Every human's tastebuds are different from those of every other human.  The whole *snowflake* thing notwithstanding, we ARE all very different.  That is a GOOD thing. No matter how much arfcom makes fun of snowflakes being individual, if you think about it, God HELP US ALL, if we were all the same.  We would be Borg.  We don't want that.

Every one of us is, indeed, different from every other one.  When it comes to tasting wine, that becomes really, really obvious.

I have a bottle of Apothic Crush in front of me right now.

For me, it's a decent, easygoing wine, BUT...it DOES HAVE a bite on the back end..at the back of the throat right when you swallow.  Not the "finish" exactly, but before that.

This is the 2017 vintage.

I will tell you that the year before, there was none of that. It was more complex overall, but with less bite on the finish.  Overall I think it was a better wine last year.

HOWEVER.....that bite of acid or tannin....that's different from a beer.

I don't like the really bitter hops of an IPA. (unless they're toasted hops...but that gets into some serious complication, and while that's comparable to the complexities of wine, it's not for this discussion..at least not yet. )  YOU, on the other hand, may be just fine with that bitterness.   l like a malty beer.  I like big stouts. Imperial stouts, even. But bitter hops?  yeah...no.

So that whole "don't settle for sweeter wine" thing?

Yeah, don't buy into that bullshit.

Drink the sweeter wines.  There is nothing wrong with sweet wine.

For the people who would suggest that something is WRONG with a person who likes sweet wines and does not like dryer wines...well let me just say right here, in front of God, the wine snobs, and everybody else...THOSE PEOPLE ARE W.R.O.N.G.

You should drink what you like.

You should taste what you like with every food you eat.

And you should make notes.

AND....You should taste other wines, too. Regularly.  You should, in particular, taste them when there is any kind of food available to taste with them.

Because that's how you educate your palate.

Your tongue/palate has to grow, just like everything else about you.

That's not anything to be embarrassed about. It is something to celebrate.

It means you are not dead.

So yeah...you having salmon on the grill for supper? Crack open a Moscato d' Asti. (sweet, complex, and with bubbles) I will do an entire post about this later.

Don't let ANYBODY tell you it's not a good choice.

It's an EXCELLENT choice.

Just do it.  Let me know what you think.

Posted by Enzo300:

You are right about all that.  No question.

BUT...see...I don't recommend subscribing to any of those snob magazines.  Not yet.

Cuz almost NOTHING they recommend is going to be a the price point the new wine drinker is willing to pay. And if he/she DOES pay it, it may be a HUGE disappointment because the palate is not ready to appreciate it yet.  And almost NONE of the information is going to make sense to the brand new wine taster.

Now lemme just say, that is MY opinion, and I've got to tell you, those journals are some good reading once you know even a little bit about wine, but I think the $60-70 a person would spend on a subscription?  Yeah...I'd say spend it and buy seven bottles of $10-12 wine, and taste them, with food, and make notes.   Because honestly, a lot of people don't have the budget to spend a hundred dollars a week on wine.  To me, that should NOT mean they can't learn about wine, or learn to enjoy it.

I think those seven bottles will be money BETTER spent for the brand new wine drinker, and they will get a LOT more education out of it, if they're paying attention at all.

Now..if they just knock it back like bad tequilla?

Yeah...that's a dead waste.  But I'm hoping those people are not in this thread.  (I know..hope springs eternal, right? )

I think those wine publications are the equivalent of Vogue magazine.  Unless you know how to read one, and have a reason, it's useless.  (I have a whole story about learning how to read a Vogue magazine, when I was about to walk a pageant runway for the first time (and there were many subsequent times I walked said runway....yes, in high heels and a freaking swimsuit) from a woman who understood it (she was Miss Kentucky at the time, heading for the Miss America pageant, and freaking out cuz she had green hair..that's a WHOLE nuther story.)

Anyway...the high-end magazine subscription...that's for fun, not for everyday wine drinking, in my opinion.  It's kinda like Carhartt coats as compared to Patagonia or North Face.  Yes, you can pay $300 for a coat.  But that coat is good for only certain things. If you want to wear it while you fix a fence, you will DESTROY it.  It won't stand up to even the slightest bit of actual farm work.  But if you are about recreation and adventure and you are going to attempt Everest?  Yeah, you want serious gear--WAY more serious than even North Face.

