what's the difference between red wine, white wine, merlot, chardonnay, white zinfind

[kate]

el, etc, etc, etc.?

and also, please recommend a nice sweet wine, under $15 i guess. i would like to graduate from arbor mist:o

[cosmo105]

pope valley sauvignon blanc (y)

red's made with red grapes (obviously), white with green. red's kept at room temperature, white's served chilled. as far as the differences in the wines, it's hard to describe. just try some until you get an idea. you can never go wrong with two buck chuck, that's for sure.

[Bob]

there's so much to say about the different types of wine. just buy a few different bottles and see what you like.

for example, california red wines range from sweet to dry, with pinot noir on the sweet end, and merlot on the dry end, and a bunch in between. i know nothing about foreign wines. apparently france and italy make it now and then

just search around the internet and then try a few different types, see what you like and what you don't

and don't buy wine that comes from a box

edit: recommending a sweet wine, oh

i guess just go to a store and browse the selection of pinot noirs, read the descriptions and buy one that fits your price range.

[QueenAdrock]

The next step up from Arbor Mist is Boone's Farm.

But red wines are stronger, and go with heavier dishes. White wines go with fish and lighter meals. Or if you're just gonna drink it straight, go with a box of Franzia. Class.

[QueenAdrock]

and don't buy wine that comes from a box

DON'T LISTEN TO THIS GUY. YOU CAN BE TOTALLY CLASSY FOR $10.

Bad thing is you can chug boxed wine pretty easily. At least the stuff I had. Man. :(

[abcdefz]

Different wines come from different grapes/regions/blends of grapes. The occasional varietial (sp?) is named based on whimsy alone.


If I were you -- $15 and under, sweet wine -- I'd go for a Reisling or a Gwertzemiener (spellings are both up in the air, but you get the idea). A Sauvignon Blanc or a Fume Blanc is great, if that's your taste, but it's more kind of nice grassy/dry than sweet.

Me -- I like chardonnay, but, again, it's more oaky/dry-fruity than sweet. You want sweet (but not sickly sweet, like white zin can be), go for Gwertzemeiner or Johannasberg Reisling.

[Bob]

DON'T LISTEN TO THIS GUY. YOU CAN BE TOTALLY CLASSY FOR $10.

yes, if you buy a bottle

[cosmo105]

^gwertz (y)

[QueenAdrock]

I disagree, Bob. Boxes are more romantic too. Nothing says "I love you" like a checkerboard tablecloth and a box of wine hanging over the side.

[Rock]

I hate wine. I mean can't stand it. Its one of those things that I'm like "if i have to acquire the taste for it then its not worth it"

but i always got a bottle of this shit at my house because it tastes soooo good and it always seems to make my wife's clothes magically fall off.

http://www.wegmans.com/greatMeals/tastings/wine/banfiChianti.asp

[abcdefz]

and don't buy wine that comes from a box




Agreed.


Also: when you see thopse shelf tags that say "87: Wine Spectator!" -- make sure the actual year and variety (and even location) matches up with what's on the shelf.

For instance, you might be enticed to buy a 2001 Acacia Pinot Noir from St. Mary's because the shelf tag screams out that it was awarded a 91 (great WS score, by the way). But look closer, because the tag might say, in fine print: "1999 Acacia Chardonnay St. Esther's."

Tricky... tricky...!

[abcdefz]

I disagree, Bob. Boxes are more romantic too. Nothing says "I love you" like a checkerboard tablecloth and a box of wine hanging over the side.



...stomach hanging over the belt?

[Rock]

Tricky... tricky...!
ok...we get it....you can't believe you missed out on how good Tricky is...jeeeez.

[QueenAdrock]

Actually, the biggest bang-for-your-buck wine I had was Bella Sera pinot grigio, 2004. I think it was $10-$15 and it was pretty damn good.

