I am not a regular drinker, but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of
wine a night or as an appetizer/dessert. The problem is that every wine I
have tried tastes terrible to me. I have tried cheap, mid priced, and
expensive. I know virtually nothing about wines but figure I just have not
found the right one for me. Any suggestions?

Hi Mel,
Maybe you could try an inexpensive Piesporter Riesling. Always
a hit in our house - even with non-wine drinkers. Lots of wine
out there, and there has to be one that's just right for you!

Good luck,
Dick

Mel wrote:
> I am not a regular drinker, but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of
> wine a night or as an appetizer/dessert. The problem is that every wine I
> have tried tastes terrible to me. I have tried cheap, mid priced, and
> expensive. I know virtually nothing about wines but figure I just have not
> found the right one for me. Any suggestions?
>
>

It might be that you haven't found anything that tastes good to you. Or
maybe its that the wine you're choosing doesn't go well with the food you
are eating. My friend, who knows very little about wines, decides what she
wants to eat and then asks the guy at the local wine store to recommend an
appropriate mid-priced wine. The results are almost always pleasant.

"Mel" > wrote in message
...
> I am not a regular drinker, but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of
> wine a night or as an appetizer/dessert. The problem is that every wine I
> have tried tastes terrible to me. I have tried cheap, mid priced, and
> expensive. I know virtually nothing about wines but figure I just have not
> found the right one for me. Any suggestions?
>
>

"Mel" asks....

>I am not a regular drinker,<

Not beer, whiskey, cocktails or anything?

>but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of wine a night or as an
appetizer/dessert.<

Just curious.....why? Because of the perceived medical benefits you've seen in
the news?

>The problem is that every wine I have tried tastes terrible to me.<

And unfortunately it may be that regardless of what you buy/try, they'll all
taste like garbage. Not everyone has a hankering for the grape. Many women
especially, but some gents as well, are really not tuned to the grape. Or not
yet.....

Doesn't make you a bad person, just wired a little different from those of us
that have made the leap. I remember a time in my life where wine held no
interest. And then like acquiring a taste for brussel sprouts, calves liver or
a million other good eats, the grape hit me over the head.

It would help for you to analyse what characteristics you "do" like about wine
and move with those. Sweetness vs dry pucker in the mouth? Aftertaste?

Have you tried the other family of grapes? Ports, sherries, brandies, cognacs,
etc.? You may find those more pleasant and they will have some of those same
perceived benefits associated with them that the wines do.

But finally, if you're not a drinker of any sort, listen to your body. Don't
push it. Many folks can be allergic to alcohol at many levels, with symptoms
ranging from discomfort to death or can simply experience very elevated blood
pressure.

Always here for my fellow syngraphist or oenophile.
--=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=--

Salut/Hi Jim,

le/on 18 Oct 2003 23:13:03 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

>"Mel" asks....
>
>>I am not a regular drinker,<
>
>Not beer, whiskey, cocktails or anything?
>
>>but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of wine a night or as an
>appetizer/dessert.<
>
>Just curious.....why? Because of the perceived medical benefits you've seen in
>the news?

just what I was wondering myself.

>>The problem is that every wine I have tried tastes terrible to me.<

When I read that I seriously wondered if it wasn't intended as a troll.

>But finally, if you're not a drinker of any sort, listen to your body. Don't
>push it. Many folks can be allergic to alcohol at many levels, with symptoms
>ranging from discomfort to death or can simply experience very elevated blood
>pressure.

Very sensible.

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare

Sometimes oi just sits and thinks
Sometimes oi just sits.

What is a troll? I can assure you that I was simply asking a question and
not expecting to be accused of anything. I wanted to drink it at night
because I don't want to drink it in the daytime..... I was just asking for
opinions...


"Ian Hoare" > wrote in message
...
> Salut/Hi Jim,
>
> le/on 18 Oct 2003 23:13:03 GMT, tu disais/you said:-
>
> >"Mel" asks....
> >
> >>I am not a regular drinker,<
> >
> >Not beer, whiskey, cocktails or anything?
> >
> >>but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of wine a night or as an
> >appetizer/dessert.<
> >
> >Just curious.....why? Because of the perceived medical benefits you've
seen in
> >the news?
>
> just what I was wondering myself.
>
> >>The problem is that every wine I have tried tastes terrible to me.<
>
> When I read that I seriously wondered if it wasn't intended as a troll.
>
> >But finally, if you're not a drinker of any sort, listen to your body.
Don't
> >push it. Many folks can be allergic to alcohol at many levels, with
symptoms
> >ranging from discomfort to death or can simply experience very elevated
blood
> >pressure.
>
> Very sensible.
>
> --
> All the Best
> Ian Hoare
>
> Sometimes oi just sits and thinks
> Sometimes oi just sits.

