Anyone know of a good but relatively cheap red wine for beginners? Maybe one that is sweeter than usual since i tried one at a restaurant paid by my employer and it was good, but bitter still. Also, any places to buy good wine? Specs, HEB, Foodtown?
A usually decent red is Ravenswood, Vintner's Blend Zinfandel. I keep a case around to cook with, and also to drink, while cooking. It is usually ~US$8/ btl.
HEB and Foodtown do not ring a bell with me. You might want to state your location, especially as this is an international NG. If you are in UK, then I cannot help, same for most of Europe/Asia. Also, availability in your location may preclude many suggestions that you are likely to get. No sense giving recs. if one cannot get that wine.
If in US, then another good "starter" red would be Peachy Canyon "Incredible Red." I use it for cooking and drinking too. I do not use any wine for cooking, that I cannot enjoy by the glass.
Neither is too tannic, or too BIG, and both exhibit some simple fruit on the palete. Prices may vary, as will availability, but both are Zin-based and friendly.
Hunt
Patraio Nero d'Avola from Sicily. Not sweet at all, but great...about $5.
Petraio Nero d'Avola from Sicily. Not sweet at all, but great...about $5.
I know I'll get whined at but to me there are no good slightly sweet red wines at least in the USA. Very cheap low grade wines tend to be slightly sweet such as white zinfandel, rose's etc.
You might try wines that have more up front fruit. Often beginners confuse fruit with sweetness. A dry wine can have a ton of fruit and give the appearance of being sweet.
Columbia Crest Grand Estate 2002 Cabernet (Washington) An excellent wine for $11. Rated outstanding by Wine Press North West. I buy more every time I'm in the grocery store. Open it about an hour or 2 before you drink it. It is dry, not sweet, but oh so good.
True, a good example is Goldmuskateller Trocken: dry with a sweety taste. Many ppl here doesn't like it because it seems too sweet for first and second dishes, but not enough sweet for desserts. I'd drink it anytime.
Where you'd purchase seems to be locale-dependent, but Caldorra (which is $6.99/bottle) is a good, cheap-for-me wine from Italy. Locally (in SF) it's available at K&L Wines on 4th street.
-- Hasan Diwan
With your post/question in mind, I sampled a Fife Barbera the other night. This happened to have been a 1995 from my cellar, but was listed at US$12 in my software. OK, it had some years on it, but was an excellent bottle, still in good condition. Good acidity to match with food, light tannins, but still exhibiting fruit on the palete. In its youth, it probably presented even more fruit - no TN's available on the other bottles (looks like I bought 6 and this was the last). A good food wine, but also a plesant "drinker" as well.
Hunt
I live in Texas. Sorry for confusion.
I like the Barefoot wine label for their reds. They run $6-7 at our local grocery stores. The wife and I call them the "foot" wines - nothing negative meant by that as far as the taste.
Many years ago, the Barefoot Chard was voted as our "Slammer Chard" for the Summer. Then, it was about US$4.99 and there was a 10% discount for a case. I came to know the Dir. of Marketing, but within two years the winery was sold and the house was "cleanded." At about that time, that wine ceased to make the Slammer cut, and I have not tried any of their wines since. I'll have to look into their reds, which I have never tried, though.
Hunt
No problem. With the international nature of this NG, one almost never knows. Ed Rasimus, who freqeuntly contributes to the NG (I notice a response in this thread), just moved to TX. He probably has a lot of great recs for what is available locally. Knowing that you are in the US helps a lot. Personally, I do not know the availability of international wines in your part of the state, but you should be able to get much of it.
There is a ton of good red wine in the
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