Depends. Dry, sweet, fruity, big & bold, light?
Start with the inexpensive Austrailian wines like Lindemans, Yellow Tail, Penfolds,and others and keep notes on each. You can also check out Consumer Reports best wine buys and see if you agree. If you don't agree, that's good to know as well as if you do. It's all about discovering your own taste.
One experiment to try with reds in particular is to aerate them before drinking. It can really help to smooth them out by exposing them to oxygen. You don't need fancy equipment to do this either.
I use an empty large plastic juice jug with a tight fitting cap. Pour off some of the wine straight from the bottle into a glass as a "before" sample. Dump the rest into the jug, cap and shake vigorously for 30sec. Remove the cap, and take a deep breath into the jug. Note what you smell. Then pour some of that into another glass, the "after" sample and compare the two. Which do you prefer? What taste differences do you notice? Does it make a difference? Dump the "before" into the jug and swirl. Fill your "after" glass and using a funnel, pour the wine back into the bottle.
This can also mellow out some harsh-tasting white wines as well.
I enjoy wines but don't spend much on them. It's rare I spend more than $15/bottle. Closer to $10 is more like it. Here's a few I'd suggest trying:
Pinot Grigio: Kris about $12/bottle.
Zinfandel: Bogle Old Vine about $9.
Red Blend: Peirano "The Other" about $12. Also Bogle's "Essential Red" about $9.
Chardonnay: Toasted Head, about $9.
I'm currently exploring Spanish tempranillos which I don't know much about, but really like so far. I tend to like big, bold reds that go well with grilled & spicy food.
Start with the inexpensive Austrailian wines like Lindemans, Yellow Tail, Penfolds,and others and keep notes on each. You can also check out Consumer Reports best wine buys and see if you agree. If you don't agree, that's good to know as well as if you do. It's all about discovering your own taste.
One experiment to try with reds in particular is to aerate them before drinking. It can really help to smooth them out by exposing them to oxygen. You don't need fancy equipment to do this either.
I use an empty large plastic juice jug with a tight fitting cap. Pour off some of the wine straight from the bottle into a glass as a "before" sample. Dump the rest into the jug, cap and shake vigorously for 30sec. Remove the cap, and take a deep breath into the jug. Note what you smell. Then pour some of that into another glass, the "after" sample and compare the two. Which do you prefer? What taste differences do you notice? Does it make a difference? Dump the "before" into the jug and swirl. Fill your "after" glass and using a funnel, pour the wine back into the bottle.
This can also mellow out some harsh-tasting white wines as well.
I enjoy wines but don't spend much on them. It's rare I spend more than $15/bottle. Closer to $10 is more like it. Here's a few I'd suggest trying:
Pinot Grigio: Kris about $12/bottle.
Zinfandel: Bogle Old Vine about $9.
Red Blend: Peirano "The Other" about $12. Also Bogle's "Essential Red" about $9.
Chardonnay: Toasted Head, about $9.
I'm currently exploring Spanish tempranillos which I don't know much about, but really like so far. I tend to like big, bold reds that go well with grilled & spicy food.