Wine Recc.

I'm not a huge wine fan, and my girlfriend has never tried it. I'm planning a fancy dinner and I feel like it won't be complete without a good glass of wine.

I'm looking for recommendations on an easy sipper for someone new to wine?

If it matters we'll most likely be eating ribeye or New York strip steaks, baked potato, green beans and some sort of bread

The only wine I've throughly enjoyed is Moscato, mostly because it taste more like pop and less like wine lol

With a steak and potato meal I would prefer a nice Cabernet Sauvignon, but I also wouldn't put that on the easy sipper list for someone who doesn't really like wine. I have found that those that don't like wine typically do better with a white, such as a Sauvignon Blanc. You might also want to go with a Rose. These are served chilled and have a more mild flavor. I'm unsure of your budget but my wife and I really like Elizabeth Spencer wines. These typically run between $20-60 a bottle depending on what you get.

For your maiden voyage, I'd suggest an inexpensive Côtes du Rhône or a Rioja.

Gnarly Head Old Vine Zin ... a red, but a very enjoyable red. I was introduced to it, coming from mainly liking whites, and I enjoyed it immediately. Would go well with your meal as well. And generally can be had for under $10 a bottle.

What do you guys normally drink other than wine? Maybe just get a bottle of bubbly to enjoy while you're prepping dinner; cab is the classic match with a steak, but isn't usually an easy sipper like Jake mentioned above. Merlot's are generally softer and more approachable, Mondavi makes a Napa merlot that's a pretty easy drinker and is usually readily available for under $20 (not the Mondavi Private Selection that goes for under 10). Or the Chateau St Michelle Indian Wells merlot is nice and also pretty readily available.

I'd also recommend almost any Syrah, including what the Australians (not knowin' no better) call Shiraz. Very quaffable.

And if you really do want it to taste like sody pop, see if you store still has any Beaujolais Nouveau 2015 still in stock. Released on Thursday, November 19, it's almost past its prime, but is really fun to drink.

Awesome suggestions guys!

Didn't even think of this until now, we actually have a winery right up the street from us and I believe they offer tasting if you buy a bottle (or two?)

Would that probably be my best bet to find exactly what we like?

Certainly. If you want to learn about wine, you have to taste it.

I second a Syrah or Rioja.

If you are new to wine, doing the tasting at the winery would be perfect. Especially since you said your girlfriend has never had wine. Most wineries will give you a tasting of most of the wines they offer. Likely about 2 reds, 2 whites, or a rose, and at least one dessert wine. Your girlfriend who has never tried wine will probably gravitate toward the sweet dessert one. Nothing wrong with them, but dont buy that kind of wine to go with dinner. Some wineries you will pay for the tasting, some it will be free.

Nothing wrong with a good white either, especially for someone who has not developed a palate for wine. Sour, tart, and bitter flavors are something our bodies are naturally wired to avoid, since it usually means poison. Thats why things like coffee, wine, tea, beer (good beer) and dark chocolate are all described as an "acquired taste".

A good way to categorize wine when you are starting out is sweet to dry. Reds, whites, and blushes can all vary in their sweet to dry levels.

Typically, sweet wines are made from grapes like Concord, Niagara, Vidal. Drier wines are made from Cab Sav, Cab franc, etc. To further confuse things, if the wines are aged in oak barrels, they will have a drier taste and a higher tannin mouth feel (fuzzy cottonmouth after taste).

I would suggest trying a semi-sweet wine with low tannin (usually they go hand in hand). Also look for descriptions that say fruity as that usually implies a sweeter and less tanniny taste.

Sweeter Whites: Vidal Blanc, most Rieslings (stay away from dry Rieslings), Vignoles, gewurztraminer, maybe a Pinot Grigio

Sweeter Reds: Concord, dechaunac, chambourcin, maybe a pinot noir.

ouch said:

For your maiden voyage, I'd suggest an inexpensive Côtes du Rhône or a Rioja.