[Bob]

i tried a chianti once - i dunno, maybe i just got a bad one (for $10? possibly), but it just tasted like slightly spicy grape juice to me. it seemed very watery, i didn't like it.

that's a weird thing with whine though, even among the different kinds, there seems to be a wide variety of quality. you could live for a million years and never get it all.

some day when i'm rich and famous, i want to buy one of those $100 bottles. i've just GOT to know what the hell's in that bottle to make it worth $100

[Nuzzolese]

Sometimes I think wine is just an adult excuse to be a snob about something when really they just want to get drunk and still claim to be classy.

[Bob]

Sometimes I think wine is just an adult excuse to be a snob about something when really they just want to get drunk and still claim to be classy.

that's what martini time is for

[Rock]

Sometimes I think wine is just an adult excuse to be a snob about something when really they just want to get drunk and still claim to be classy.
nah....wine gives you a different kind of drunk feeling than beer or liquor. $100 bottles of wine (BOB) are for snobbing it out.

[QueenAdrock]

Sometimes I think wine is just an adult excuse to be a snob about something when really they just want to get drunk and still claim to be classy.

Yeah, I can agree with that. Though sometimes wine really does go well with dinner. It depends, I suppose.

[mickill]

I just buy the most expensive shit I can afford in the coolest bottle with the name I have the hardest time pronouncing.

[QueenAdrock]

nah....wine gives you a different kind of drunk feeling than beer or liquor. $100 bottles of wine (BOB) are for snobbing it out.


I can also see that. It's one of the reasons I don't drink wine that often, I often get way drunker, way faster, off of like a glass and a half.

Any scientific reason why that may happen? Heiress? Anyone?

[Bob]

nah....wine gives you a different kind of drunk feeling than beer or liquor. $100 bottles of wine (BOB) are for snobbing it out.

yeah, it really is a different kind of drunk. beer is a sloshy kind of drunk, wine is more of a fiery kind of drunk. liquor is windy, i guess

[Rock]

yeah, it really is a different kind of drunk. beer is a sloshy kind of drunk, wine is more of a fiery kind of drunk. liquor is windy, i guess
did you mean windy or windy?

[b i o n i c]

i love getting hammered off red wine and waking up with black lips. now thats class

[Bob]

did you mean windy or windy?

windy

[skra75]

I stick to the reds, when I'm feeling Faggy and want to Drink Wine.
This is what little I know:

Shiraz -
Typically sweeter, sometimes too sweet. Fruity, berry tasting. Good stuff.

Pinot Noir -
Really good, usually kind of expensive a nice balance of fruit and tannics. Dimensional.

Merlot -
Has a tannic taste, that means kind of bitter and alchoholish. Good to eat with Steak. A bit sweeter than...

Cabernet Sauvignon -
Very Tannic. Not a fan of this wine. But, alot of people are, so whatever.

I like "Bogle" which has a few varieties of reds and they are mostly good.
I also like "Charles Shaw" or "Two Buck Chuck" as it's called in wine snob parties I've been to.

[Frenchbgirl]

red's kept at room temperature, white's served chilled.


heart attack!!!!!!

you never drink chilled wine!!! NEVER!! never put any wine in your fridge, never put ice cubes in it, NEVER!!! except for champagne...

i don't know if you guys know the "rosé" (don't know the english name), it's a different kind of wine (between red and white), it's pink wine, it's my favourite, you can get really drunk with it without even realizing you're getting drunk, coz it's so sweet...(y)

[skra75]

It's called Blush here.
and it gets the award for being the Gayest Wine Of Them All.

[QueenAdrock]

Yeah, my mom bought cheap rosé once and it was in a little glass bottle that could be mistaken for juice so I grabbed it and chugged like half of it and once I put it down, I was like. Oh...shit. But wtf? My mom doesn't buy wine. Ever. Except then.

I couldn't taste the alcohol going down, but once I stopped and I had the after taste, I looked at the label. Fun morning, though.

[Dr Deaf]

trashy broads that think they're classy drink white zinn.

its true. i read it an email fw: 3 years ago.

