For someone who isn't a wine "lover" and interested in a "good" sweet red, I'd echo what Cinnesthesia said earlier: Try a jug of Gallo Sangria.
(Off topic, one of my favorite lower-priced wines is Delecato Family Vineyards Shiraz. Definitely not sweet, but very good, and not expensive.)
I'm drinking a glass of Sangria (but not Gallo) right now, while taking a break from doing some
research.
Got a bottle of the 2001 Mondavi Pinot Noir. Man -- it was expensive... luckily on sale.
Didn't see any Delecato Family wines of any kind, but that's just one store.
I'm anxious to hear how you liked the wine Piffka.
My supermarket has stopped the sale - I wanted to stock
up today as well.
In the meantime, I'm drinking "Gluehwein" as we speak
I can suggest Sandeman Porto.
http://www.sandeman.com/
(Or any "Porto.")
I have never been able to have more than a sip of Lambrusco, me the italophile. Perhaps I've had the wrong ones.
I also want to welcome artreads to a2k, and add to Ragman that, yes, people kept on talking to themselves since we as forum members have had many repetitious experiences with people starting threads never showing up again. Further, I think the comments could be useful to him over time.
Personally, I would suggest instead of a red wine, a sweet sherry, or perhaps a Marsala, to sip. Florio, a Marsala from Sicily, is pretty tasty, as are many Spanish sherries.
A good quality wine has many layers of flavor experience from the first drop on the tongue, but that is not usually available at low prices, though some low priced wines are everyday-drinkable. Wines made from poor batches of grapes, or uninteresting grapes, or grapes grown badly, or in unconducive climates, or good grapes harvested early because of predicted rains ... are sometimes doctored with a dab of sugar, to cover the lack of grape interest.
The same thing happens with candy bars, lots of sugar in the ones with inferior chocolate. See osso jump on her soap box...
But, if you are attracted to sweet, then it is a good idea to look for something that is sweet and delicious, not just a bad cover for mediocre wine. So some of us are thinking of a good Port, or a dessert wine, or a sweet sherry.
You explained that very good ossobuco, thank you!
Thanks to all for addressing my notes. As a long- time participant of many online forums, I'm aware of the dynamics that occur when a new contributor asks a question. However, that being said, my comment still stands. I mean that as constructive criticism - said in the kindest of ways.
In this case, it seemed to me, had Artreads not been addressed quickly and directly, he might've slipped through the cracks of an ongoing esoteric discussion of the finer nuances of red wines.
My personal regret is that Artreads listened to my advice about the Geo. Beaujolais Villages Nouveau and was disappointed.
Artreads: I hope you bought the exact name of
the wine and not their regular non-holiday wine. It's not often I've heard anyone call the wine anything but sweet and fruity - but it's possible. Still all the same, I believe you definitely didn't like whatever wine it was that you drank.
Please be ware there are lots of people (even veteran wine-lovers) do often get headaches from red wine. Added to many wines are the perservatives called (sodium) sulfites. There's a distinct possibility that your headaches could be caused by the common allergy or sensitivity to sulfites. Just a thought.
Perhaps the wine experts here could advise you better than I about what wines you could find that have no added sulfites?
Ragman -- I don't claim wine expertise, but I know there are a few organic wines. Some of them have minimal sulfites, like Bonnterra, while others claim none at all. It says on the bottle.
Cjane -- I'll get right on opening that bottle;
Here's what I bought, plus I got a 10% case discount.
2 Moscato La Serra 2003 ($12.99 ea.)
1 Batasillo Moscato 2002 (12.99)
2 Pinot Noir Estancia Monterey Pinnacles Ranch 2002 (12.49 ea.)
2 Pinot Noir Dry Creek Russian River 2002 (9.99)
1 Pinot Noir - Mondavi 2001 (21.99)
Speaking of Estancia, I love Estancia's Pinot Noir. FWIW, La Crema PN is great too; however, these aren't cheap here in upstate NY or in CT at
$13-$15 for Estancia and LaCrema is $18.
Glad to hear a good word for Estancia, ragman. I'll let you know how I like it.
I mentioned it earlier, but the Mavrodaphne of Patras would do the trick. Don't let the low price fool you. It is a very serviceable wine which I have even used at caterings to match with chocolate desserts for clients on a budget who also want to try something new. This brand is pretty good:
http://www.wineloverspage.com/wines/tn.phtml?id=194 They compare it to a sweet Banyuls, which is approximate in terms of a basic flavour profile, but they are quite different wines, due to the terroir and grape varietals used. Banyuls is also vinified both sweet and dry, Mavrodaphne is always sweet. Here is a quick link to Banyuls:
http://www.banyuls.com/banyuls/pg/prd.php?Rub=201&Ap=2&Ty=26
I just tried the sweetest wine I've ever tasted. It's a muscat, not a red. I actually don't like it, I think it's too sweet (and I usually love muscats.) It's R.L. Buller & Son "Premium Fine Muscat Victoria" from Australia. Whew. I was eating a chocolate chip cookie, and this stuff is 3 x sweeter than the cookie. Sheesh. Maybe it would go with a really rich cheesecake.
I don't know if artreads is still with us, but I would recommend ArborMist to him. It's sweet, fruit, cheap, and lots of different flavors. Not very strong, though. I buy it at Krogers.
The very best sweet red wine you drink is a wine called "southern red" I tried it recently at a winery in Florida the website is lakeridgewinery.com and the cost is less than 8.00 US dollars You wil be very pleased... I live in Maryland and can't have shipped to me which is very dissapointing.. anyway I highly recommend it...
hangover city
In my experience sweet wines, as well as fortified wines, port and such, give the worst hangovers under the sun. Arbormist included
Pour a bottle of cheap red zinfandel into a decanter and add a cup of sugar. You can't miss.
<smiling>
The Estancia, btw, was well-received!
Estancia, while not a bargain price (not that it should be) has been a consistantly good wine for a long time now.
Another are for great tastey red wines that I might recommend if you like Pinot Noir is those wines from Carneros.
A strong recommendation for Beringer Pinot Noir, 1997 (Appellation Collections) a great Pinot Noir and great value, too.