I think new wine drinkers are the farm workers. The people who want the Carhartt coats.  They can throw those in the washer if they get covered in cow shit, and the coat will come out of the dryer just fine.

I know it's a weird analogy.  (Hey, I'm drinking Apothic Crush...definitely a Carhartt coat-style wine, and not one that would likely EVER be featured in a fancy magazine)

I think new wine drinkers want the facts, ma'am, just the facts, in that they want to know the basics of appreciating wine, and how to get something they can actually enjoy with the food they cook.

Later?  Once they have learned to love wine with food, and want to know more?

Yeah..THEN they can take on the snobbery that is Wine Speculator (That's what I call it.)

Those wine publications can be awesome.

But in a lot of instances, I'd say the money is better spent on the wine itself.

@Number1gun
I think you are the example for most wine drinkers.

I think you are the example for ME.

I have not had the experience you've had, with the chance to taste those amazing bottles.  But I think I would come out at the same end, with the same bottom line.

Can I tell the difference between koolaid and decent wine?

Yes.  Yes, I can.

I can even tell the difference between a decent wine and a really good one.

But can I tell the difference between a $2000 bottle and a $22,000 bottle?

No.  At least I don't think I can.  Never had the opportunity.

HOWEVER...

None of that makes your experience of less value, and I love that you posted here because honestly, how many of us would get to do what you have done?

Not many.

But when you pick up a glass and taste $3 swill,  you know it's not worth drinking, I bet, and I bet you don't drink it.

It is my hope for everybody in this thread, that when they get a glass wherever they are, that is just garbage, they will be polite, they will pretend to drink it, and they will find the nearest sink and pour it down the drain and say, with confidence, "Life Is Too Damn Short to Drink Swill."

Yup.

Life is too short to drink shitty wine.

Kitties, here's something for you.

Give me a reasonable bottle of wine (8-12) I can buy pretty much anywhere. Or give me a couple because I'm stuck on a military base.

Red, white, pink, Idk.

Not too sweet, not too dry or with that bitter finish/bite.

Ill have a serious try at it.

As for the whole sweetness thing, I could always drink grape juice. I don't drink soda or juice, I avoid excessive sugars in things. I want to like wine.

Thanks for your encouragement.

Tell me what you're going to make for dinner.

Are you going to have pizza with pepperoni, extra cheese and anchovies?

Or are you going to grill a steak, medium rare?

That will make a big difference in what I recommend, because MY way into the larger world of wine was to have an "aha" moment with a steak and a Merlot.  NOOOOOO, I do not recommend Merlot with steak.  There is a whole story there.

But I'm just sayin that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts, and once you have that divine experience, with the food and the wine matching perfectly, you will figure it out in a way that no words can explain it to you.

So...pick a dinner.  Something simple, with meat.

Tell me the spices and how you will prepare it.

I will suggest a wine.

Then we can go forward from there.  If you don't like what I pick, we'll talk about it.  Heck, I will pick one I can get here, too, and I will buy it and fix that meal!  Then we can compare notes!

What can I cook on my airfyer in my dorm like barracks room?

I honestly don't know yet. And I usually drink wine by itself quite a while after dinner, not with it. I'll let you know.

@TCBA_Joe

You there!!!!   *pointing at you in a friendly way*

Wine was meant to be consumed with FOOD.

Yes, yes, a lot of us drink wine like the NASCAR crowd drinks Bud Light.  But I'm saying to you, that wine was ORIGINALLY meant to be consumed with FOOD.

And that's how you learn to love it.

You have an airfryer?

You can cook a steak in that puppy, right?

And some rice or a baked potato?  (You have a microwave available?  Perfect for the baked potato with some sour cream and REAL butter.)  Get a bag of salad.  Scoop out a handful. Dump on some Ranch dressing from a bottle.  

I have lived this way and I get it.  I don't know what you have beyond an air fryer (mini-fridge? microwave?  Hot plate?)

But tell us, and we will help you appreciate wine with food.

And Thank you so much for your service.

