine that you definitely get what you pay for. If you want to avoid the "vinegar" expect to pay more than £5.00 a bottle IMO.
 
I felt the same until I tried drinking 'reds' with food that brought out the flavours. Usually very cheap reds are vinagery and are the ones that put me off, but once you've tried with the right food flavours, you'll be glugging the wine on it's own.

My favourites are Châteauneuf-du-Pape (strawberry/cherry/raisin flavours) and Spanish Rioja (creamy red fruits & fig flavours)
 
Perhaps try some of the miniatures from Asda/ Tesco to see if there's anything you like. I think they are 3 for £5 at the moment.

I'm also a Chateauneuf-du-Pape fan (thanks to Mercedes for spelling!)
 
wine is an individul taste. the best thing is to try a many as you can to develop a little knowledge of what you like and dont. some wine shops do tastings and there is the wine and spirit education and trust that offer advice and qualifications on wine.

would say that something like a malbec would be a good start or a grenache but again taste and try.
 
I used to only like rose wine and just tried red wine last year. I now cant drink rose wine as its too sweet! Try the blossom hill california red, its a good start :thumbs:
 
For softer reds, go with a Merlot and look for one that is not too strong, for preference around the 12.5% mark if you want a nice easy drinkable wine.
 
Chateauneuf & Rioja can be a bit heavy.
Try anything from the Loire - Anjou, Chinon, Saumur-Champigny for lighter reds.
 
Get some red food dye and add it to the Stella:thinking: - not a workable thing with brown ale:shake:
 
I prefer New World to French Reds, Shiraz is my favourite grape variety but I was a white wine drinker until I was 40, now I like many types, prefer peppery reds and very dry whites. Try wine by the glass and note the varieties you prefer, watch out for wine in pubs where they open a bottle and it stands around for weeks if they don't sell much wine. Also beware of wine on tap in pubs it's usually awful in my xperience.
 
I would work on going for a drier white before trying red, or try rose as someone else said.
I used to only like fairly sweet whites, I recommend champagne for getting you hooked on drier wines. can't speak for reds though, I just find it horrible.

A
 
I can drink anything red - but white has to be class. Remember it says in the good book:
"give us each day our daily red" .... doesn't it?

Try a nice Merlot.

Champagne is the most over rated - over hyped wine on the planet!
 
Syrah is a very smooth red, and easy to drink. Merlot is also a safe bet, as is Shiraz (similar to Syrah). Sainsbury`s & Tesco`s tend to run 1/2 price offers, so a £10 bottle is only a fiver etc. Don't go for cheap chateaux sarsons though squizz as it will taste like .... :gag:
 
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Steep said:
For softer reds, go with a Merlot and look for one that is not too strong, for preference around the 12.5% mark if you want a nice easy drinkable wine.
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I agree you really can't go far wrong with a Merlot and don't have to spend a lot for a nice drinkable bottle.

I also like a nice Shiraz, Oxford Landing do a nice one.

However I must disagree with all those Rioja drinkers. I can't stand the stuff and feel it really is an acquired taste. Far too spicy.

Oh and if you want to get really plastered to the point of no rememberence then Yorkshire Wines do a very nice Elderberry Wine. It has a taste very much like port but is totally lethal.

Andrea
 
No really I was quite ill off it, although have had it since on one occassion but in much more moderation. I wouldn't recommend getting plastered on your first outing with red wine as it would probably put you off trying it again!
 
staffitaxi said:
No really I was quite ill off it, although have had it since on one occassion but in much more moderation. I wouldn't recommend getting plastered on your first outing with red wine as it would probably put you off trying it again!
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ooooh the headaches in the morning :D
 
Try Rosemont Estate. There are a few offers on at the moment in some supermarkets. Shiraz or one of the Shiraz blends are good. Normal price is £7.00 - £15.00 but can be got for £5-£9. Excellent wine, Australian from the Hunter Valley with a good family tradition.
 
One of my favourites - 2005 Campo Viejo Rioja Reserva. Usually £9-10 a bottle but quite often a third off at Sainsburys and extra % off when buying 6 bottles. Very nice with all the BBQ food or a good steak.

2005-Campo-Viejo-Rioja-Rese.jpg
 
I like something spicy - Rioja or Shiraz

For something a little different - check these wines out (sense of humour required & nothing planned too early the next day) from a place just up the road from me.

http://cairnomohrSPAMtead.com/AboutUs.html

.
 
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david1701 said:
sainsburys do bottles for <£3 they're lovely :p
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naaaah. I once bought a bottle of the 'spanish red' for mulled wine cos it was dead cheap... swiftly deemed it not acceptable even for that...

The best £3 supermarket wine is morrisons 'good french red' (kid you not), also available in boxes, and it actually punches way above its price, unlike most of the other £3 wines. The £3.40something sainsburys australian red is nice iirc, but avoid the 'smooth red' chilean one. The tesco ones are pretty grotty.