[Documad]

trashy broads that think they're classy drink white zinn.

its true. i read it an email fw: 3 years ago.
:p

My mom drinks white zinn, because she likes sweet wine. She was a smoker and a drunk for so long, she has no taste buds though.

I don't like sweet wines unless it's with extremely spicy food.

[Dr Deaf]

:p

My mom drinks white zinn, because she likes sweet wine. She was a smoker and a drunk for so long, she has no taste buds though.

I don't like sweet wines unless it's with extremely spicy food.

oh shit. no disrespect to ma-documad. like i said, it was mentioned in an email forward a few years back. whenever beth and i are out and about and hear someone mention it or notice someone buying it, we exchange glances and subsequent smirks.

[Yeti]

I had a neighbor in South Florida that would always have a long stemmed glass of chardonnay filled with ice cubes. She was always drunk and smoked while holding her baby. Her husband was from Georgia. One day I saw him carrying a large container down the street. When he came back I asked--what is that? He said--this is my deep fryer. I was emptying the grease in the drainage ditch. I said--that feeds into the canal it isn't good for the fish. He said--well, hell, those fish aren't good eatin' anyway. I'm so glad to be away from that South Florida neighborhood. It was like living in zero lot line hillbilly hell.

[skra75]

He said--well, hell, those fish aren't good eatin' anyway.
HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH ohhh shit that's funny

[Yeti]

Oh, that guy makes my new neighbor Earle look like a nuclear scientist.

[Documad]

oh shit. no disrespect to ma-documad. like i said, it was mentioned in an email forward a few years back. whenever beth and i are out and about and hear someone mention it or notice someone buying it, we exchange glances and subsequent smirks.
No. It's totally true. :p My mom is a foul-mouthed old drunk.

She used to drink Chablis, which I'm not sure you can even buy outside of a box, but they never have that in restaurants so we get her white zin.

Her real drink of choice has always been Manhattans though. :D

[Yeti]

Who created wine in a box? The same guy that invented Hot Pockets?

[HEIRESS]

gewurztraminer wine is best eaten with spicey food, so goddamn good

white wines can be made from red grapes if the skins are removed prior to fermentation

many pinot noirs are a light pinkish color, so its not really all that faggy
and they taste fucking delicious


the best sweet wines are really well done fruit wines that come from small wineries, not that cheap mass marketed bullshit like arbour mist

there is one up here (elephant island) and they do the best black current wine Ive ever tasted and another one made from pears
they also do an ice wine that isnt so syrupy and gross because its made from crab apples so the tartness cuts through the sweetness and you could easily drink the whole bottle rather than a shotglass full which is the usual
they have a sweet suite that I wanna rent out some summer
http://www.elephantislandwine.com/treehouse-rentalinfo.php

dear god Ive been on too many winery tours already

my favorite wine is any brand of pinot grigio and anything from south africa

[paul jones]

I haven't had any wine gums for a while.They seem to be popular at christmas though but they can fuck up your jaws

[b-grrrlie]

I can't drink red wine at all, it's usually too acidy and makes me ill. Also they give you blue teeth (at least the cheaper ones). So I drink white, but ain't too keen on chardonnay. And boxed wines; I have to disagree with some of you guys, these days I almost only drink Dunavár Pinot Gris (http://www.vinklubben.se/viner/vin.asp?id=266), it's said to be one of the best white wines at the mo (at least for that price, and 2005 should be much better than 2003), and you can get it in a box (http://www.fondberg.se/uploaded_images/5701334Dunavar_Pinot_Gris_BIB.gif)!

[kate]

so in summary:
if i want sweet wine i should probably try a buncha different pinotsomethings,
boxes arent cool unless i'm trying to seduce diana,
white zinn is also not cool unless i'm feeling particularly trailery,
i SHOULDNT chill it? (but what if i really want to?),
if i have trouble deciding just go with two buck chuck,
and i should probably just go to one of those wine tastings.

i can't wait to get fiery, and not sloshy or windy:cool:

[Drederick Tatum]

basically if you're a girl or a faggy guy drink white wine. but if you're smart and cool and handsome and charming like me, or if you're just a serious lush, drink red wine. I find Pinot Noir is the safest option. I have yet to find a truly bad Pinot Noir...at any price they seem to be drinkable. the same can not be said for Shiraz or Merlot though.