You are the reason I can..

a-buy wine

b-drink wine

c-afford wine

d-walk on my back deck sipping wine, listening to the spring peepers on the pond, without worrying that somebody is going to shoot me from the fenceline.

Thank you.

I have a 2 week quarantine right now

Ill have to get back to you. A good steak in the air fryer sounds good. When I get done with this and the commissary has food again.

I have an instantpot air fryer, microwave, and mini fridge. I also inherited a slow cooker and hot plate from another class.

Since I know you like Cabs, and are not afraid of the bite of high-proof alcohol, go get a bottle of the Carnivore Zinfandel.  About $10.

I have others I can recommend, but I'd be interested in what you think of this fruit-forward wine with enough acidity and (barely) enough tannins (that's a whole nuther conversation about this year's Carnivore Zin) to match with a steak.  (Although it is Sous Vide, which is not as in-your-face with charcoal flavor as a seared-on-the-grill steak, to me)

I ALSO like the Carnivore Cabernet with Steak.  But you may have tried that, and the Zin is not as obvious.

Let me know what you think.

I had a blend tonight with a rare steak. I'll talk about it a little later.

What are you eating in the meantime?

The galley food they bring to our rooms.

Its random, too little, and usually poorly cooked.

ETA: I would like to airfry a steak when I get out of here. Maybe throw in a bag of Cesar salad.

Ah, man.  You aren't allowed out at all?  

You like it a lot better than the sweeter California wines?  I'm going to look for it and try a bottle if I can find it.

Bumping because life is keeping me away, and I do want to keep adding to this for the folks who are interested.

This is a question that is difficult to answer, because it seems like you don't have a list of good everyday wines that you keep in your back pocket, so you know you are not spending your money on something terrible.


Example:

You don't shoot handguns regularly, but you get a chance to shoot an HK 9mm.

You shoot it and absolutely love everything about it.

But next time, you can't get the HK 9mm so you pick something random and it's an RG 22.  

You are disappointed.

So you are wondering....if I shoot the HK 9mm again, what should I shoot next so I'm not diappointed?

Should I shoot an HK in a different caliber?  Or a Glock 9mm?

You would know better, because each firearm is different.  All HKs are not the same.  All 9mm are not the same.  A 9mm Glock does not feel the same or shoot the same as a 9mm HK or a 9mm Sig.  

Just because you like a 9mm HK, does not mean you will like all other 9mm pistols.  Each firearm gives you a different experience.

You KNOW this, if you're a gun person.  

Wine is the same.  

If you had a Cabernet Sauvignon you loved, you might think all Cabernet Sauvignons would measure up.  

But they don't.  There are too many variables.  

You might think a Syrah as expensive as the original Cabernet Sauvignon would be just as good, but different.  

But it's not.  Because every Syrah is different from every other Syrah, and all those are different from every other grape and every other vinter, and every other YEAR the grape is bottled.

Every wine is different.  A pinot noir from one vinter will not taste at all like a pinot noir from another vinter. (YES, for those who know wine, there are things characteristic about each grape varietal.  That's for another discussion.)

So your question is sort of impossible to answer, as you've asked it.

HOWEVER....
Some thoughts about this.

There are lots of wines over $40 that just taste like crap.  There are lots of good wines under $30 that are bordering on amazing.

If I have something truly outstanding, maybe a special occasion wine like the nice bottle of Cabernet that my husband bought for me one birthday (WAAAAY more than our usual $20 or less bottle), I go completely different for my next bottle.  So I'm not comparing.  (NOTE:  He bought me this bottle because I'd sampled it at a tasting, and fell in love with it.  He did not spend a bunch of money on a bottle we had never tasted.  That's ALWAYS just a flat-out bad idea.  A HIGH PRICE DOES NOT MEAN IT'S A GOOD BOTTLE.  And the guy at the wine store?  DO NOT BELIEVE HIM.  Don't spend a lot of money on a bottle of wine because some wine store guy recommends it.  He doesn't know your taste buds (palate) and he wants to sell an expensive bottle of wine, and if it's not any good, you're not going to come back and beat him up and he knows it! DO NOT BELIEVE HIM.)

But so I'm understood..