"Mel" > wrote in :



>> >
>> >>but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of wine a night or as
>> >>an
>> >appetizer/dessert.<
>> >
>> >Just curious.....why? Because of the perceived medical benefits
>> >you've
> seen in
>> >the news?
>>
>> just what I was wondering myself.
>>
>> >>The problem is that every wine I have tried tastes terrible to me.<
>>

So either you have been drnking really bad stuff, or you don't care for
wine. Either way if we don't know specifics we can't give specific
advice. If you have been trying Mogan David or the like or if you have
poured a glass of Dom Perignon it makes a huge difference.

What don't you like about what you have tried? too sweet, not sweet
enough?

think about it this way "Had some food, it was horrible won't do that
again!"


>
>

Salut/Hi Mel,

le/on Tue, 21 Oct 2003 05:39:06 -0500, tu disais/you said:-

>> >>but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of wine a night or as an
>> >appetizer/dessert.<

Jim asked (though you've not answered him)

>> >Just curious.....why? Because of the perceived medical benefits you've
>> >seen in the news?

I commented

>> just what I was wondering myself.

You went on to say

>> >>The problem is that every wine I have tried tastes terrible to me.<
>>
>> When I read that I seriously wondered if it wasn't intended as a troll.

And you came back to say

>What is a troll?

A troll is someone who makes an inflammatory post just for the effect.

> I can assure you that I was simply asking a question and not expecting to be accused of anything.

Do you know the saying "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can
never hurt them. The Usenet is a a place where people do odd things, and we
quite often get people writing here to see if they can wind us up.

> I wanted to drink it at night because I don't want to drink it in the daytime.....

But why do you want to drink it at all, if you don't like it? There's no
particular virtue in drinking wine, and drinking wine for the sake of it is
a loser's game if ever there was one.

--
All the Best
Ian Hoare

Sometimes oi just sits and thinks
Sometimes oi just sits.

On Tue, 21 Oct 2003 05:39:06 -0500, "Mel" > wrote:

>What is a troll? I can assure you that I was simply asking a question and
>not expecting to be accused of anything. I wanted to drink it at night
>because I don't want to drink it in the daytime..... I was just asking for
>opinions...

Mel,

Since you appear to be a rookie, or newbie to this news group thing,
you have to put up with the arrogant SOBs who like to pounce on people
like you, trying to demean you. Fear not Us lurkers come to the
rescue once in a while.

To answer your question(s), you might want to start with a sweet
German Peisporter wine or a white zinfandel wine, just to get
acclimated with drinking wine. These are more closely related to
fruit juice as far as I am concerned, however, they'll give you a
start. In fact, that's where I started.

The benefits will come when you become acclimated to red wine, of
which, there is an infinite amount of good stuff. Since I refuse to
drink French wines, your might try American Cabernets, Australian
Shiraz or my favorite - Italian Reds.

Wente Vineyards of Livermore, Ca., has recently put out a fairly good
Cabernet the past two years, and a fairly decent price. There are too
many California wines to mention here. There are also many great
Oregon and Washington wines (reds). Caymus (any year) is pretty
outstanding. Stags Leap is also quite consistent. Of course the two
above is on the higher end of the price scale.

I am a fan of Super Tuscans, of which the Sangiovese grape is king.
When you become acclimated, you must try the following:

1990 Antinori Tignanello
1997 Antinori Solaia
1998 Antinori Ornellias

They'll set you back quite a few bucks, but well worth it.

I realize that I will soon be attacked by the lovers of French Wine,
however, I have my reasons and will stick to my guns.

A glass or two a night will do you good. Keep at it an no matter what
your taste is, you will soon be craving the taste of a good red. Much
like drinking two fingers scotch, gotta get used to it first.

rr

(rr) pontificates....

