Can anybody recommend a nice red wine for beginners?

Oops! Just seenLillie's post. So, I second what she says?

What an interesting task to set oneself!! "just doing my research, darling!"
I am very fond of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo which is also (I believe) the house red at Pizza Express!

Under no circumstances go for a South African wine - worked for a specialist SA Wine importer, who sent us wines which needed to be laid down for at least 3 years and couldn't undertand that we don't tend to have wine cellars here! A nouveau Beaujolais tends not to be too bad (they are intended to be drunk young, but it's almost impossible to buy supermarket reds that are fit for human consumption - they are all far too young. Recommend advice from a good wine merchant if you have one near you and be prepared to pay good money - we tend to drink a weekly bottle of absolute plonk with a Saturday meal (try to avoid paying under £6), but for a special occasion will drink a Gevry Chambourtin. Also do like Fleurie.

We were advised to drink Argentinian Malbec as it's good for DH's macular degeneration. So we do, knowing that it's purely medicinal of course ...... The fact that it's delicious is neither here nor there!!

I love Italian wines & a particular favourite is the Primitivo from the glorious Puglia region - the "heel" of Italy's "boot". It used to be hard to find but is now available in all the major supermarkets

Merlot Peach Garden from M&S is the first red wine I've liked enough to buy more. Came 'free' with dine in for £10 the first time. Best opened a while before BUT my first taste was on an emergency opening where we needed more wine than we'd planned for and everyone liked it.

Thankyou gulligranny I also have AMD and that is the best reason I have heard to indulge my love of red ( and white) wine ???

New Zealand, Australian and South African Red wines are always nice - not very keen on the French Red wines myself but some people do like them. I have seen small bottles of various wines recently in our local supermarket, enough for two small glasses, these could be the best way to go as, if you don't like the taste you haven't wasted a lot of money on a full sized bottle.

Melbac is nice and if you can afford a slighter more expensive one it's worth it.
Think I might buy a bottle for Easter.

Annsixty, this was genuine advice from an"eye" person; apparently the Argentinian Malbec has more of whatever it is that is good for the eyes. Our problem really is sticking to one glass ....

Personally I on't think you can beat a big, burly South African ! Would raise a glass to a decent Rioja too... likewise Bordeaux.

I went on a trip to the Champagne region with a Wine Manager from Waitrose... he said it breaks his heart that people never ask his advice.

Tried it at my local Branch when I got home and wow ! They really know their stuff... and once you get the hang of what you like, they'll even alert you to special offers coming up that you might enjoy.

It's a voyage of discovery ! Enjoy the trip ! We do ! Hic !

Do you get wine tasting evenings in the UK? I live in a wine-growing area so we can go and taste wine in the vineyards whenever we want. But restaurants or possibly even community centres offer that sort of thing, too, surely.



You will be given a list with the wines you are tasting with their sugar and tannin contents, and you will be guided a little as to how to discern whether the taste is more "cherry" or "blackcurrant" or whatever.



I have even been to a red wine tasting where the wines were presented with an accompanying chocolate. As all of the chocolates were dark chocolates, which I can't eat, I can't tell you if that was a good idea or not....



Otherwise: My favourite would also be Merlot to start with. Personally I prefer a dry wine: French: sec, Italian: secco, German: trocken, herb,

gullygranny it's no good for my eyes - if I have more than two glasses of any red wine I end up seeing double!!

A favourite entertainment on holiday in Provence has been the 'soirée du vin' in a nearby village when the proprietors of local wineries bring in their bottles for everyone to sample. You buy a glass and get a 'soupcon' at each stall. Sometimes you find a bottle that you can't resist, though a few of them are more like paint stripper than anything drinkable! The kids have had to be content with delicious fruit juice, but now that they are teenagers, they may have other ideas.

Local knowledge certainly has benefits. We were in the hypermarket in Boulogne some years ago, browsing the reds, and running out of time before the ferry when an elderly lady tugged at my sleeve and pointed out some bottles which she indicated were very good. We took a few bottles as it was as cheap as chips, along with some Loire reds we liked. It was absolutely delicious! A trail of wine shops here failed to turn up any locally and we've never been back across the channel, so that was that!

had this one at a pub meal
el colectivo 39 malbec mendoza argentina

When I got home searched for it on the inter net and got tasting notes.

www.wine-searcher.com/wine-457304-0001-el-colectivo-39-malbec-mendoza-argentina

Wine Notes
•This is above average in popularity for wines from Mendoza. Furthermore, this wine has been getting more popular over the past year.
•In the more affordable category for red wines from Mendoza. The price has been stable over the past year.
•The producer makes several other wines, including those from grapes Muscat, Malbec - Syrah, and Chardonnay - Torrontes.
Our price
£84.4
Quantity per case
12
Quantity
Case of 12 x 75cl
Delivery
Usually takes 7 - 10 working days
Available to order

Also available from
www.thefinewinecompany.co.uk/product/el-colectivo-malbec-2014-case/
This wine has the typical deep, dark violet color of Argentine Malbec. The nose offers intense aromas of black stone fruit interwoven with notes of chocolate and sweet spice. Balanced acidity leads into a long, velvety finish.
Also from
www.buygreatwine.co.uk/el-colectivo-malbec
at £7.32 a bottle.

I love most malbecs but not the one sold by Aldi.

I agree with all the Merlot recommenders as a first foray into red wine. It's soft on the palate. Make sure it's at room temperature or even a little warmer. Keep it in the airing cupboard if you have one and give it breathing time when you've opened it. I always enjoy anything French in the reds but at the moment my favourite is a good Argentinean Malbec.

You might like to try Yellow Tail Jammy Red Roo (look for the kangaroo on the bottle) - it's a very easy drinking red wine as it's super fruity (hence the 'jammy') and low on tannins. Everyone in my family loves it, which is a shame as that means less for me! I've only ever seen it in Tesco's although there are other Yellow Tail varieties in most supermarkets. At the moment I think it's only £5.75 a bottle too.

My current favourite is La Grange St Martin 2014 Cotes du Rhone, a bargain at £6.99 from the Co-op

Haven't spotted any mention of Laithwaites. Their Cabalie and Black Stump are very good. Always have offers on and they will refund any bottle which doesn't please.
I was bought an aerator gizmo for Christmas which is fabulous. You pour the wine through it into your glass and it has the same effect as leaving it uncorked for a couple of hours before drinking. Cheers! ?

Kim0612 enjoy discovering. I've always enjoyed red wine, well wine in general to be honest, but your tastes do change with age I think and I tend to only drink reds with food now. I also avoid reds with lots of tannin as I prefer a softer style - and I tend to find more of these in European wines. Tried a Bobal (from Spain) in a restaurant recently and there's some in my wine rack now

Wow, thank you for the brilliant response, it's been interesting to hear everybody's recommendations, Saturday night's will never be the same, cheers

This red wine type of classic Rhone blend has seen oak ageing and it allowed the winemaker to make this wine so smooth, elegant and easy to drink, even though it is a blend of three very rich and potent grape varieties. You will definitely taste the difference and see how oak influences the wine. I recommend to try this red wine once.

Message deleted by Gransnet. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Reported.