1-I almost never buy a wine I have not tasted in advance (Wine tastings are valuable things, and are often free.)  I would absolutely, positively, NEVER buy an expensive wine I had not tasted in advance.  

You know those games at the county fair?  The ones where you put your money in, crank the handle, and the crane moves over and drops onto a prize and maybe picks it up and drops it in the chute?   Yeah.  If you drop a bunch of money on a bottle you've never tasted, you would be better off cranking all those quarters into one of those little crane game slots, cuz the chances of it pulling out the awesome stuffed toy you're after?  Yup. Damn near ZERO.

2- I drink wine for dinner EVERY evening, unless I'm not feeling well.  I don't drink anything for everyday purposes that I wouldn't take to a gathering of wine people, because the real wine enthusiasts I know personally are not snobs, and if a $10 bottle is good wine, they will lift a glass and enjoy it, even if they have cellars worth half a million dollars.  if a $40 bottle sucks, they will make a face and dump the glass down the drain when the person who brought it is not looking.  No matter how much money you have, what you want is wine that actually tastes good.


I have one friend whose cellar is probably worth $1.5 million.  But I regularly see him at the same stores where I buy my humble, everyday wine.  We both drink wine for dinner every night, and when we run into each other, we chat about which wines are good.  Yes, I walk away with a $12 bottle, and he generally takes home a $20-30 bottle for dinner, because he can easily do that, while  I would rather save that money.  Sometimes that bottle he takes home is one I recommended, because I tried it at a wine tasting, and thought it was good.  I might not be able to spend that money, but I'm glad he can, and he might really enjoy it.  Sometimes he recommends a $10 bottle to me that he had on some trip he took.  Sometimes I recommend a $12 bottle to him, and he lights up like New York City when he finds a bottle that's good for so little money.  It's like he won the lottery.

He just LOVES wine, and is always interested in trying new wine, and he gets the bottom line I'm trying to convey here...

TASTE is everything, and ultimately, PRICE does not determine how good the wine tastes.

The point is that all wine falls into a few really simple categories.

HINT:  I totally made these categories up out of thin air (while drinking a good Sauvignon Blanc) but they have some merit I think.

1- Absolute Dog-shit (which nobody should ever drink) (and yet people buy this shit)
2-Horrible --just above dogshit
3-Barely Drinkable--sucks the big one but it sometimes does get poured at tastings
4- Decent
5- Pretty Good
6-Good tasting all around
7-Wow
8-Extraordinary
9-A gift that only happens once in a lifetime.
10-Speculative wines---those only collectors can afford, which will never be on the actual market for regular folks like me at any price point.

The interesting thing is....in categories 5 through 8, price usually has no relationship to the taste of the wine.  

And within those four categories, there is a WORLD of wine to be explored, and a lot of it is amazing.

Sometimes expensive wines just freaking SUCK.  Sometimes a cheap wine turns out to be extraordinary.

There are plenty of bottles of Good Tasting All Around wine at the $20 price point, fewer at the $15 price point, and a whole bunch more at the $30 price point.

Anything beyond that is a very special bottle, for me, because we are basic middle class folks. I have a mortgage, I'm bootstrapping a business, I do cat rescue, own more vehicles than I should, restore old houses (let's just throw our money into a pit and bury it, shall we?) and have artistic tendencies, all which means we don't spend for premium meat at the nice market every day, and I don't drink $60 bottles for the evening meals.  I don't drink $200 bottles, EVER, if I'm the one buying, because I have other places I would rather put that money.

So if you like wine, and have had an Extraordinary bottle, and want to not be disappointed by the next bottle?  My advice is to go the opposite direction so you don't compare.  

All this said....

If you're flying blind, never spend time at wine tastings, and don't have any idea about what you like or don't like in a wine, here's the deal...

This is not like buying  an HK vs an RG.   You NEED to TASTE lots of wine, and that means you have to spend the time and make the effort, and schedule wine tastings into your life as part of your downtime and entertainment.

There is no other way to understand wine, than to taste a lot of wine.  It's cheaper to do that if you go to a tasting and either pay $5 for a glass and let them pour what they have to offer (ask questions. If they are pouring, they ought to know something about the wine they are offering...just sayin)or go to free tastings at the local liquor stores.  

If you're talking about how to follow up a $400 bottle of wine?  