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+1 on the Cotes du Rhone. One of the best Cote du Rhones I have had is "Perrin Brothers," which is the same family that make the wonderful Chateau de Beaucastel. You may also like a Beaujolais Cru such as Chateau de la Chaize from Brouilly.

One of the easiest sippers out there is Meomi Pinot Noir. Goes for just under $20 in most markets. It goes well with anything and sips very easy. I have yet to encounter anyone that did not like it, even occasional wine drinkers.

RedBird said:

One of the easiest sippers out there is Meomi Pinot Noir. Goes for just under $20 in most markets. It goes well with anything and sips very easy. I have yet to encounter anyone that did not like it, even occasional wine drinkers.

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+1. I wholeheartedly agree.

For us, it is all about "pairing" the wine to go with the food. Here are a few general recommendations:

If you like Muscato (the variety is spelled variously depending on where it is from), then you can start with this (or another sweeter white) with the appetizers. It is also possible to drink the sweet wine with or after desert.

With steak, I suggest a "big red," generally Cabernet sauvignon or a blend with cabernet. These go well with steaks. You can save a fair amount of $ by picking Columbia Crest. This Washington State winery has produced more bottles of highly-rated (WS 90-points plus)wines than any other (in the world). Great value IMO with most well within your price range. Tons of great choices from California, France or elsewhere that would also work, but NO need to spend a ton of $ IMO.

Have fun!!

Main thing is to have fun.

eezee said:

+1 on the Cotes du Rhone. One of the best Cote du Rhones I have had is "Perrin Brothers," which is the same family that make the wonderful Chateau de Beaucastel. You may also like a Beaujolais Cru such as Chateau de la Chaize from Brouilly.

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I must say, the Perrin recommendation is terrific, and can be found in most good stores. I had the good fortune to nab several bottles of the 1989 Ch. de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape before Wine Spectator declared it wine of the year, after which it instantly disappeared from the market. It was very good.

Beaujolais gets a mostly well deserved bad rap, but some of the ten Cru Beaujolais can be low priced treasures if you exit snob mode. Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly are lighter and lovely expressions of Gamay.

Here's a pretty decent Rhone on the left- a 1990 Hermitage la Chapelle from Jaboulet. 100 points on anybody's scale.

I don't know Ouch, but I listen to Ouch. I had an Estancia GSM (Grenache, Syrah, Mouvedre blend) tonight with a ribeye. Very tasty. That, I think, is a fairly common Cotes du Rhone style of blend.

ouch said:

I must say, the Perrin recommendation is terrific, and can be found in most good stores. I had the good fortune to nab several bottles of the 1989 Ch. de Beaucastel Chateauneuf du Pape before Wine Spectator declared it wine of the year, after which it instantly disappeared from the market. It was very good.

Beaujolais gets a mostly well deserved bad rap, but some of the ten Cru Beaujolais can be low priced treasures if you exit snob mode. Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly are lighter and lovely expressions of Gamay.

Here's a pretty decent Rhone on the left- a 1990 Hermitage la Chapelle from Jaboulet. 100 points on anybody's scale.

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Oh man, I have found just about anything from Jaboulet is wonderful. That Angelus ain't so bad either!

SlyMoose said:

I'm not a huge wine fan, and my girlfriend has never tried it. I'm planning a fancy dinner and I feel like it won't be complete without a good glass of wine.

I'm looking for recommendations on an easy sipper for someone new to wine?

If it matters we'll most likely be eating ribeye or New York strip steaks, baked potato, green beans and some sort of bread

The only wine I've throughly enjoyed is Moscato, mostly because it taste more like pop and less like wine lol

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Did you have your dinner party? If so, how did it go?

You know I don't think that this type of wine was mentioned in previous posts, but if you are serving Italian, particularly roasted chicken or hearty red sauces, any good wine from the "Chianti Classico" region would be ideal to a wine newbie. I find those wines to be extremely food friendly!!

Pehaps a merlot or pinot noir. Red, but on the lighter side.

Definitely not this: