Wine-o's?

[youngthundacat]

Hello! So this is my very first post on the site but from what I've seen so far, this is exactly the place I'm looking for. Mid 20's, living in Michigan, making decent dough but still pinching wherever I can. Style is decent at best, but I try. Looking for some pointers.

Anyways, I drink old fashioned's religiously but usually crack a bottle of wine on the weekends if people come over. It's something I just got into this year. I did a forum search but didn't find anything. Anyone in here have experience with some decent red's under $20?

[sabrown]

Welcome to the forum! I'm fairly new to wine myself, but thought I would recommend trying a bottle of Santa Christina Toscana wine. You can read a brief review here: http://m.wineexpress.com/newui/advse...30222&type=Red

I had it during a vacation in Italy, and really enjoyed it. It's a great Tuscan red wine for the price. You should be able to find it for $15 or less. Hope you enjoy!

[JBarwick]

I enjoy wine and am not swayed by price like my fiancee. My philosophy with her is let her try it then tell her the price which then saves me money. I love heavier reds in the Cab varietal but have a special place for Zin's. Absolute favorite has been the 2009 vintage of Orin Swift's the Prisoner and thought something was weird with the 2010 when paired side by side We have a 2011 but haven't opened it. 7 Deadly Zin's is a weekly go to or something my future MIL has told us about and sends us half a case. Malbec's interest me as well as good blends from California. Oregon has been putting out some good wine as their grapes taste different than California. European wines are nice but I do not know much about them so I go by taste when it arises.

But something to always take note of and is good for a laugh. Please read the following: http://io9.com/wine-tasting-is-bulls...-why-496098276

[greg_s]

There are many Malbecs that are fabulous for the price. It is a very versatile grape and goes with really almost any food.

[youngthundacat]

Wow, legit article. I totally agree with it but again, that's why was saying under $20. There's too many random bottles out there that taste almost sour or boring.

[nftmlk]

Give this one a shot:

Can be had for $8 on a sale at your local grocery store. Or if you have a Costco nearby, they sell it in a two pack. I really enjoy this wine because it isn't too dry or too sweet. It's a blend of 3 different wines (Cab, merlot and zin). Defintely won't break the bank.

If you pick it up, let me know what you think.

http://www.folieadeux.com/mat/red.html

[Fred G. Unn]

When you are first getting into wine it's often hard to remember what things tasted like from night to night and whatever you are eating will have an effect as well. There's actually a saying in the wine industry: "buy on apples, sell on cheese." The more acidic your food is, the more lifeless your wine will taste if it doesn't have enough acidity to hold up to the food. When my wife and I got into wine the best purchase we made was a VacuVin: http://www.amazon.com/Vacu-Vin-Conce...3654910&sr=1-1

With the VacuVin, we would always open 2 (or 3) bottles when we wanted wine with dinner. That way we could have a direct comparison and not have to remember when we tried to compare wines on different nights. The VacuVin will keep the wine from deteriorating for a couple of nights so we could finish the bottles at a later time. With 2 or 3 bottles to directly compare you can much more easily figure out what you like and what goes better with your meal.

Some of the most food friendly white grapes IMO are Riesling, Chenin Blanc (Vouvray is made from this), and Sauvignon Blanc. For reds Pinot Noir (Burgundy is from this), Barbera, Sangiovese (Chianti is from this), and Cabernet Franc. Cab Franc is one of the grapes used in Bordeaux so it is often hard to find on it's own, but when you do it's usually worth it.

I took a series of classes from Willie Gluckstern so I definitely recommend his introductory book, The Wine Avenger even if it is from 1998: http://www.amazon.com/The-Wine-Aveng.../dp/0684822571

Since you specifically mentioned red, what sort of red are you looking for? Something to go with cheese? Burgers? Steaks? Salmon? If you could narrow down what you're having it with we could offer some better recommendations.

[youngthundacat]

Steaks and Salmon mostly.

[Kroaker]

If you find Lock & Key Meritage selling at your local liquor store, buy as much of it as you can! I costs around $13.99 per bottle (at least down here). Excellent value and very good juice!

[Fred G. Unn]

Steaks and Salmon mostly.

Most people instantly think white with fish, but try a Pinot Noir (or Burgundy) with salmon too.

[McG]

Columbia Crest Cab is the best I've had under $10.
J Lohr Cab is solid for $10-15.

These are my go-to reds and they're both widely available (and I'm in Michigan, too).

[JayS]

I've found Red Diamond reds from Washington to be very dependable (stay away from their whites!). Also, anything from Bogle in California, especially the Zin and the Petite Sirah. All of these should be under $10

I worked in the wine industry for about 12 years and it was a shock to the system to start paying retail prices after I left the biz several years ago. I kept a spreadsheet of all the wines we tried and whether they were worth buying again or not. Be happy to send a copy out.

[Focuspants]

My family actual owns a wine agency which I work for on the side of my other job. Malbec was a great suggestion for an affordable red to drink without a meal. If you can find a malbec by Juan Gil, we actually represent them up here, and they are very good for the price. I saw Salmon and Pinot mentioned above. Thats a great suggestion, and if you can find spy valley pinot wherever you live, I would highly recommend that also (as an aside, their Sauv Blanc and Gewurz are among my 2 fav whites). We specialize in family and estate wineries, and my dad is a huge wine-o that wont represent anything he doesnt think is stellar. If you guys have any questions, I have a fairly good understanding of wines in general, I would be happy help where I can