@Ticomaya,
Hi, Tico!
How goes it? TY for your acknowledgement. I appreciate your sending me PM about this thread. So many members have written such useful and helpful info. I'll try not to repeat what has been covered.
{Editorial Nolte: I feel the need to write. Here's a small article around this subject. For those who have no interest, please feel free to scroll on past. For those who are interested, I put in topic headings so you can scroll down to what interests you. I hold no pretense that I'm an expert on the subject. I'm just a semi-retired writer-photog who has time on my hands.}
Why Whine Over Wine?
Why whine? 'Cause it tastes good and makes meals taste even better. As I state previously, I'm no wine expert; however, I'm passionate about wines, love blending wines with foods. After some gypsy domestic travel (decades ago), my fave west coast trip is over to Napa Valley in Calif. While on vacation in 1979, I visited a few wineries. I sampled a lot, bought a few bottles and took notes on what I liked and learned. From that first trip on my '79 vacation onward, I went from being an infrequent buyer to a regular wine drinker and explorer.
Wine Tasting Culture
So, wine-tasting (for consumption ... not collecting) has been a hobby, but I avoid the wine-tasting culture(?) and all the snobbery that might go with it.
Life is too short to listen to people's rambling as the wax poetic over fig-likem or 'flinty' overtones and hints of heather or grassy undertones. As a writer, I deplore that seeming exclusive-wine-club elitism. I also avoid (like the plague) all elitist wine press (media).
Wine Media
However, all that being said, Robert Parker (a follower of Nader's philosophy of being pro-consumer not catering to corporate interests) is often a great help to most who are seeking to learn. Also, I recommend his wine magazine called 'The Wine Advocvate':
'http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wine_Advocate'.
This mag has excellent guides for the general public, as opposed to being only geared toward the veteran oenophile.
Wine Price-Value, Personal Taste and Newbie Wine-Tasting
I reiterate the sage advice that 'good tasting wine' need not be more than $12-$15 and decent wine can be had for around $8-$12, or (have mercy) even $6. For many (or even most of the public) it's fine for wine to be just decent-tasting. or pleasant .
As an aside, if most of my friends were asked what they felt the focus of a meal 'should' be, they'd say the food is the foucs and wine is just an adjunct to the meal. Others who are more passionate about wine, feel the wine has a stronger focus - but I digress. I've polled them awhile ago and most avoid spending more than $12-$15. A smaller amount of them spend about $20.
Wine Differences and Appreciation
You don't have to have golden taste buds to appreciate the difference in tastes (and after-tastes) of wines. All you need is the desire and give yourself some exposure to tasting different types of wines. If your taste buds are OK (and you take the time), many consumers will gravitate to good-tasting wines they like regardless of the sales and/or marketing forces.
Major Wine Producing Regions/Countries and in USA
Italy
France
USA
Germany/Austria
Spain
South Africa
Argentina.
Areas of wine-producing in USA-N.A. (Calif, Washington/Oregon, NY State, and in Canada, Ontario and B.C.)
General Reputations/Type of Wines from Wine-producing Regions around the world
France - great reds and whites, but often times value-for-USD is lesser here but mostly (fior me) the taste can be worth it in the more expensively priced (~$15-$20 USD) wines. Wines excell from all ovr and I've explored wines from Medoc, Rhone, Burgundy, etc.
Italy makes good-to-great, reasonable value-for-the US & Canadian Dollar) red and white, but my favorite is red. Specifically, the Tuscan-Piedmont region is tops, but frankly there's hardly an Italian region from which I haven't had good or great wines. Sicily makes some amazing Chianti (Chianti Classico and Reserve).
Inexpensive Aussie Brands
Yellow Tail is a very pervasive and inexpensive Aussie brand with a huge presence in supermarkets and wine stores. While thios wine is not first chocie for inexpensive wines, it can be found easily almost any palce that sells wine. Aussie-land makes other reasonably-priced wines (Black Opal, Rosemount, Lindemann).
Austria/Germany make good-to-incredible white wines (Reisling, Kabinett, Auslese, Spatlese, Liebfraumilch.
South Africa makes great whites (as Austria and Germany) . Johannesburg Reislings are tops. Honorable mention here also goes to New Zealand.
Argentina - good values in reds Malbec (red) as well as blends of Malbec with Syrah/Shriaz). These red are commonly priced under $10 USD and are enjoyable for most part for those who are looking for a tasty red.
I can go on and on here, but this might help some people to get a foothold.
