DU wine drinkers/experts I need your help

[Reverend_Smitty]

I no next to nothing about wine, I'm a beer person, I can always find a good 6-pack but picking out a bottle of wine causes a great deal of anxiety for me. I need to buy a friend a bottle of wine for Christmas preferably in the 10-25 dollar range. She likes both red and white just as long as it's not too dry. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to fly solo in the wine aisle tomorrow :scared:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

1. Do you live close to a decent wine shop?

They will have people that can point you in the right direction.

Gary's Wine up by me has a staff of wine people. It's great. Tell them what you want to spend, what you're eating, and they'll take you around and give suggestions.

Personally, I'm a fan of BV Coastal Estates Merlot and Coppola Merlot. They're both in your price range.

[Reverend_Smitty]

3. I think there is one in Princeton

The little extra drive and parking hassle may be worth not having a panic attack in the liquor store

[flvegan]

2. Where are you shopping?

Grocery store or a decent wine place?

[BarenakedLady]

4. Grocery stores don't sell wine!

Geeeez you must live in some weird state or sumpfin.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

5. Shoprite has liquor stores

They're separate from the main part of the store though, because NJ is stupid about that stuff.

[BarenakedLady]

8. What is Shoprite?

If you aren't talking about Wegmans or Tops, I have no idea.

:dunce:

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

10. It's a supermarket

We don't have either of those here.

We have Shoprites, Acmes, A&Ps, Stop & Shops (expensive, and cashiers hit you), and Pathmark (kind of crappy, usually).

[TieDyedDad]

12. Hey

we just got quick cheks here in the Hudson Valley....Im in love!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

14. I love Quik chek

I stop there almost every morning for a coffee and egg & cheese on a english muffin or a buttered hard roll. Plus the subs...

Did you get the regular quik chek or the quik chek with the gas station and tables to eat at?

[TieDyedDad]

17. Mmmmmmmmmmm

I just went there tonight for coffee...the Beer cave.

[TieDyedDad]

19. the gas station one..

I used to drive across the border to go to wawa...

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

23. No wawa's here

Too far north.

[Reverend_Smitty]

29. you poor dears up there...

I couldn't live without my Wawa. I don't know how many of them I've stumbled into at 3am for a soft pretzel or one of their wraps

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

31. Quik Chek is far superior

I used to have one on the walk home between my apartment and the bar. It was nice.

Now I don't have a bar or Quik Chek in walking distance. :cry:

[Reverend_Smitty]

36. Neither do I

We had a Wawa on the way back from our favorite bar in college. Now we play our favorite post-drinking game...annoy or sweet talk the designated driver into taking us for food...you get bonus points if we stop at a diner

[TieDyedDad]

15. You got hit by a stop and shop cashier

wtf?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

20. Actually, my wife did

We were in express lane, and I put a pack of gum on the belt, which put us over the limit. Next thing you know, the cashier was yelling at my wife and hit her. We were so shocked, that we just paid & left. We should have gotten her crazy ass fired.

[TieDyedDad]

22. No waaay..

thats nuts.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

25. Yeah...we don't go there anymore

[TieDyedDad]

27. Yeah I can see why

you should have had her ass locked up.

[Reverend_Smitty]

18. We have a Wegman's in our area

it's actually a really nice store and their bakery section is teh shit!

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

30. I've had their pumpkin creme brulee

It was fucking awesome. One of LostinVA's coworkers gave it to her.

[TieDyedDad]

34. you in bergen?

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

38. Nope

[BarenakedLady]

21. Rhode Island has Stop & Shops

I remember them.

They got a Trader Joe's now too. I need to move back to RI.

[TieDyedDad]

26. We went all over one night

when we staying in Warwick to find booze..

[BarenakedLady]

33. Must have been recent.

My mom told said they just opened.

[TieDyedDad]

37. Yeah

we went to foxwoods but stayed in RI.

[BarenakedLady]

40. Cha-ching

Did you win any moola?

[TieDyedDad]

42. Nope

I never win LOL..I like Mohegan better anyways..we spent the day down on Narragansett Beach and dinner in Providence..

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

28. The shelf prices at the Stop & Shop in Stonington, CT are all digital

And they don't hit you at that one.

I like Pie & Suds in Westerly, RI, especially their clam pizza.

[BarenakedLady]

35. Clam pizza?

That's a new one to me. Though I don't doubt it.

Omg. I could go for some chowder (Manhattan) and clamcakes right now.

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

41. It's good.

It's a white pizza with clams. All of their pizza is good, actually.

[XemaSab]

45. California:

Where every grocery store has a whole AISLE of hard liquor. :)

[Reverend_Smitty]

6. There are a couple of big liquor stores nearby

[flvegan]

24. 2002 Habitat Wine (organic AND a 2002 Napa!!)

My absolute favorite. My brother, the uber wine snob, was also very impressed. I buy mine at the health food store, and it's under $20. 20 bucks for an '02 Napa!

http://www.habitatwines.com/wines.html

If they don't carry that, 2007 Daniel Bouland Morgon Vieilles. Excellent red. Cost you around $20, if they carry it.

[Reverend_Smitty]

32. duly noted

I'm seriously going in there tomorrow with notes

[Whoa_Nelly]

7. Toad Hollow Chardonnay

or any of the Barefoot wines

Also:
Clos du Bois
Chateau St. Michelle

[Reverend_Smitty]

9. I've heard of the Barefoot wines before

as for the others, I'll look them up on the internets, thanks

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

11. Barefoot is a good, cheap wine

That's why Midlo adores it.

[Reverend_Smitty]

13. plus it's a step up on the classy ladder...

it doesn't come in box form :P

[Inchworm]

16. Richard's Wild Irish Rose (grape)

mixed with any flavor koolaid of course :P

Spicy reds are my favorites.

:toast:

[Reverend_Smitty]

39. I was thinking Thunderbird...

it pairs well with items from the Wendy's dollar menu

[baldguy]

43. Try a Late Harvest Riesling.

Hogue
Hermann J Wiemer
Chateau Ste Michelle

or a little drier: Gewurztraminer.
Trimbach
Dr. Konstantin Frank
Beringer

[Shakespeare]

46. Late harvest riesling is a dessert wine.

Most regular rieslings are semi-dry, unless explicitly indicated (but thank goodness, the Alsatian style of dry rieslings are come back again).

Most gewurztraminers are semi-dry, also (unless specifically labeled as dry).

[peruban]

44. My favorite wine to drink is an Italian chianti made by Ruffino.

It runs about $15 a bottle and can be found in most supermarkets with a decent wine section. Just ask for the italian wine sections and yuo'll probably find it there. It's a bit dry and best served slightly above room temperature.

However, if your friend really, really doesn't like dry wines then a simple, inexpensive blush wine would be fine. White zinfandels and rose wine comes to mind but I don't know any particular brands off the top of my head.

Rose wine is especially nice as a gift because of its flowery aroma and sweet taste. You may need to do some searching for it but there are many Spanish and Portuguese brands out there. It's more of a pleasant novelty and enjoyed on it's own, like port wine, as a cocktail, you don't have to put much wine knowledge to use since the aromatic rose scent overpowers any bitterness the wine may have. I would say that it's a good choice for a gift since it isn't an ordinary run of the mill wine but instead, something a little special and will show some thought behind it as a good gift.

Hope this helps.