Hey DU wine snobs, tell me what I should get

[jpgray]

I'm having someone over this weekend and I will fix one of my many famous pasta dishes. This one has a sauce based on tomatoes, butter, onions and garlic, with chicken stock, olive oil, Worcestshire and Tobasco mixed within. This has already been reduced for about two hours and is in the fridge, so it's ready to cook up in 30 minutes or so. I'll probably add fettucine as the pasta, but whole wheat, not egg, if that makes any difference.

What type of wine should I get that is preferably < $25? She doesn't like red wine that is too dry, but beyond that I would say anything goes.

Going to bed now, but I'll be back tomorrow afternoon. Here's hoping there are a few DU wine-knows out there. ;-)

[liberalnurse]

1. A nice Pino Nior.

[Whitacre D_WI]

2. You want a spicy wine to go with all that nice Worcestershire & Tobasco.

I suggest a Rosenblum Zinfandel. You should be able to pick up the 2001 Oakley Vineyard for about $15.

[Bridget Burke]

7. Yes on the Zinfandel

Another suggestion: Liar's Dice Zinfandel from Murphy-Goode. About 15.00 a bottle.

Quite delicious.

[xchrom]

3. grgch hills chardonay

which can depend on where you are for pricing.
acacia vineyards for pinot noir or merlot.
there are some terriffic spanish reds for very little money -- spanish reds often have a bit more fruit.
i have to admit to almost always opting for california wines -- i am a huge fan of my states wines.
but oregan is also very note worthy for it's pinot's.
markham. makes some nice wines good price.
have fun.

[Nlighten1]

4. Milton Park Shiraz

http://www.solanocellars.com/catalog/product_info.php/products_id/1228

It is a red wine but not too dry and not too earthy tasting like some Merlots can be.

[joshdawg]

5. Chateauneuf du Pape

Simply Mahhhhvelous!!

[LynneSin]

6. I love Savignon Blancs from New Zealand and South Africa

My favorite SB from NZ is Brandicott and fav from SA is Indaba from South Africa.

As for reds - my new passion is the Pinnotages from South Africa with Grahem Beck and KVW having some excellent selections.

[THUNDER HANDS]

8. Can't go wrong with Maneshevitz

Sorry, I'm a jew and it's the only wine I know by name.

:D

[Whitacre D_WI]

9. Mogen David kicks the crap out of Maneshevitz.

Especially their "20/20" product. ;)

[liberalnurse]

17. Your giving way too much away about yourself.....

O8)

[LynneSin]

10. hun, talk to me first before you buy wine for you and your gal

Seriously - we want you to impress her!

[GOPisEvil]

13. I think he should bring her to Philly in April.

She needs to pass the DU test. :-)

[THUNDER HANDS]

15. <gulp>

:D

[GOPisEvil]

16. We're sweethearts!

Plus, we want to make sure you two kids are right for each other. :-)

[LynneSin]

22. I like that idea

Then you can take her to the March for Choice rally in DC the next day.

:bounce:

[GumboYaYa]

11. I've been buying some nice Rioja's for twenty and under lately.

Generally, they are a full-bodied red with a little pepperiness to them. You almost can't go wrong with a decent Rioja.

Also, Argentina has some great bargains on reds. I've had a few bottles for under $10.00 that rival $30-$40 Burgundys.

[terrya]

12. Kendall Jackson Zinfindel

Kendall Jackson is an excellent brand. You can get a bottle for <$20

Terry

[bif]

14. I'd go Cotes Du Rhone

Full bodied by not too dry. (And it's French to boot!) You should be able to get two botttles for under $25.

[supernova]

18. My suggestion as well

Cote du Rhones are exquisite and definitely good to impress.

Francis Ford Coppola makes a really great red table wine too, simply called Rosso. It's only about $9/bottle.

