Pinot Noirs are usually fool proof.
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Pinot Noirs are usually fool proof.
Anyway, there was a wine expert in the store and I talked to him for a bit. Finally I bought a bottle of Gato Negro Carmenere and a bottle of Bonacchi Chianti Riserva 2006 edition.
I have no idea how they taste, but considering what the wine expert told me, they should be drinkable to me and please the more experienced red wine drinker. I usually don't like the taste of red wine.
Even though I no longer drink, the best red wines are New World ones (more suited to our Northern palates). My favourites are;
Ernest & Julio Gallo - Cabernet Sauvignon
Jacob's Creek - Shiraz
Trileka - Cabernet Sauvignon
Price is a semi-reliable indicator of quality. I have found that $30 wines tend to be optimal for a special occasion. Those much over that tend to be lost on me. $15 wines are fine for a regular occasion. Anything much less than that (with a few notable exceptions that I stock up on regularly :) ) often ends up in salad dressing.
For red wines, those from the St. Emilion district of Bordeaux have a good track record of pleasing my palate. Paso Robles is promising for California wines. In the $15 range, Ravenswood is perfect for Heathen occasions and its three ravens label sets an appropriate tone. Smoking Loon is a very drinkable $8 wine.
Up to 200 Euro? That´s crazy. French Gran Cru wines usually are good, so are most Pinot Noirs from the German wine region "Baden". You also should look for wines from Eastern Austria or from South Tyrol. To me it´s alway important to have a picture of the place where the wine grows in mind...
South Tyrol: http://www.berge-exclusiv.de/wp-cont...ow-weine-2.jpg
Baden: http://gaestehausschaetzle.de/images/vogtsburg/pic5.jpg
Burgundy: http://www.swisseuropetravel.com.au/...-Bourgogne.gif
Eastern Austria: http://www.merkur-online.de/bilder/2...eiermark.9.jpg
I don't like wine, but when I do drink it, I prefer the sweeter stuff (rose?) and sometimes I'll drink merlot with husband because he likes it.
Karl, get some British / English wine. Or if you want the authentic Nordic experience, try some Danish wine.
Is it true that the red wines from Sonoma California are generally better than the European wines due to climate? I'm drinking a Sonoma Merlot right now but it's not quite very good. "Ravenswood". It was something I drank 10 years ago in my early 20's and it's actually fairly poor quality. But compared to Australian wine (which supposedly has an even better climate for wineries) it's better most Aus wines I've had.
And I agree with ficuscarica that grapes need to be grown in a very arid condition to be good. I would think that grapes grown in colder climates would be very tart.