[HEIRESS]

so in summary:
if i want sweet wine i should probably try a buncha different pinotsomethings,
boxes arent cool unless i'm trying to seduce diana,
white zinn is also not cool unless i'm feeling particularly trailery,
i SHOULDNT chill it? (but what if i really want to?),
if i have trouble deciding just go with two buck chuck,
and i should probably just go to one of those wine tastings.

i can't wait to get fiery, and not sloshy or windy:cool:

fucking put your goddamn white wine in the goddamn fridge

why would you ever drink it room temp BARFFFFFF

[befsquire]

i'm with heiress. chill your whites, have your reds at room temp.

with a white, i don't care for chardonnay. i like pinot grigio or a riesling, which are both pretty sweet. with reds, i like pinot noir or merlot. but as drederick said, you have to be careful with merlot because it's hit or miss.

wine should never come in a box or with a screw top cap.

[Drederick Tatum]

I think screw top caps are alright. some say they're better for the wine anyway.

[befsquire]

oh dear god, no.

take. it. back.

[Frenchbgirl]

fucking put your goddamn white wine in the goddamn fridge

why would you ever drink it room temp BARFFFFFF


because it's just the way it should be!!!! you never keep your wine in a fridge, period.
it's just bad for the wine, it won't taste the same.
like i said, you can chill champagne and rosé and THAT'S IT!

[Tammeloeki]

Always keep white wine cooled everybody knows that

[na§tee]

my flatmate has a french girlfriend and i think she's of the camp that you should never put white wine in the fridge for an extended period of time, only a couple of hours before you are due to drink it. of course white wine should be chilled! otherwise, why would they serve it in ice buckets at restaurants?

i'm not much of a wine connoisseur. i'm mostly motivated by the price, to be honest. although because i'm a big cheapy, i always drink red mostly rioja or cabernet shiraz merlot. cheap red wines suffer far less than cheap white wines; i love white wines but cheap ones will make you blind. and horribly drunk.

the best dining experience i ever had - at the buttery in glasgow for my graduation meal - that had an awesome wine matching to your food thang for starters, mains and desserts. it was great, taking the hassle out of choosing your own and it perfectly complimenting your food. i adore dessert wine too, but i only have that once every decade or something when i'm allowed to go to fancy restaurants.

rock, i smiled at the comment about your wife! :cool:

[Frenchbgirl]

i give up...

[skra75]

Maybe it's just a french thing.
French people do eat nasty stuff like Chicken Hearts in Cream Sauce and 100 Year old ass-smelling cheese.
Perhaps it's a regional flavor thing.
I've never had a white that wasn't chilled.

I've also never had a white that didn't make me get a really bad headache and make me feel socially uncomfortable.

[Rancid_Beasties]

Somebody in here said shiraz was sweet. Wtf? Its actually usually quite dry. It is by far the best red wine. Most Australian shiraz's are so bold they will put hairs on your chest. Cab Sauv is alright, a bit soft but i like the plummy tastes some throw at you. Merlot is the most nothing wine out there. Seriously useless unless used in a blend. Pinot noir is for trendy, soft yuppies. However, the mornington peninsula in australia makes some pretty decent ones.

White wines are crap across the board.

[abcdefz]

so in summary:
if i want sweet wine i should probably try a buncha different pinotsomethings,
boxes arent cool unless i'm trying to seduce diana,
white zinn is also not cool unless i'm feeling particularly trailery,
i SHOULDNT chill it? (but what if i really want to?),
if i have trouble deciding just go with two buck chuck,
and i should probably just go to one of those wine tastings.

i can't wait to get fiery, and not sloshy or windy:cool:



No

More or less

More or less

Yes, you can chill it, but I wouldn't leave it in the fridge for any extended period. Reds should be served at about 60-65 degrees F, whites at about 50-55. (Generally, people serve reds too warm and whites too cold.)

