New to wine and requesting suggestions

Hello all -

by way of explanation, I am doing cost analysis for the liquor at a very large nightclub, and this led me to an interest in the wine list and exposing my palette.

I have been a bourbon enthusiast, sipping a half ounce or so from a Glencairne glass and taking notes. That's a sort way of saying I like the flavors of liquor and enjoy complexity sometimes.

What are some good starter wines that won't break the bank? Say under $20, or even under $15. I'd really appreciate some suggestions from anyone with experience. I'm currently working on a bottle of Apothic Red 2012, which was recommended to me and is very good, especially considering how inexpensive it is. For now that works, since I don't think I know enough to appreciate an expensive wine just yet, I'm still getting my taste buds trained.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

Thanks in advance!

There are so many brands available, even in pretty normal grocery stores. It's pretty hard to not pick up a decent drinking wine in the $15-20 range.

I always suggest a Spanish or Italian wine for beginners. They will likely be blends.

Where do you live? If there are wineries or tasting rooms nearby, go there. There is a lot of information available at a winery.

BlackBard said:

Where do you live? If there are wineries or tasting rooms nearby, go there. There is a lot of information available at a winery.

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I'm in midtown Manhattan. There's a nice wine shop that just opened on West 45th called Studio Veritas, and they should be helpful. I guess I should start drinking wine with meals and get a feel for it (never really consumed it much before, which explains my relative confusion).

Pick up Wine for Dummies and read through that. It provides a good baseline for getting into wine. The good thing is, you already know how to taste wine, you just don't know it yet. Your whiskey drinking/tasting will carry over almost directly since you're already familiar with looking for subtle flavors mixed into the big picture. You probably won't get a whole lot of that in 10-15 dollar wine, but it is to be had to some degree in those wines. They'll give you a good base to build from though. I'd start with single varietal bottles and get a feel for what separates Cab from Merlot from Pinot from Syrah, etc. Tasting them together is also a big help, and easy to do with inexpensive bottles and a friend. Then move to better wines and start adding blends and see how they affect the flavor profile. As your palate develops, you'll probably find yourself stepping to $20'ish wines and better. These start to show flavors and smells lacking in cheaper bottles. Once you can pick apart a $20 Merlot, buy a $40 one for a nice occasion. You'll notice all kinds of flavors you never expected, then you'll probably find some hint of them in the cheaper bottles since you've found a new thing to look for. It's an evolving process and there's really not a wrong way to do it, other than over spending your palate. That's not even really wrong, just a waste of cash. 4 years ago, when I was working fine dining and drinking/tasting high end, $50-100 bottles (retail price), I could really appreciate them. Now that I'm in the AF and drinking on my dime, not the restaurant's, I drink a lot more $20 wine and probably wouldn't appreciate a $80 bottle the way I would have when my palate was in better practice. I'd say that's a waste of wine and money.

I've blabbed too much. Read up on the juice you're drinking, start small and find a good wine shop that will help you through your selections with the mindset of a teacher. Drink often and you'll be a som before you know it. Since you asked for bottle recommendations, I'd suggest Lenore Syrah and Rickshaw Pinot Noir as two good starter bottles. They're about $15 here in OK, but you'll probably find them for less. Anything by Charles Smith/K Vinyards is great. Washington and Oregon are both great growing regions. South America and Spain have some fantastic buys, especially for the price. New Zealand is the place for Sauv Blanc, and Sharaz and Syrah are the same grape.

The options are so insanely numerous as to make recommendations almost useless ... the "perfect gem" that is in my local liquor store isn't stocked by yours, and vice versa. The wines that are mass-marketed enough for me to be sure you can get them ... consider them the "Jack Daniels" of wine.

A good wine shop ... where they know their spit ... will be of great help. Go ask for a nice $xx (set your price range) bottle for dinner. (Tell them what you are having for dinner ... if they know their business, they won't suggest the same wine for lobster as for salmon as for pork chops as for steak. Keep away from strong sauces and spices in your meal ... at least for now, as you make the wine the focal point.)

For an inexpensive red wine, I find that Louis Jadot Beaujolais is very hard to beat, an amazing value that I like as well as or better than some costing two or three times as much. Usually less than $10 a bottle, some times as cheap as $7.99. Don't let the price fool you. Not a complex wine, but a good solid Beaujolais for regular consumption. I usually buy 6 bottles at a time and always keep it on hand. I had a glass last night with my beef stew.

I was given a book last Christmas called "Complete Wine Selector" by Katherine Cole. It divides wines into about 10 categories, e.g., crisp, light white and rich, full-bodied red, then tells you what to look for from a variety of countries, so for crisp light whites, she tells you Albarino from Spain, Silvaner from Germany, etc. About six different examples. Then she suggests what to eat with them, gives extensive tasting notes for one example and other details about the wines that may be helpful or interesting.

If you can find it on Amazon or a decent bookstore, it might be a worthwhile purchase.

There are some very good wine merchants in your city. Start visiting them and ask for recommendations at your budget.