Newbie Needs Some Help

[XxMerlinxX]

So I've recently picked up an interest in wine, but I have very VERY little experience. I just finished off a bottle of Yellowtail Shiraz, seen by many as swill I know, but that's the first one I've been able to actually finish. As far as preferences, I think I don't like overly dry wines and possibly lean towards flavor profiles that run on the fruity side. Can anyone recommend a few wines for me? Price point needs to stay under $25.

 

[XxMerlinxX]

I guess I'll continue to update this thread instead of starting a new one. Yesterday I visited a small wine shop and had a chat with the owner there. On her recommendation I picked up a bottle of Firestone Vineyard Select Riesling 2006 for around $10 and a bottle of Schlink Haus Sweet Red Wine for around $12. I was a little skeptical considering the low prices but we opened the Riesling last night and found it was surprisingly good. Definitely not a deep or complex wine, but probably a good wine to start off with for a beginner. The Riesling was certainly on the sweet side and not very dry. As far as the flavor profile goes, it was pretty simple with a pear flavor right off the bat followed by a very small burst of tart apple to finish. As I said, we enjoyed it, but will probably move on to other wines before coming back to this one again. Tonight we'll try either the Sweet Red or the Fat Bastard Merlot that was recommended to me by my boss.

 

[NorCalCigarLover]

Hey there Merlin,

Many new wine drinkers will find Merlot's and Zinfandels very accessible for there palates, and there are some good ones in your price range. Your probably going to like wines that are more fruit forward, not necessarily sweet, so when you talk to people at wine stores that'll help you describe something to look for.

As far as producers go, check out some of the larger producers to find good wines in your price range, Beaulieu Vineyards, Beringer, Buena Vista, Chateau St. Jean, etc.. . For Zinfandels I would recommend Rosenblum, Brazin, Cline, Clos LaChance and Michael David Phillips Seven Deadly Zin. All are good producers and offer some reasonably priced wines.

We attended a large Zinfandel tasting last weekend in San Francisco and had some outstanding wines, most that I liked are smaller producers and hard to source outside of CA. If your interested, I can give you some of those names as well.

Good luck and welcome to the world of wine!