The 'woolemi' shiraz is ok, very easy drinking but no real distinct flavours. Sainsburys always seem to have it on offer - could be a good starting bet? The Ravelli Rosso that's often on the same offer is pretty nice too, bit more flavoursome and harsh than the woolemi, but still nice.

Rarely reduced, but can't go too wrong with Jacob's creek or whatever either mind...

Other than that - yeah, the half price ones are where it's at! Nowt like a £9 bottle of wine for £4 or whatever, even better if they've got the 25% off when you buy 6 bottles deal on...

man I'm so classy...... :help:
 
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F3TT said:
I agree that red wine is very subjective. I prefer Rioja and really don't get on with most French wines, although I could be a minority!

I do find with red wine that you definitely get what you pay for. If you want to avoid the "vinegar" expect to pay more than £5.00 a bottle IMO.
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Totally agree with the first statement, my wife and I generally drink Spanish although I really like NZ whites.

I haven't read thru' all the posts so if this has been said, please forgive.

When I started drinking red wine my first love was Lambrusco, which was just coming into this country.

Very lightweight and very easily drinkable.
 
As Richard suggested why not try rose first

White Zinfandel would be a very good one to try first
 
Campo Vieja Rioja would make a good starting point. Never drink anything French out of principle.

I never used to get on with red wine but a friend gave me a little tip. When you take the first mouthful let it sit in your mouth for a few seconds and swish it about (not in a Jilly Goulden/Oz Clark stylee though) before swallowing. It's like it conditions your mouth/tastebuds before hammering the rest of the bottle.
 
wontolla said:
Try Rosemont Estate. There are a few offers on at the moment in some supermarkets. Shiraz or one of the Shiraz blends are good. Normal price is £7.00 - £15.00 but can be got for £5-£9. Excellent wine, Australian from the Hunter Valley with a good family tradition.
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some of the Rosemount are very fruity and also very drinkable.

I find a JP Chenet Merlot quite a good budget bottle too, my wife never drank red wine until she was offered a glass of this by one of our friends (the bottles have a wonky neck)
 
awp said:
Champagne is the most over rated - over hyped wine on the planet!
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I so agree with, can't stand the stuff
 
I used to be like you are, but I did find that I was drinking it wrong :lol:

Obvious I know, but leave it at room temperature, take the cork out a while before you drink it and don't drink it straight away once you pour it, leave it for a while to settle. Much better!
 
I'm a great fan of the Faustino range. Why not try the Faustino VII, should be around £6 to £7 in the supermarket, and as a bonus they do a white and rose version of it.
 
Strange question - and you don't have to answer of you don't want to - but why are you feeling this desire to "get into wine"?

If it's a case of wanting to try something new then go for it, but if it's a social pressure thing to drink something more "acceptable" than a pint, I say stuff it - drink whatever you want to drink :D

Anyway, assuming that it's the former, here's my 2p worth.

Generally, the bitter, vinegary reds that you mention are the cheaper ones. My personal experience is that although you can pick up a pleasant white for under £5 you really have to spend a bit more to get a good red.

I'm not a huge red wine drinker, but I do like a good Rioja or Shiraz - coming from light, sweet whites that might come as a shock to your palette though.
As somebody else said, I'd suggest broadening the range of white wines that you enjoy first - try some of the drier varieties before you jump into red.
 
I work at a posh hotel and pour a lot of red when i work the bar. It smells absolutely beautiful, and although I've tried a few, I can't get into it :D
 
go for it.... you'll soon figure out what you like and don't like. in fact, the first time you wake up with a banging headache - you'll know you've had a crap wine. i love the heavy french reds... st.emillion (grand cru is very smooth and goes down like velvet), margaux (but not seen that around for a while) and the chateuneauf wines are all bloody gorgeous.
but again, you can pay from £7 to £20 for these and then upwards again for a top year bottle.
having said all that.. i like the faustino, wolf blass and the campo viejo but then again i'm just a lush!
 
I'm not a big fan of reds, though they're meant to be good for you - antioxidants etc. I've experimented with a few and also agree with Châteauneuf-du-Pape as something drinkable (or quaffable?). I was told to start off with the E & J Gallo ones many years ago when starting off with reds but they never really inspired me. They seemed too bitter or dry for me, though after reading this, I dare say I will try some of the ones mentioned.
Oh and every time I ask for something red and sweet, I keep getting directed towards the sherries and ports... :thinking:
Edit: Pinot Noir seems to be the other one I'm happy with...
 
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the wolfs blass on offer at tesco at the moment is pretty good. I usually find that a bottle of red tastes nicer the day after I open it.
 
Why not get some mini bottles? Morrisons and Asda (dunno about the others) usually have deals like 4 for £5. That's how I discovered which ones I liked.

I really like J.P. Chenet but make sure you leave it a while after you pour it (cause of your work you know about the glass and why that glass, blah blah blah) it's really fruity. I ususally leave it about 10 mins.

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There's white, red, premium (red) and another one I think. Not too expensive but one of the bottles is about £20ish.
 
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