Recommend me a red wine please.

[Janus]

Got a few on my list now off here to go shopping for (thankyou)

 

One more thing, is it usually written on the label whether the wine is dry/sweet red/white ? (assuming I see some others later on.

[Maz3]

If you're new to drinking red wine I would start of with a Merlot. I would stick with Australian or South American, as they produce better quality wines in the £5 - £10 region than say, France, for example. France keeps the good stuff for themselves and offloads their crap to British supermarkets. Having tried Merlot I would then recommend trying Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec (Co-op do a good Argentinian Malbec).

[SpikeMac]

Got a few on my list now off here to go shopping for (thankyou)

 

One more thing, is it usually written on the label whether the wine is dry/sweet red/white ? (assuming I see some others later on.

 

Hi Janus. Most red wine is pretty dry.

 

If you are willing to pay a tenner a bottle, you should find something pretty drinkable.

 

Why not buy two, or three different ones and see what you like?

 

I know very little about Chilean wines, but I do know that £10 will buy you a decent St Emilion, or a good Medoc of one type or another. That is if you are willing to give the French a bit of house room:D

 

I often buy French Cote Du Rhone for everyday drinking. You'll find a decent one of those for about £7.

 

Let us know how you get on.

[5iron2]

I’ve never been a wine drinker. I can’t remember for sure if I’ve ever bought a bottle of wine. In the supermarkets there seems to be an overwhelming choice, especially for someone like me who hasn’t got a clue.

 

Can someone suggest a red wine to try. The only criteria is I don’t like sweet things. Thank you

 

 

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Merlot

[salsafan]

Got a few on my list now off here to go shopping for (thankyou)

 

One more thing, is it usually written on the label whether the wine is dry/sweet red/white ? (assuming I see some others later on.

 

Wines normally are classed like this:

whites - sweet/medium sweet/ dry

reds - light bodied/medium bodied/full bodied

(I think it means the strength of the taste)

 

 

With reds, you can get a single grape wine, or you can get a blended grape wine. This is where everyone's preferences differ. I normally just like Bordeaux, which is blended. It does take a little bit of trying to find the one that you like.

[Bob England]

Have a look at a good wine merchants website (Berry Brothers and Rudd) or similar.

 

Have a good read at their tasting notes, that can help point you in the right direction.

[spilldig]

Sainsburys Chiraz at £4.50 a bottle is my favourite. I have paid a lot more for far less qaulity.

[geared]

Sainsburys Chiraz at £4.50 a bottle is my favourite. I have paid a lot more for far less qaulity.

 

The Supermarket own brand wine is actually very good stuff.

They use their bulk buying power to drive the price right down, so you get very good value for money.

 

Go have a look at a Tesco/ASDA/Morissons/Sainsburys finest bottle of wine, if the price is right then it's a good place to start.

[salsafan]

The Supermarket own brand wine is actually very good stuff.

They use their bulk buying power to drive the price right down, so you get very good value for money.

 

Go have a look at a Tesco/ASDA/Morissons/Sainsburys finest bottle of wine, if the price is right then it's a good place to start.

That's because they started to work with the actual producers and start to blend wines too. I know that M&S also started to do this a while back. It really is quite luxurious.

 

Now we are almost similar to France soon. Even their table wines are good. At a very cheap price too.

[L00b]

Go have a look at a Tesco/ASDA/Morissons/Sainsburys finest bottle of wine, if the price is right then it's a good place to start.

First place I always look is Aldi: in terms of value for money sourcing, their wine buying team has consistently proven to be head and shoulders above the 'majors' for years and years.

 

The best wine deals (both in grape origin and value) I've found on UK supermarket shelves have consistently been in Aldi, going as far back as I can't remember.

 

I find the UK majors getting ever-closer to the 'Blossom Hill' baseline in terms of selection, whereas Aldi has always (AFAIK) bulk-bought for cross-European sales, including stores in countries where people have long 'known their wines' (Germany, France, not to put too fine a point on it), so (I surmise) that's how the good deals end up here too.

Now we are almost similar to France soon.

You mean, we're finally going to get supermarket wine fairs twice a year, at which you can buy a crate of 2008 St Georges St Emilion at €5 a bottle, or a pallet of non-descript Côtes du Rhône at €2,30 a bottle? Really?

 

Drinking a red on its own, in the sort of "fishbowl" glasses I see in every other pub, is heresy. To really appreciate it, you should always eat a bit of finger food with it, flavoured but not too strongly. E.g. a small slice of salami, a small dice of cheese - something to give your pallet a contrast.