>Since you appear to be a rookie<

Wrong leap of logic and conclusion, oh wise one.

>or newbie to this news group thing<

She's not....Wrong #2. Nice try. Go again.

>you have to put up with the arrogant SOBs who like to pounce on people like
you, trying to demean you.

Wrong #3. Too bad. If Mom had any idea what a failure you'd become....

>The benefits will come when you become acclimated to red wine<

And the coup de grace of ignorance.....I'm the one who asked why she wanted a
glass of wine and further, was it for the perceived health benefit? She chose
not to answer. Ergo, you led with an unfounded premise.

>To answer your question(s)<

You didn't.....

You have scored very low Weedhopper. While admonishing others for arrogance,
your well honed trolling skills have peeked out from under your skirt and
become painfully evident to the world.

Go jump in Kilauea. Do not pass GO.

Always here for my fellow syngraphist or oenophile.
--=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=--

Stoned Jim rosit in a drunken stupor, fell off his
bar stool and gurgled:

>Wrong leap of logic and conclusion, oh wise one.
No logic here, just plain common sense. Mel obviously wanted to know
something about wine drinking. Thanks for the compliment.

>She's not....Wrong #2. Nice try. Go again.
She's a newbie to morons like you, who don't answer questions, but
rather enjoy jerking people around.

>
>Wrong #3. Too bad. If Mom had any idea what a failure you'd become....
Funny thing! That's exactly what your mammy said to me after tea last
week.

>And the coup de grace of ignorance.....I'm the one who asked why she wanted a
>glass of wine and further, was it for the perceived health benefit?
The "epitome of ignorance" asks why she wanted to drink a glass of
wine. Its because she wanted to drink a glass of wine. Duh? Should
have had nothing to do with respectfully answering the question.

>She chose not to answer. Ergo, you led with an unfounded premise.
She chose not to answer because of your moronic comeback. Mel chose
not be be the target of your fodder.


>You didn't.....
Now here's the kicker about a premise being wrong. My intent was not
to answer her question, but rather to point out the high-muck-a-muck
types who answer sincere questions with ignorant questions of their
own. The fact that her question might have been answered is
incidental.

>You have scored very low Weedhopper. While admonishing others for arrogance,
>your well honed trolling skills have peeked out from under your skirt and
>become painfully evident to the world.
What is painfully evident, Pecker head, is your total lack of class in
dealing with people. Trolls? I have exposed your "not-so-tacky"
trolling skills which peeked its ugly head from out of your rectum.
Painful not only to the world, but I'm sure, to yourself. Talk about
scoring low.

>Go jump in Kilauea. Do not pass GO.
Now, pick yourself off the floor, call a taxi and have the taxi take
you back to the sanitarium. Oh yeh, tell your mammy all the bad
things you have done and have her slap you upside the head a couple of
times before they let you out again.

On another note, stay away from the Ripple.

Now, really, GO AWAY.

rr

(rr) stumbles within his own post and sez....

>Its because she wanted to drink a glass of wine. Duh? Should have had
nothing to do with respectfully answering the question.<

But OTOH sez...

>My intent was not to answer her question<

....but to editorialize on others and the French. How clever.

>The fact that her question might have been answered is incidental.<

Oh well, that's good. Hate to think we wasted your few lapses of sanity.

>On another note, stay away from the Ripple.<

Wow. Really pathetic. Can you feel the lava between your toes yet?

Always here for my fellow syngraphist or oenophile.
--=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=--

While there discussing the philosophy of drinking wine (I think).

The best way to start is telling us what you have been drinking and what you
don't like about it. The easiest thing to do is order a glass at a
restaurant. This way your acquiring your taste but not spending a fortune
on a bottle you don't like. If you like the wine by the glass write down 2
things. The first is what you liked about it, the second is what you tasted
during and after and the way the wine smelt to you. If possible ask the
waiter if you can have the label and make a small book with labels of what
you like.

My two corks worth.