Pasta with homemade spaghetti sauce (beef, a few tomatoes, a lot of garlic, some thyme, oregano, parsley, a bit of red wine, some parmesan melted in...) a really good Merlot, and lots of laughter.

For me, the extraordinary wines are peak moments.  I enjoy the hell out of them, but I also like the wine I drink every day, so it's not so hard to go back to a good homemade meal and a good everyday bottle.

It's not hard because I LIKE those everyday bottles, because I take the time to taste wine and find them, and/or write them down when I do find them, so I can buy them again.

This is what I hope for every new wine drinker.  That they can walk into the wine store and have a list of decent wines they've enjoyed, that they can take home without worry.

So the peak moments can remain peak moments, and don't make the everyday seem like a big step back.

Did that help at all?

@unsub073

Yes, keep opening up bottles.  

BUT....the thing I would tell you to do is...get a little blank notebook...one that costs a dollar is fine.  (Fancy wine journals don't have the right blanks for what you need.  They're just gimmicks, IMO.)  

Anyway, get a little notebook, and write down each bottle as you open it.

Then write down what you thought of it.  There are no rules.   How did it smell?  How did it taste by itself?  How did it taste 30 minutes after you opened it?  

What food did you have it with?  Did it make you go, "OMG THAT's AMAZING!" ?  Or did you taste the wine too much instead of the food, or did the food with the wine taste bitter?

Stuff like that.  

Write down the wine, the vintage (year) and make notes.

People think only wine snobs take notes, but that's just not true.

You and your SO can have your own little books, OR you can have just one, and write down the impressions of each person.  Yours will be different than your SOs.  Both opinions are valid.

The REAL way to form a solid sense of the wines you like and the wines you don't is to write down what you think of each one.

You will be amazed what comes out of this.

First...you're focusing enough to actually pay attention to what it is you like and/or DON'T like about each wine.

Second...you won't forget that, because you can get out your notebook, and after six months or so, you will be able to compile a list of favorites.

So you are not just randomly opening bottles, but you are formulating a "little black book" of wines you would like to date again.  

It will help you.   I promise.

It may be that she is just not a Douro lover, and there is nothing wrong with that.

I have tried, and tried and TRIED to like Chianti, but I cannot.....at least not so far, and it's been 15 years.  So apparently I don't like Chianti.  I will keep waiting for the exact synchronicity/cosmic event/perfect cosmic moment when the food and the wine work to make me love Chianti.  It has happened more than once for me, so I won't stop believing, but...

Honestly for now?

Yeah..I don't love Chianti.

I just dont.

And it's OKAY if your wife doesn't love the Douro.  

Nobody has to love any wine. And that is the beautiful thing about wine.

Movies have been made about NOT loving a particular wine.

Tell us about your observations!

I (and I would wager, others) would love to hear your stories.

Where did you go, what was the experience like, and which wines did you love?

Which wines did you NOT love?

What were those regions like?

Your experiences are welcome here.

Your questions are welcome too, if you have any...but your stories of travel to those regions would be most appreciated.

I apologize to everyone for being awol.  My work is taking every bit of me at the moment and I am not making it to the forum as often as I'd like.  I will be back and will post more stuff here when  the landscape season slows a bit.

@Kitties-with-Sigs

So I've tried a few wines here and there. Some OK stuff, not anything really spectacular. I've been really into making and exploring cocktails lately as opposed to the beer and wine I was drinking at school.

My wife likes reds, typically blends like Apothic Red/Dark or Menage e Tois Silk/Midnight. So, I buy her a random bottle of red when I go TDY. Well a week or 2 ago she bought me a bottle to try.

1000 Stories Good Rush Red 2016. I found a wine I really enjoy.
I'm not sure where this stuff falls on the spectrum of "good wine", but I personally really like it. Gives me hope that I'll be able to find more I enjoy.

Also, on the subject of cocktails and wine. .. The Devils Margarita is a fantastic drink. (Classic Margarita layered with red wine)

I have NOT had The Devil's Margarita. I will now have to try one!  Although, I have to be very careful with tequila. Any clear liquor makes me mean. (and Pyrat Reserve rum is my favorite liquor)

Anyway, I have also not tried the 1000 Stories.  But there are a good many "Bourbon barrel aged" wines out there now.  You could actually spend a few weekends finding/trying.

