What is an affordable wine?

[Art Vandelay]

Nobody's mentioned Thunderbird yet? That and Night Train always get the job done.

[Metroid]

Nobody's mentioned Thunderbird yet? That and Night Train always get the job done.

If getting the job done means a 48 hour headache and temporary blindness then yeah Night Train and Thunderbird get the job done.

Man that stuff tastes like nail polish remover mixed gasoline and and a little rubbing alcohol.

[Polar Bear]

This is some great information. I can't say this enough, but I am clueless when it comes to wine. I actually pulled out a legal pad and wrote down all the brand names.

JT thanks for the tip on the wine tasting tour, there are a couple places around here that do that and I never even thought of it.

Now what about mixing foods and wine? What goes good with different wines? I know much of it boils down to personal taste, but is there a general rule to some of it?

[Yoda]

Generally speaking you drink reds with meat and whites with fish. However, I tend to drink mostly whites in the summer since they are chilled and reds in the winter.

[Dan Lambskin]

This is some great information. I can't say this enough, but I am clueless when it comes to wine. I actually pulled out a legal pad and wrote down all the brand names.

JT thanks for the tip on the wine tasting tour, there are a couple places around here that do that and I never even thought of it.

Now what about mixing foods and wine? What goes good with different wines? I know much of it boils down to personal taste, but is there a general rule to some of it?

i think in general Red goes with red meat and salmon and heavier fish and tomato based pasta, white goes with chicken, pork veal and lighter fish and other types of pasta

maybe check this out http://www.wineintro.com/food/

but honestly just drink what you like

[Metroid]

Yup and don't cook with any wine you wouldn't drink.

[Art Vandelay]

Nobody's mentioned Thunderbird yet? That and Night Train always get the job done.

If getting the job done means a 48 hour headache and temporary blindness then yeah Night Train and Thunderbird get the job done.

haha...you're not lying. I think the worst hangover of my life was off of Night Train. Actually, second worst, but yeah, that stuff is horrible.

For a real suggestion, check out the Pinot from Romililly. It's a little pricey (about $30/bottle), but it a really good Pinot. In the interest of full disclosure, it's a label that two of my good friends started, but I'd plug it despite that. It's hard to find outside of No. Cal., but you can order it online if you're interested: www.romililly.com.

I'm no oenophile, but, all things being equal, I generally prefer petite sirah over any other style of wine. If you haven't already, and you like reds, check it out. I've had some pretty good ones in the $12 range.

[knapplc]

I've seen some really bad advice given about wines before, but pretty much everyone here is right on the mark. Lots of good info for a beginner, and remember - we were all beginners once, Polar Bear.

As far as wine pairings go, that's kind of becoming a myth, too. In general reds will taste better to most with red meat, red sauce and heavier, spicier foods in general while whites will go with cheeses, salads, white fish, etc. But there are some who like to mix foods and wines, and that's just fine. I've made a pink sauce from a cabernet and alfredo that was really good, so it depends on your taste.

Wine is no more difficult to learn about and appreciate than beer. It's as varied as beer and as enjoyable in its way. There's some stigma about wine that makes it less approachable for most people than beer, but it's not. It's easy to learn about and develop a taste for.

[Mookie4ever]

Chateau de mweir145

[AquaMan2342]

wine.woot.com usually has some pretty good selections for a pretty good price.