Not4wood


"Jim" > wrote in message
...
> (rr) stumbles within his own post and sez....
>
> >Its because she wanted to drink a glass of wine. Duh? Should have had
> nothing to do with respectfully answering the question.<
>
> But OTOH sez...
>
> >My intent was not to answer her question<
>
> ...but to editorialize on others and the French. How clever.
>
> >The fact that her question might have been answered is incidental.<
>
> Oh well, that's good. Hate to think we wasted your few lapses of sanity.
>
> >On another note, stay away from the Ripple.<
>
> Wow. Really pathetic. Can you feel the lava between your toes yet?
>
> Always here for my fellow syngraphist or oenophile.
> --=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=--

Don't forget New York wines.


Not4wood

"Jim" > wrote in message
...
> (rr) stumbles within his own post and sez....
>
> >Its because she wanted to drink a glass of wine. Duh? Should have had
> nothing to do with respectfully answering the question.<
>
> But OTOH sez...
>
> >My intent was not to answer her question<
>
> ...but to editorialize on others and the French. How clever.
>
> >The fact that her question might have been answered is incidental.<
>
> Oh well, that's good. Hate to think we wasted your few lapses of sanity.
>
> >On another note, stay away from the Ripple.<
>
> Wow. Really pathetic. Can you feel the lava between your toes yet?
>
> Always here for my fellow syngraphist or oenophile.
> --=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=--

"not4wood" > wrote in :

> Don't forget New York wines.
>
>
> Not4wood
>
> "Jim" > wrote in message
> ...
>> (rr) stumbles within his own post and
sez....
>>
>> >Its because she wanted to drink a glass of wine. Duh? Should have
had
>> nothing to do with respectfully answering the question.<
>>
>> But OTOH sez...
>>
>> >My intent was not to answer her question<
>>
>> ...but to editorialize on others and the French. How clever.
>>
>> >The fact that her question might have been answered is incidental.<
>>
>> Oh well, that's good. Hate to think we wasted your few lapses of
sanity.
>>
>> >On another note, stay away from the Ripple.<
>>
>> Wow. Really pathetic. Can you feel the lava between your toes yet?
>>
>> Always here for my fellow syngraphist or oenophile.
>> --=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=--
>
I've never had a New York wine I liked. What do you suggest?

On 23 Oct 2003 Soned Jim rosit after his second
bottle of Pagen Pink, slurred:

>Oh well, that's good. Hate to think we wasted your few lapses of sanity.

Oh, lapses, I do have much. However, next time I share tea with your
mammy, I will express to her my deepest sympathy. It must have been
quite a task for her to raise an imbecile.

"poof"
rr

>I've never had a New York wine I liked. What do you suggest?


These comments refer to Finger Lakes. I have very little experience with
downstate wines.

Riesling, if you can find them. They are not widely distributed. They come in
both dry and off dry. A few god Chardonnay and Gewurztraminer are made. The
reds are generally short because it's not hot enough for a long period of time
for red grapes to ripen. There is some luck with lighter Pinot Noirs. NYS wines
have good acidity.

Downstate (Long Island and Hudson) are supposed to have a few good reds.
Someone else can comment on them.

Tom Schellberg

"Mel" > wrote in message >...
> I am not a regular drinker, but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of
> wine a night or as an appetizer/dessert. The problem is that every wine I
> have tried tastes terrible to me. I have tried cheap, mid priced, and
> expensive. I know virtually nothing about wines but figure I just have not
> found the right one for me. Any suggestions?


LOL,
I too am new to drinking wine. I usually drink beer. I think the
reason
wine never appealed to me was because I was serving it wrong. It seems
that not wines are served at room temperature. I have learned allot
about wines and serving wines just by reading these newsgroup
postings. Does anyone know of a good wine book/software/website that
lists wine types, their main ingredients, the conditions/temperature
that wines are to be served, and with what types of meals?

Thanks in advanced, Alex

On 14-Nov-2003, (Anon) wrote:

> "Mel" > wrote in message
> >...
> > I am not a regular drinker, but wanted to try to start drinking a glass
> > of
> > wine a night or as an appetizer/dessert. The problem is that every wine
> > I
> > have tried tastes terrible to me. I have tried cheap, mid priced, and
> > expensive. I know virtually nothing about wines but figure I just have
> > not
> > found the right one for me. Any suggestions?
>
>
> LOL,
> I too am new to drinking wine. I usually drink beer. I think the
> reason
> wine never appealed to me was because I was serving it wrong. It seems
> that not wines are served at room temperature. I have learned allot
> about wines and serving wines just by reading these newsgroup
> postings. Does anyone know of a good wine book/software/website that
> lists wine types, their main ingredients, the conditions/temperature
> that wines are to be served, and with what types of meals?
>
> Thanks in advanced, Alex

Try Wine for Dummies (I hate the titles but they generally are good books)
or Windows on the World Wine Course (by Kevin Zraly, from Windows on the
World restaurant, NYC). Both are good beginners books, and are what I tell
new employees to read as they are learning about wine.