One of the first ones I tried was a few years ago...it was the Robert Mondavi Bourbon Barrel Cabernet. I honestly have not found one I like better.  It has just the right slightly-charred, vanilla-caramel notes from the barrel, to balance the normal cabernet sort of smoky earthiness without being overpowering.

I will tell you, though, that this is a fairly big wine.  If your wife likes the gentler red blends like the Apothic Dark and Menage, this may be too big for her unless you drink it with steak or a big juicy burger...serious red meat of some kind.

Now then....I actually like the Apothic wines a lot.  When I'm in the mood for a blend that is just slightly gentler than the ones I normally go for, these are always a good bet.  Are you aware that Apothic makes "Inferno?"  It's their whiskey-barrel-aged offering, and it's really pretty good!  

If the Robert Mondavi is too big for your wife right away (it's also a few dollars more per bottle, which is an issue for me for everyday wine) give the Inferno a try and see what she thinks.  Let us know.  I haven't actually had this year's Inferno, so there's always the risk that I'm telling you to try a bottle that is now terrible.  But with Apothic, I doubt it.  Blends tend to be more consistent year to year.

@TCBA_Joe

Interesting.  It's like a couple of "flights" in a box, sort of.  

Is it a subscription you get?  Or do you just order at Christmas?

@Supplex I somehow missed this.  Really excellent writeup (and very fair, I think) on muscadine.  

I haven't had all that much of it. Would love to somehow taste yours but don't know if it's available outside the region?

I think Kentucky (due to Covid--one of the ONLY good things to come out of this crap) has FINALLY relaxed its "you can't mail order wine" rule.  So if it's available, I might could order it.

Will you explain "mute juice"? That's not a term I know.

~Kitties

You know far more about German Rieslings than I do.  I love Auslese, usually, but many of the better Rieslings are not commonly available here.  I put the German Auslese on par, for me, with the really good Moscato d' Astis. (For new drinkers, we are not talking about Barefoot Moscato here.)

I do know how/why so many of the German Rieslings commonly available are the sweeter wines, but I would love it if you wanted to share that, and what you know so it's not just me going on and on and on and on and....on.

Also.....share what makes a sweet Riesling stellar, to you.  I would learn a lot from that.

@Enzo300

@gaizkaeta
I apologize for missing this!  Going back through the thread I see that in my busy work season, I have missed a few excellent posts.  Yours is one!  No, it doesn't sound pretentious and is one of the better tasting notes I've ever read.

I love your pairings.  

I love Old Vine Zin.  

I agree that your Gnarly Head is a good one!

Please post more reviews and pairings!

Brilliant post!  Thank you so much!

@Enzo300

Do you have a recommendation for the new wine drinker who would like to learn about Rieslings and is on a budget?  

How would you start?  

Should they go to the local liquor store and buy a Schmitt-Sohne?  (I'm baiting you here, if it's not obvious...to get you to talk about how to begin the experience of Riesling at the local, easy-to-buy level, and what to look for and what not.)

Everybody has to start somewhere.  But nobody knows, at first, what to pick out for a first bottle, or what to expect to pay, or how to get something decent at a budget price.

I have tasted far fewer German Rieslings than you have, but I would have fun picking out your recommendations (if my budget can afford it) and trying them too!

I'm not prejudiced against the lesser choices at all, but it's nice to try those at first, then taste something phenomenal as we progress, and really come to understand why wine lovers go a little nuts over a really good bottle of wine.  

Riesling can go from bone dry (and freaking awesomely delicious) to so sweet it makes your lips pucker, and it can go from disgusting cloying koolaid-ish choices, to wines that make you remember them years later because they were so astonishingly complex--brightly sweet, sparkly, fruity, rich and crisp at the same time.

I haven't had too many of those, and feel fortunate when I get one.

I think there may be some value for the brand new wine taster, in starting with something that is not the bottom end, but very basic, then building up to something better with each trial.  That way you come to understand the differences.  Interested in your opinion on this, as well.

So many people go straight for sweet wines at first, and I think that's just fine.  But the appreciation of a really good sweeter wine is a different thing.

