Wine recommendation

helimachoptor

To cut a long story short..
I drink all types of beer, occasional fancy cider drinker, whiskey drinker.

My wife has tried to get me to drink wine on many occasions and failed, for me it tastes like vinegar. We were in Napa a couple of years back so i had a few samples but as was driving couldnt have a glass, i liked the wine at the vineyards we stopped at so came home and got some Cali red.. again tasted like vinegar.

Can anyone recommend a nice red for a beginner?

dudara

I think you might need to start with a "less big" red. How about trying a Pinot Noir from NZ or Burgundy?

First Up

helimachoptor wrote:

My wife has tried to get me to drink wine on many occasions and failed, for me it tastes like vinegar. We were in Napa a couple of years back so i had a few samples but as was driving couldnt have a glass, i liked the wine at the vineyards we stopped at so came home and got some Cali red.. again tasted like vinegar.

How much did the wine cost? You may have noticed that there is quite a wide price range available and the wine tends to be nicer as you move up it.

helimachoptor

First Up wrote: »

How much did the wine cost? You may have noticed that there is quite a wide price range available and the wine tends to be nicer as you move up it.

Not a clue as we were on w vineyard tours. However one was a very fancy place and the other a little more rustic

helimachoptor

dudara wrote: »

I think you might need to start with a "less big" red. How about trying a Pinot Noir from NZ or Burgundy?

Any specific recommendations?

odyssey06

If you like cider I wonder if you might prefer a red wine with some residual sugar in it rather than a totally dry one.
Either that or the 'vinegar' taste is a sign of heavy use of oak? So you want to look for labels that indicate unoaked or use of lightly oaked barrels.

Tesco have an Apothic Red for €10, which is a californian red blend and is off dry.
http://img.tesco.ie/Groceries/pi/746%5C0085000017746%5CIDShot_225x225.jpg

You could also try some of the below to get an idea of other american reds...
* Gallo Family Vineyards - Merlot, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. Widely available for approx €10.
* Menage A Trois Folie a Deux - Martins Off Licence in D3 stock this, think it was the best selling red wine in the US last year. Costs approx €15

If none of those tick the box then I wonder if you had a Syrah or Zinfandel in the US.

First Up

helimachoptor wrote: »

Not a clue as we were on w vineyard tours. However one was a very fancy place and the other a little more rustic

I meant the wine you are trying here that tastes like vinegar.

helimachoptor

First Up wrote: »

I meant the wine you are trying here that tastes like vinegar.

My wife drinks a few different brands, Hardy's crest and chat De pop (spelled terribly) are what she drinks mostly

helimachoptor

odyssey06 wrote: »

If you like cider I wonder if you might prefer a red wine with some residual sugar in it rather than a totally dry one.
Either that or the 'vinegar' taste is a sign of heavy use of oak? So you want to look for labels that indicate unoaked or use of lightly oaked barrels.

Tesco have an Apothic Red for €10, which is a californian red blend and is off dry.
http://img.tesco.ie/Groceries/pi/746%5C0085000017746%5CIDShot_225x225.jpg

You could also try some of the below to get an idea of other american reds...
* Gallo Family Vineyards - Merlot, Pinot Noir or Cabernet Sauvignon. Widely available for approx €10.
* Menage A Trois Folie a Deux - Martins Off Licence in D3 stock this, think it was the best selling red wine in the US last year. Costs approx €15

If none of those tick the box then I wonder if you had a Syrah or Zinfandel in the US.

Cheers will take a look at those

Tefral

helimachoptor wrote: »

To cut a long story short..
I drink all types of beer, occasional fancy cider drinker, whiskey drinker.

My wife has tried to get me to drink wine on many occasions and failed, for me it tastes like vinegar. We were in Napa a couple of years back so i had a few samples but as was driving couldnt have a glass, i liked the wine at the vineyards we stopped at so came home and got some Cali red.. again tasted like vinegar.

Can anyone recommend a nice red for a beginner?

Came back from Napa myself recently.