In article >, "CabFan"
> writes:

>Try Wine for Dummies (I hate the titles but they generally are good books)
>or Windows on the World Wine Course (by Kevin Zraly, from Windows on the
>World restaurant, NYC). Both are good beginners books, and are what I tell
>new employees to read as they are learning about wine

Good suggestions (as you say, the Dummies book is better than the title).
Andrea Immer's "Great Wine Made Simple" (or somethign like that) is good, if
you're willing to take the effort to try her taste comparison pairings (oaked
vs unoaked, etc).
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

> Try Wine for Dummies (I hate the titles but they generally are good books)
> or Windows on the World Wine Course (by Kevin Zraly, from Windows on the
> World restaurant, NYC). Both are good beginners books, and are what I tell
> new employees to read as they are learning about wine.

Thanks,
I read "wine for dumbies 2003" last night in the book store. I didn't
buy it because it was $27 and it only took me an hour to read it. It
was pretty straight forward and easy to understand.
It mentioned that just about all wines should be serverd at 65-72%. I
like my wine chilled allot cooler than that mainly because I do not
like the strong alcoholic vapors in the glass as I try to drink it.
Chilling the wine seems to alleviate this. Are there certain wines
that should "not" be chilled and enjoyed at room temperture? If so
what is a good wine to enjoy at room temperture? As of now I don't
care for the dry, oak taste in wine. I like
fruitfullness(mild-bold/lightly-wet I believe) I am sure as you try
more wines your preferences may change. I will read the other
suggestions also.

Thanks again, Alex

>It mentioned that just about all wines should be serverd at 65-72%. I
>like my wine chilled allot cooler than that mainly because I do not
>like the strong alcoholic vapors in the glass as I try to drink it.

snip

> As of now I don't
>care for the dry, oak taste in wine. I like
>fruitfullness(mild-bold/lightly-wet I believe)

The problem may be as much the types of wines you are trying as the serving
temperature. It seems to be the style today to make very oaky, tannic wines. I
believe many of them (especially Cabernet Sauv.) need more bottle age than many
people give them. Try some Pinot Noir, Beaujolais, Zinfandel, and see if you
like any of these. These are more fruit driven and less tannic than Cabernet
(although each in quite a different style). I don't think it would be a problem
serving any of these in the low 60s (the Beaujolais a little cooler).

Most experts say you should serve reds at cool room temp. (low 60s).

Do some experimenting by trying a lot of different types of wines. And work
with a good merchant who knows (or can learn) your preferences. You'll get some
idea what you like.

Tom Schellberg

"Anon" > wrote in message
om...
> It mentioned that just about all wines should be serverd at 65-72%. I
> like my wine chilled allot cooler than that mainly because I do not
> like the strong alcoholic vapors in the glass as I try to drink it.
> Chilling the wine seems to alleviate this. Are there certain wines
> that should "not" be chilled and enjoyed at room temperture? If so
> what is a good wine to enjoy at room temperture? As of now I don't
> care for the dry, oak taste in wine. I like
> fruitfullness(mild-bold/lightly-wet I believe)
Firstly, I feel that the 65-72F recommendation is a bit high, it should
rather be 59-65F. Secondly, the fruiter wines are often best enjoyed at the
lower part of the range. It is the big, complex, well aged and developed
wines that show best at the higher temperatures and those are often
perceived as oaky or tannic by beginners.
Anders

In article >, "Anders Tørneskog"
> writes:

>Firstly, I feel that the 65-72F recommendation is a bit high, it should
>rather be 59-65F. Secondly, the fruiter wines are often best enjoyed at the
>lower part of the range.