The rare dry Rieslings (I almost never see them here and buy all I can when I find one) are a whole nuther study.

Thank you!

Here is something that might be interesting to new wine drinkers---Beaujolais Nouveau Day!

When I was first studying wine, I was introduced to Beaujolais nouvea about this time of year.

@Enzo300 began the discussion about this wine HERE on page 1 of this thread

Well...tis the season for this interesting wine.

I have read and been told stories about signs going up all over in French restaurants (the ones in France, I mean ) that say something to the effect of "The Wine is Here!"  or "The Beaujolais is here!"

That is the release of the Beaujolais for that year (it is new wine, harvested and aged just a few short weeks, then bottled and put out as "Beaujolais Nouveau"--basically "New Beaujolais."

And evidently people go crazy for it.

I have found it to be pretty good with turkey at Thanksgiving usually.

The brambly yet sweet, fruity nature of it (some years better than others, let me just TELL you..) is a decent offset to the very rich turkey, gravy, and sweet, rich sides at most Thanksgiving dinners.

ANYWAY...I found this website..

Beaujolais Nouvea Day

Interesting reading... not too heavy....fun AND good learnin'.

I am editing to say:  I would not have this as my SOLE Thanksgiving dinner wine.  I would have other choices on hand for that important gathering, because the love of Beaujolais Nouveau is a thing.....and not everybody has it.    So....have some Riesling and maybe some Pinot Noir or a crisp, sparkling yet sweet Gewurztraminer so that everyone is happy.

First, I'm so glad to hear that the thread has been helpful. I hope you will add to it as you find out new things, so it can help even more folks.  Everybody's experience is valuable as we learn about wine together.

Okay so you're in Missouri, but apparently not rural MO, since you have an actual "wine bar" local to you.  So I'm guessing you can get what you want within reason, without extraordinary effort...

So....

MY pairing pick?

Do a charcuterie and gnosh for dinner.(This will last you several meals)  Fancy word for a cool "pick and eat" experience.  It's PERFECT for tasting wine.

This is not a cheap experience, but it will last for more than one meal, normally, for two people. So consider that, when you cringe at the cash register.

I suggest going to the local (the better)grocer, and going to their cheese case, and picking out some seriously different, and good, cheeses.  

1-Get something pungent, like a blue cheese (or whatever really gnarly cheese you can tolerate--and listen..if you hate this style cheese, don't spend $$$$ on it.  Get a really small chunk or buy something you can tolerate.  Cheese that taste like an athlete's dirty socks that were left in a wet pile for six months is not an automatic buy for most of us, yaknow?  It can be awesome in certain circumstances, but it's not something you need to consider dropping $20 on for a small cube.)  If you happen to have a seriously good selection of cheeses at your disposal, get a mild to medium blue cheese.

A pungent cheese is very, VERY important if you are tasting drier wines.  You likely won't have big meat like steak in this experience, so you need something like a strong cheese and a meat like the cured meat I suggest, to taste with it.

2-Get a log of goat cheese. Silver Goat is fine.  If you have the budget and the taste for something better, get that.  Nothing extreme, just a decent log of reasonable goat cheese.  Herbed is okay.

3-Get something like a brie--something you warm for a few minutes in the oven. (Don't warm it too long. If you don't know how, ask here.)  This can usually be had (here) for about $6 for a "President baby brie"-which is just FINE for what you are doing. (ALSO:  Get a loaf of french bread to go with this. This is important.  And get a couple of apples. Maybe four...something like "Gala" that is good eating no matter what, in case this experiment falls flat.  The apples will still be awesome.  Get some seedless grapes in your favorite color, green or red. (Red's better )

4-Get something like a Gouda.  Cheap is fine.

5-Get a mild cheddar.  

6-Get something mild and easy-going like Muenster--a soft, gentle cheese.  

7-Get a chunk of parmesan reggiano or romano. (both have similar-enough taste profiles)

ALSO...and maybe in the same counter..

8-Get some other goodies.  For us that would be a chicken liver pate and a container of roasted garlic (NOTHING PICKLED HERE) and a sweeter, jammy thing like Fig spread or (Bonne Maman makes a great one of these) Mango-peach preserves.   Maybe some olives you like, but don't go for a lot of vinegar-based stuff for this experiment.