No.

Your call.


P.S. If you buy a red and it tastes too strong (probably too tannic) to you, let it breathe for a bit (i.e. leave the bottle uncorked in the open room). Try it about twenty-thirty minutes later.

[kate]

this is all too hard. i'm sticking with arbor mist

[Frenchbgirl]

100 Year old ass-smelling cheese.


try it before saying it's not good!!
i've been in NYC two weeks ago, and i tried to eat your so-called cheese....you guys eat plastic you call cheese...it just has no taste at all...

but you're right, every country has its own food traditions... that's why it's fun to travel!
like in america, you guys seem to like fat food!:D :D (now you're all mad at me, right?!):p

[Bob]

Somebody in here said shiraz was sweet. Wtf? Its actually usually quite dry. It is by far the best red wine. Most Australian shiraz's are so bold they will put hairs on your chest. Cab Sauv is alright, a bit soft but i like the plummy tastes some throw at you. Merlot is the most nothing wine out there. Seriously useless unless used in a blend. Pinot noir is for trendy, soft yuppies. However, the mornington peninsula in australia makes some pretty decent ones.

White wines are crap across the board.

re: merlot v. pinot noir

my experience is limited to $10 bottles of wine, but i've found that pinot noir is a little more bland (of course maybe most $10 pinot noirs are, i wouldn't know). merlot has a better taste to it, i think.

i agree with you about shiraz and cabernet sauvignon though, i think those two have been my favorites so far.

[beastieangel01]

since we're on the subject, what's a good red wine for those that tend to stick with white wine?

[HEIRESS]

these dudes make a pinot gris to die for, and Ive totally gotten drunk while looking at that view! (http://www.hmvineyard.com/)

white wine is awesome
red wine is awesome

I really dont get the debate

[Rock]

http://www.wegmans.com/greatMeals/tastings/wine/banfiChianti.asp

[skra75]

since we're on the subject, what's a good red wine for those that tend to stick with white wine?

I'd ask for something fruity, like a Pinot that has "Berry" "Fruity" or "Plum" descriptions in the menu.

Or...Shiraz (at least every one I've ever had) tends to be sweeter. At least over here. although I've heard some really good wines come from Australia.

Ideally, look for a Pinot Noir made from red grapes that have been skinned, like HEIRESS reco'd. Those are pricey though.

Steer clear of Merlot or Cabernet. Too Complex. Or anything that has descriptiosn of "Bold" "Woody" "Oaky" or "Tannins" in the description. These are flavors your palatte isn't used to, they'll disturb you.

[na§tee]

i'm bumping this because i want bef and heiress to know that i specifically logged on and searched for their white wine recommendations because i am just about to go to the shop and treat myself to a nice evening meal and bottle of wine - mostly because diana has made me hanker for a good bottle after her hangover thread, haha.

i haven't had white wine in monthssss, perhaps half a year, and needed some advice. and i remembered this thread and thinking "bef and heiress are good gals to trust. they look like they would know their shit." so.. i'm going to get a pinot grigio (y)

i also noticed while reading this that bef was inadvertently calling little j a trashy broad when she guessed she was drinking white zin a few days ago :cool: hahaha, i kid, i kid!

so, here's to two fabulous women by the name of bef and heiress.

i'll let you know the result of my search when i consume the thing, heh.

[HEIRESS]

so, how was it?

I find I've been drinking mostly australian wines the last while because they are cheap but good.

thanks down under.

[jabumbo]

i've found that the best cheaper wine round these parts is 'avia'. its from lithuania or something, and they sell em for close to $10 for a larger sized bottle.



but really? did you really think of this thread 3 years later?

[faz]

Wine Library TV (y) (http://tv.winelibrary.com/)