Agreed, I'm surprised that the Wine for Dummies would say 72 was ok.
Dale

Dale Williams
Drop "damnspam" to reply

In article >, says...
>
>I am not a regular drinker, but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of
>wine a night or as an appetizer/dessert. The problem is that every wine I
>have tried tastes terrible to me. I have tried cheap, mid priced, and
>expensive. I know virtually nothing about wines but figure I just have not
>found the right one for me. Any suggestions?
>

Mel,

You do not indicate why you want to try to start drinking a glass of wine, and
that might be important.

First, I'll assume that you are legit in your expression of both desire to
drink and enjoy wine, and in your feelings that the enjoyment has been missing
in your previous attempts. I'll get slightly personal and anecdotal: I too did
not appreciate wine. Beers and ales and a few "hard liquor" drinks were more to
my tastes. My wife and many of her friends enjoyed wine and attempted to get my
interest up, but didn't meet with much success. About every wine that I tasted
seemed unpleasant in some way. As this was the 60's in the US, Mateus Rosé and
Lancer's Rosé were becoming popular. I found that I enjoyed both, but still
didn't really embrace wine in general. At least I now had two wines from which
I could derive enjoyment when in the company of my wife's friends. They didn't
look down their noses too much and just accepted my un-refined tastes - at
least I was drinking wine. Outside the boundaries of these two wines, not much
else was appealing to me. I still sampled other wines and just didn't get it.
After many wasted years, a very good friend introduced me to a Bordeaux from
the Pomerol over a wonderful dinner. The wine was phenomenal. Over the course
of evening, it changed several times in the glass much to my amazement and
delight. Over that glass of wine, I had a catharsis. Had my tastes changed so
dramatically? Had the evening with great friends changed the wine? Was this
just such a different wine that I had ever experienced? Who knows, other than I
found that I loved wine totally. I had a complete 180º turn. My biggest regret
is that I wasted so much time before I made this discovery.

OK, where is this leading, you might ask? To know if you will ever like wine,
you should experience a good deal of it. Considering that there are literally
tens of thousands of wines available someplace, that will take several
life-times. Pretty bleak endeavor, if you finally decide that NO, you just
don't LIKE wine. My advice is to attempt to sample a very broad spectrum of
wine in the most favorable conditions, and then make that decision, knowing
that your personal tastes might well change at some point and then you might
wish to start over. I'd suggest that you not concentrate on what price a wine
is, and also ignore someone's rating of a wine. Price, while giving a clue as
to quality leaves so many variables unaddressed as to be worthless here. One's
personal rating is just that a personal observation based on their individual
preferences - not yours. A possible start to your quest would be a book by
Andrea Immer, Master Sommelier, "Great Wine, Made Simple." ISBN 0-7679-0477-X.
Her approach is based on tasting wine and follows, IMHO, a very logical
progression. Hers is more a "workbook," than a traditional wine text. Because
it does involve actually tasting many wines, it might help to have a few
friends around so you don't end up with a bunch of bottles that do not get
consumed. The process is about experiencing wine at many levels and there is
also quite a bit of information to be gleaned from the reading of the book -
along with the fun of actually drinking the wine. She covers some background
material, i.e. serving temps, glassware, and the like, which should help put
each wine in the most favorable light. Again, having those friends around can
do far more than just allow all the wine to be consumed.

While certainly every available wine is not covered in this book - it has fewer
than 300 pages, sans appendices, it covers an extremely broad range of wines,
giving you a great opportunity to see if there really isn't something out there
that you DO enjoy. Even if you discover that you really do not enjoy wine,
you'll have experience and knowledge and can keep up the conversation with
those who do like wine.

Good luck and I hope you find the starting point that you need for a life
accompanied by wine.
Hunt

In article >,
says...
>
>"Mel" > wrote in message
>..
>.
>> I am not a regular drinker, but wanted to try to start drinking a glass of
>> wine a night or as an appetizer/dessert. The problem is that every wine I
>> have tried tastes terrible to me. I have tried cheap, mid priced, and
>> expensive. I know virtually nothing about wines but figure I just have not
>> found the right one for me. Any suggestions?
>
>
>LOL,
>I too am new to drinking wine. I usually drink beer. I think the
>reason
>wine never appealed to me was because I was serving it wrong. It seems
>that not wines are served at room temperature. I have learned allot
>about wines and serving wines just by reading these newsgroup
>postings. Does anyone know of a good wine book/software/website that
>lists wine types, their main ingredients, the conditions/temperature
>that wines are to be served, and with what types of meals?
>
> Thanks in advanced, Alex

Alex,
You might want to take a look at the book that I recommended to Mel, Andrea
Immer's "Great Wine Made Simple." It gives much of the data that you asked for,
and does it in a fun way - you drink wine!

