Nice Wines

beaver

Suggestions for nice red wines which are widely available?

Cheers,
-Ross

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When I was young my mother told me not to look into the sun; so once, when I was six, I did...

kayos

hmm lets see I dont normally drink red and when I did it was normally brough back from france my one of my old flat mates and I could never get it back here.The ones I would get though are

Wolfblass
Jean Boumont/Bellemont (I forget which)

Mainly a white man myself....

kayos

Enygma

Depends on what you're looking for and how much you're willing to spend.
I'd recommend you try a few of the Australian reds. Go for the Cab/Sauv if you're looking for a medium-bodied red that goes with almost anything (no more than £6-7).
If you're looking for something fruitier and spicier then go for a Shiraz( or Syrah) spend up to £10.

If you want something lighter go for a Californian Zinfandel (almost like drinking ribena sometimes, not very enjoyable). Can be quite expensive but don't spend more than £8, that's just a waste of money. (Californian Whites are yummy tho

If you want a full bodied red uou can get a Saint Emillion (sp?) for about 10 quid.

The best thing to do is get a few quarter or half bottles and see what you like. I'd definetely recommend Australian reds (Jacobs Creek, Hardys or Rosemount are the most popular). Don't buy French just because wine is from france. Countries like South Africa, Argentina and Spain(Faustino mmmmm,,,,) also produce some lovely wines.

As a general rule I never spend more than £12 on a bottle, and never less than £6. There's barely a difference between a £30 bottle and a £12 bottle. Anything below £6 is usually plonk.
Don't fall for remnants either, it's a nice way of saying "Gone off".

Forgot to mention Chilean wines. Definetely give them a shot. Errazuriz or Torres. Mmmmm.
(A Chilean Merlot is heaven )

Quick tip: If a wine has more than one grape the dominant one is labeled first. So if you find a Cabernet/Shiraz the Cabernet is the dominant grape.

If you're interested a lot of off-licences these days have wine clubs where you can learn more about wines. Community Schools also have them. It's not the most exciting thing in the world by a long shot but it does impress the ladies when you can pick a nice wine at a restaurant



[This message has been edited by Enygma (edited 15-07-2001).]

bonkey

Some people have already put up some great suggestions, so here's my 2c worth.

First off, as a general rule, be wary of anything which does not have a year and/or a grape listed on it. Its not necessarily that its bad - I know a lot of people who claim to hate Le Piat dOr, but who couldnt place it last (or even identify it) in a blind tasting.

This type of wine is made from a blend of grapes, and usually from a mix of years. It is designed to always taste the same.

I'll admit to being a snob - I do not drink this type of stuff if I can avoid it, but its not always that bad. Most champagne, for example, is made using the same principle.

Secondly, be careful of making asusmptions about region/label. Just because a label has one good wine, doesnt mean the others will be comparable. Jacobs Creek used to be outstanding. Then it became terrible. Now, IMHO, they make some great Cabernet/Shiraz and Cabernet/Merlot, but I can take or leave the rest of their stuff.

My all-time top red wine has to be Chateau Musar - a fantastically heavy Lebanese wine. You cannot find a bottle younger than 7 years old, and its usually about the 14 quid mark. Outstanding, but quite difficult to put with food. This is usually a "sipping a glass" wine for me, rather than an accompaniment for food.

For European wines, I tend to go Italian or Spanish. Montecillo is pretty damn good for Spanish. IN fact, most Rioja is quite good, especially tempranillo-based wine, but stay away from that damned Faustino muck. Marques de Caceres is also outstanding.

Interestingly, most Spanish wines are underpriced in Ireland, as they have never had a great market here. As a result, their prices are comparable to what youll pay for Spanish anywhere else in Europe outside Spain. This generally means that pound-for-pound, a good Spanish is easier to find

Italian....Salice Salentino was massively popular with the in-crowd about 3-4 years ago. While its popularity has lessened, its flavour and value hasnt. I also tend to drink a lot of "Montepulciano d'Abruzzo". This is not a label - its a region/grape - but anything of that style is generally good.
Chianti, despite its Hannibal Lector associations, can be very good with pasta dishes like spaghetti bolognese. The ones you get in Ireland tend towards teh lighter "quaffable" end of the scale.