Most of their grapes are Zinfandel or Primitivo as its known more. Have a look for wines with that. White Zinfandels are Rosé which is also very nice. They tend to be very strong wines though as in 14+ %

Since you like Ciders id also recommend "Txakolina" type wines from Spain. Malbecs from Argentina are very very like the wine yards in Napa also. But yeah you'll find the Zinfandel grape wines will be the closest ones for you

First Up

helimachoptor wrote:

My wife drinks a few different brands, Hardy's crest and chat De pop (spelled terribly) are what she drinks mostly

No idea what chat De pop is but Hardys is pretty basic stuff. Chances are what you tasted at the vineyards was far better quality and would be a lot more expensive.

Your average €10 bottle here contains about 50 cents worth of wine so for anything comparable to what you got in CA I'm guessing you are looking at around €20.

odyssey06

chat de pop = Châteauneuf-du-Pape ?

helimachoptor

odyssey06 wrote: »

chat de pop = Châteauneuf-du-Pape ?

Yep that's the one

First Up

odyssey06 wrote:

chat de pop = Châteauneuf-du-Pape ?

Probably.

First Up

helimachoptor wrote:

Yep that's the one

But be aware that within any wine type, there are many grades. A Ch N du Pap for a tenner is very different to one for €25.

Price is a more realistic indicator of quality than anything else.

helimachoptor

Will post back once I pick up a couple of bottles

Seth Brundle

Just wondering, do you drink wine or taste it.
Drink wine differently to the way that you would drink a pint of beer or cider.

If youre drinking red, let it breathe for a few hours before drinking it.
Smell it before you drink it. Can you small different types of fruit? Sip a small bit, keep it in your mouth and try and sense the different flavours.
Experience it.
If you tend to gulp it down then it will probably just taste like vinegar.

helimachoptor

kbannon wrote: »

Just wondering, do you drink wine or taste it.
Drink wine differently to the way that you would drink a pint of beer or cider.

If youre drinking red, let it breathe for a few hours before drinking it.
Smell it before you drink it. Can you small different types of fruit? Sip a small bit, keep it in your mouth and try and sense the different flavours.
Experience it.
If you tend to gulp it down then it will probably just taste like vinegar.

It's let breath and yes am sipping rather than guzzling. Smells like vinegar too..

dudara

Zinfandel and Chateauneuf du Pape (usually a blend of mainly Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre) are all reasonably robust red wines. When grown in a warm climate (like Cali), they will display dark red fruit and spicier flavours, plus bigger tannins. I'm wondering if the tannins are what you don't seem to like. Do you feel your gums stick to your teeth?

Grapes grown in a cooler climate (like Pinot Noir which is a thin skinned red grape) and Gamay (aka Beaujolais) will have lighter flavours and somewhat less tannins. Because PN is a more "delicate" grape, it tends to have a higher price point, so I wouldn't expect to see a decent bottle for under €15-20. Craggy Range Pinot Noir is cracking if you can find it but otherwise, go to O'Briens and look at the NZ shelf.

cruhoortwunk

dudara wrote: »

Zinfandel and Chateauneuf du Pape (usually a blend of mainly Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre) are all reasonably robust red wines. When grown in a warm climate (like Cali), they will display dark red fruit and spicier flavours, plus bigger tannins. I'm wondering if the tannins are what you don't seem to like. Do you feel your gums stick to your teeth?

Grapes grown in a cooler climate (like Pinot Noir which is a thin skinned red grape) and Gamay (aka Beaujolais) will have lighter flavours and somewhat less tannins. Because PN is a more "delicate" grape, it tends to have a higher price point, so I wouldn't expect to see a decent bottle for under €15-20. Craggy Range Pinot Noir is cracking if you can find it but otherwise, go to O'Briens and look at the NZ shelf.

Any other Piont Noir recommendations, had a taste of a lovely one in Aniar in Galway last weekend.

dudara

Spatburgunder is the German name for Pinot Noir and there are some great ones out there. With the right ones you can get a lovely violet note in the wine. I was in the Corkscrew wine warehouse today and I was reminded about Von Winning and Dr Deinhard wines. The Corkscrew main shop is on Chatham Street.

Curious Kiwi is another great range of wines, and their Pinot Noir is lovely. Available from Curious Wines in Cork or Naas.