Hunt

In article >,
says...
>
>
>On 14-Nov-2003, (Anon) wrote:
>
>> "Mel" > wrote in message
>> >...
>> > I am not a regular drinker, but wanted to try to start drinking a glass
>> > of
>> > wine a night or as an appetizer/dessert. The problem is that every wine
>> > I
>> > have tried tastes terrible to me. I have tried cheap, mid priced, and
>> > expensive. I know virtually nothing about wines but figure I just have
>> > not
>> > found the right one for me. Any suggestions?
>>
>>
>> LOL,
>> I too am new to drinking wine. I usually drink beer. I think the
>> reason
>> wine never appealed to me was because I was serving it wrong. It seems
>> that not wines are served at room temperature. I have learned allot
>> about wines and serving wines just by reading these newsgroup
>> postings. Does anyone know of a good wine book/software/website that
>> lists wine types, their main ingredients, the conditions/temperature
>> that wines are to be served, and with what types of meals?
>>
>> Thanks in advanced, Alex
>
>Try Wine for Dummies (I hate the titles but they generally are good books)
>or Windows on the World Wine Course (by Kevin Zraly, from Windows on the
>World restaurant, NYC). Both are good beginners books, and are what I tell
>new employees to read as they are learning about wine.

I agree completely. I'd had the Dummies... book for many years and had turned
up my nose at it (it was a gift from a well-meaning relative). After Broadbent,
Laube, Parker and many, many more, I picked it up one day, and opened it for
the first time. I was amazed at hope well-written (some of the humor escaped
me, but that was minor), and thorough it was. It actually answered a few
nagging questions that Robinson, Clarke, and many more had never covered! I
plan on picking up their two additional titles when I see them. I just wish
that they had different titles...

Hunt

PS Yes to Zraly's book too. Immer was on his staff at one time.

In article >,
amnspam says...
>
>In article >, "CabFan"
> writes:
>
>>Try Wine for Dummies (I hate the titles but they generally are good books)
>>or Windows on the World Wine Course (by Kevin Zraly, from Windows on the
>>World restaurant, NYC). Both are good beginners books, and are what I tell
>>new employees to read as they are learning about wine
>
>Good suggestions (as you say, the Dummies book is better than the title).
>Andrea Immer's "Great Wine Made Simple" (or somethign like that) is good, if
>you're willing to take the effort to try her taste comparison pairings (oaked
>vs unoaked, etc).
>Dale
>
>Dale Williams
>Drop "damnspam" to reply

I had not seen your response, when I made the Immer suggestion - sorry, you
beat me to it.
Hunt

In article >,
says...
>
>> Try Wine for Dummies (I hate the titles but they generally are good books)
>> or Windows on the World Wine Course (by Kevin Zraly, from Windows on the
>> World restaurant, NYC). Both are good beginners books, and are what I tell
>> new employees to read as they are learning about wine.
>
>Thanks,
>I read "wine for dumbies 2003" last night in the book store. I didn't
>buy it because it was $27 and it only took me an hour to read it. It
>was pretty straight forward and easy to understand.
>It mentioned that just about all wines should be serverd at 65-72%. I
>like my wine chilled allot cooler than that mainly because I do not
>like the strong alcoholic vapors in the glass as I try to drink it.
>Chilling the wine seems to alleviate this. Are there certain wines
>that should "not" be chilled and enjoyed at room temperture? If so
>what is a good wine to enjoy at room temperture? As of now I don't
>care for the dry, oak taste in wine. I like
>fruitfullness(mild-bold/lightly-wet I believe) I am sure as you try
>more wines your preferences may change. I will read the other
>suggestions also.
>
> Thanks again, Alex

One aspect of the lower temp is that many of the characteristics of the wine
are masked, or numbed - both good and bad.

Bigger Chards are good candidates for being served a bit warmer. I feel this is
true for Burgundies as well as OZ and CA big-guns.

Hunt

PS I hope you mean European "room temp" and not December inside Aunt Millie's
house in Cedar Rapids!