French...tends to be overpriced, and to be honest I find the Irish imports a bit bland. Consider trying a decent Chateneuf du Pape, but its nto to everyones taste.

New World - Aussie, New Zealand, Chilean...I tend to agree with the suggestions so far. Lindemans' range of reds is quite excellent as well...I havent found one I didnt like (and I've had all bar their top-of-the-range £100-a-bottle red). Have a look out for Brown Brothers stuff as well. Their Shiraz is truly outstanding.

I've even had some excellent American reds, but other than Frogs Leap, I cant think of any right now. I dunno if anyone in Ireland still stocks Frogs Leap. McCabes used to.

At the end of the day, people tend to side with either New world (Americas, Aussie, NZ) or Old World (European) wines. Each has its own styles to offer. There is no truth in the generalisations like "European is overpriced" or "Chilean is too young", not any more.

So there you have it.

jc

bonkey

In fairness to Enygma's tastes, I should own up and say that Faustino is not really muck.

However, it is mass produced and overpriced. You can find far better Rioja's for the same money, or equivalent ones for far less. Montecillo and Caceres being two very good examples.

jc

Kix

I'd have to agree with Bonkey, the Marques de Caceres Rioja is excellent. And always pay a little more than the average when you can afford it.

I used to drink a lot of wine but I must say that these days I can't really manage it because it give me a lot of trouble with my stomach. What wines I do drink tend to be considerably lighter than the Chatenauf de Papes and Riojas everyone else seams to like. I do find myself drinking things like Beaujolais Villages and Muscadet Sur Lie. Both are French and are types of wines rather than a brand. Both are also readily available.

The Beaujolais is a lovely light red. It’s quite unique and there isn’t anything to compare with it in the new world wines that I know of. I believe that it’s a wine which would readily appeal to almost all wine drinkers and a nice introduction to the world of red wine for the novice. It’s also quite adaptable when it comes to matching it with food.

The Muscadet is a lovely fresh white. An excellent wine for a summer’s day. Don’t be put off by the fact that “Muscadet” has such 70s connotations. It’s worth spending a few pounds extra for the “sur Lie” variety. What this means is that it’s been left for longer on the yeast sediment and often has a slight evervesence (bubbles). It can have a bread-like nose which is reminiscent of Champagne, in my mind.

Hope this encourages you to try them both.

K

EDIT: I see that the question was abour about red wines, oh well, never mind...


[This message has been edited by Kix (edited 19-07-2001).]

bonkey

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Kix:
The Beaujolais is a lovely light red. It’s quite unique and there isn’t anything to compare with it in the new world wines that I know of. I believe that it’s a wine which would readily appeal to almost all wine drinkers and a nice introduction to the world of red wine for the novice. It’s also quite adaptable when it comes to matching it with food.
</font>

Not to my taste, normally, but still an excellent suggestion.

There is one Brown Brothers wine which is similar....IIRC its Trapiche.

jc

Da Bounca

nice italian white - fontana frascatii (name along those lines)

.ak

Not a wine man myself at all... Unless I'm eatting out. I usually like the strong aroma of the fine Russian wine... VoDkA!

But seriously, if you're a wine lover, then why not pop down to the Cobalt Cafe, 16 North Great Georges St. Dublin 1. It's a great Cafe, open from 10am to 6pm in the evening, with fire lit fireplaces, in a modern contemp' fully licensed bar... And the best coffee in town, too!

-Dark-Plugging-Angel-

P.S: Just say Adam sent you! (Yeah, its my frick'en cafe!)


[This message has been edited by Dark-Angel (edited 21-07-2001).]