IMPORTANT--Get a stick of preservative and fake-shit-free salami or other dry sausage if you like this kind of thing.  


THEN....
9-Get a freshly-roasted chicken from the deli (guessing your grocery has these, since ours does)

10-Get some interesting crackers that don't have a  big flavor punch.  You want something plain that doesn't compete with the food and wine so you can tell what you're tasting.

11- Get a bar of dark chocolate.  NOT 90 percent.  That's just crazy.  But maybe 60 percent dark chocolate with sea salt or some such. (NO chilis.  Nothing spicy.)

So you see what you've got here..


*Cheeses that range from pungent to medium to mild, including ONE warmable cheese
*Some bread you can warm and some crackers
*Some protein--a reddish (not really, but heavier) kind--the sausage-- and a whitish kind (the chicken with skin)
AND a VERY pungent protein (the pate', should you choose to try it)
*Something sweet and spreadable--the preserves or fig spread
*Something savory and deeply flavored (there is nothing to substitute for the roasted garlic, that I can think of)
*Some fruit
*Some dark chocolate  *There is no substitute for this particular tasting experiment, that I know of*



So you have this spread you've laid out, and you open a wine with it, and you sit down, and you grab some of the food and you taste each bite with the wine you choose to open that night. And you talk about it.  

There is no better couple experience, in my opinion, than sharing a food and wine tasting, and talking about what you think of each "pairing."  You will come out with your favorites.

My two favorites happen to be:

1-A plain flatbread-style cracker with a spread of pate', a clove of roasted garlic, and a dollop of peach preserves.  This goes with anything from a great red blend or a Pinot Noir to a nice crisp Sauvignon Blanc or even a fruit-forward Cabernet Sauvignon.  


2-Warm Brie with crusty french bread (also warm) and sliced apples.  I can make an entire meal on this, and I can pair it with a Sauvignon Blanc or a Pinot Noir or a gentle red blend.  Nothing heavy or challenging.  The brie and apples won't hold up to something like a Cab or Zinfandel, for me.

Takeaways:  
The heavier the meat selections,and the more pungent the cheeses,  the "bigger" the wine can be.  If you grill steak andslice it on the diagonal, cut that up and have it on a tray with capers as part of your selections?  Yeah.... then have a bigger wine with it.

You can add ANY number of things to this.  Some prosciutto maybe.  Salami. Soppresata. Hell...fry up some BACON, cut it into bite-size pieces, and put it on the board. (And make a rule.  NOBODY takes more than one bite of bacon per round...or...you won't get any bacon.  Just sayin.)

But overall, if you lay out this simple, "get it all out of the fridge, warm up the cheese and bread" spread, and have it with the wines you have on hand, you will form some opinions.  You will have an amazing, FUN meal meal, and you will LEARN as you spend time together. It is a homemade date, honestly.

It is my favorite way to eat.


Here is a recent one...not my favorite, but it was still amazing.

So...this is to show..doesn't have to be fancy or pretty. Mine's not.  But it was a good meal.  

Top Row, Left To Right:  St. Mark's Cheese (warmed in its own cool little crock), honey (under the spreader) Fig Spread (jar at top), kalamato olives, blueberries, roasted garlic cloves, homemade guacamole

Bottom row, Left to Right:  Pate', cheeses (one under the spreader handle, one to the right), preservative-free salami, tortilla chips

Not in view--plain flatbread crackers and wine.

That's the trouble right there.

Once you get the "aha!"  it's very hard to go back.

What has been tasted cannot be untasted.

Schmitt-Sohne has its place.

I will not dis it.  

Kroger has a line called Bay Bridge.  Their Chardonnay is not (by far) the worst I've ever tasted.  When money is very, very tight (hasn't been this tight in a good while, for which I am grateful) I will buy that Chardonnay, chill it to the point of nearly freezing, and drink it.

There are some wines I will just say, "no thanks, I'm not drinking that I'll just have water."

The Schmitt-Sohne falls sort of in that "Bay Bridge Chardonnay" realm, for me.

Welcome to the next step in your wine journey!