[northzax]

19. spend some money, and buy two

I'd sugggest a decent SuperTuscan (since its pasta and all) Innominato makes a superb Sangiovese/Cabernet for around 15 bucks. And then get thyself a bottle of Prosecco, the Sparkling Wine from the Veneto, light and fruity (do not get Asti, you hear?)

failing that, you can get above average chianti classicos (yes, get a classico) for that kind of money, look for 2000's, although the 2001are very drinkable as well. but seriously, get Prosecco, nothing helps a celebration like a nice bottle of bubbly (and Prosecco is not too dry)

But don't listen to us, go to a wine store, not a supermarket, and build a relationship with them over time, it's really the best way to do it, if they are any good, they will learn what you like and don't like. I don't know where you are located, but find a good store, you'll appreciate it over time. (yes, I sell wine)

[GumboYaYa]

20. Go to a good wine store and build a relationship...

That's the best advise on here yet.

[northzax]

21. even better, come to my wine store

well the one I work at, at least, and build a relationship with ME! (this only works in the District of columbia, however)

[GumboYaYa]

23. Awesome, now I know who to go to with questions.

You may regret the day you let me know this bit of information.

[northzax]

24. no problem at all, I can talk wine all day

oh, wait, I do. and just remember, free advice is worth what you pay for it.

[jpgray]

25. Thanks a lot for all the advice, folks! DUers are the best.

I'll be heading out to my nearest dearest wine store to pick somethig up later today. Thanks again for the thorough and occassionally amusing advice. :hi:

[Whitacre D_WI]

26. Let us know what you picked up!

And how you liked it!

[zauberflote]

27. Couple questions

Sounds like quite a concoction!
Do tomatoes dominate? If so I would go with a Italian Barbera. Tomatoes are about the highest acid food you're ever going to eat and a high acid, low tannin wine will make both wine and food flavors soar. Barberas are about as high acid as you can get in a red wine, have almost zero tannins (the stuff from skins and seeds that causes a mouth-drying feeling) and are an absolutely perfect match with most red sauces. You need a good wine store though. Some cheapo stores may only have one or two brands at most. Look for Barbera D'Alba or Barbera D'Asti. Alba wines are usually a bit bigger but not necessarily.
Vietti makes possibly the best all-around Barberas, and I just had a Coppo Barbera d'Asti Camp du Rouss that was mighty fine.
Stay away from anything with too many tannins like Cabernet sauvignon or Chateauneuf-du-pape, delicious though they are. Not only will they not go with tomatoes, they're a positive disaster with anything hot like Tabasco.
If you can't find a good Barbera, a good Chianti would work almost as well or perhaps a Rosso di Montalcino. Both are from the sangiovese grape which is also high acid low tannin.
BUT!!
Does the butter dominate? If so, grab some thing a little richer, perhaps a juicy Pinot Noir, Australian Shiraz or Cote-du-Rhone though since this sounds like an Italian dish I would stay Italian, maybe a Salice Salentino from southern Italy. It's the world's best pizza and lasagna wine -- raisiny, brooding, slightly lower in acid but still no tannins.
Am I writing too much?
Here's my last word of advice: If you go into wine store and have just one thing to tell the wine guy, say you need a wine with low tannins (and I'm guessing that when your girlfriend says she doesn't like reds that are too dry, she's actually talking about reds with too many tannins.

[jpgray]

28. Welcome to DU!

It's an incredibly rich sauce--it does not taste at all like a fresh tomato. The consistency of it by the time I'm done with it is more like a pesto paste than anything--very thick and tasty. :D Not too much butter or oil in it (probably two and a half tablespoons total per serving), and a good part of the flavor comes from the chicken breasts (rubbed with cayenne, cumin, basil, oregano, thyme, &c), and consequently the oil they are sauteed in.

My grandfather makes wine, so I'm aware of a few particulars like tannins. :) Thanks for your advice, It's going to be tough to distill (so to speak) all these posts into a comprehensive choice. If the wine guy has particular advice along the broad lines folks here have given me, I'll probably follow it.