Reliable wines to serve at dinners

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There is no "right answer". All I was saying is that if you care about wine quality when hosting its best not to take advice from people who clearly buy wine at CVS and Costco and nowhere else.

There are literally thousands of options.

You want one? Buy an El Coto Rioja in the 2010-2012 range. It is AWESOME. Drinkable but also very complex and tannin rich so it will satisfy people who are wine snobs and those who are not. You gotta look for it, it's not next to the diapers at CVS. But it's also very reasonably priced, usually in the 10-14 range.

You are clearly not as much of a wine expert as you'd have us believe. Anyone who's anyone in the wine business loves buying bulk from Costco. The one in DC sells wine and hard liquor.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My go-to bottles are, for red, Renieri Invetro (it has a glass cork, which is kind of cool), which costs $12-16 at Total Wine and which everyone always likes. For white, as many others have mentioned, I like sticking with NZ sav blancs. Oyster Bay is OK, but I prefer one called Crossings, which is around $11 at Total Wine. It's the best of the bunch in that price range. In summer I keep roses on hand, too, but obviously that's not needed this time of year.

Does a corkscrew work on a glass cork? How does one remove a glass cork?

I wondered the same thing when I first brought it home! You can just twist it out and off with your hands, though.

[Anonymous]

NP. You know, I've taken wine classes and been a high-end bartender, but I still get "decision anxiety" in the wine section of a store. There are just so many choices, and usually not a lot of guidance when you're in the moment! I'm keeping this thread bookmarked.

I also just downloaded an app called "Vivino" where you can take a picture of the label, and it gives you reviews. It's been great so far.

[Anonymous]

Ferarri Carano Fume Blanc is great - you can get for closer to $15 if you look but a lot of places charge $20.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Decoy, Truth, Stag's Leap (cab) or a nice Sancerre for white

You and I should drink together!! I would add Worthy to the Reds.

[Anonymous]

For white, an Oregon Pinot Gris is the very definition of reliable, IMO. Nothing showy, but it gets the job done with grace. King Estate is an easy-to-find brand under $20.

I usually pick a smooth-drinking Pinot Noir for red. Decoy from Sonoma County is good.

[Anonymous]

We usually have a Sauv Blanc from Marlborough (NZ) and a Rhone-style red on hand.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no "right answer". All I was saying is that if you care about wine quality when hosting its best not to take advice from people who clearly buy wine at CVS and Costco and nowhere else.

There are literally thousands of options.

You want one? Buy an El Coto Rioja in the 2010-2012 range. It is AWESOME. Drinkable but also very complex and tannin rich so it will satisfy people who are wine snobs and those who are not. You gotta look for it, it's not next to the diapers at CVS. But it's also very reasonably priced, usually in the 10-14 range.

You are clearly not as much of a wine expert as you'd have us believe. Anyone who's anyone in the wine business loves buying bulk from Costco. The one in DC sells wine and hard liquor.

Costco has excellent wines, in part because of their amazing buying power.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Any Moscato or Riesling. Even non-wine drinkers typically enjoy those.

OP here , whenever I serve Rieslings folk complain they are too sweet.

From my experience a casual wine drinker will prefer a sweeter less dry taste. Much like they would enjoy a tropical fruity cocktail. A more serious wine drinker will prefer a dryer more tart wine.

Not all Rieslings are created equal. There are dry Rieslings, and they are yummy. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/04/dining/our-next-lesson-riesling.html?_r=0

Also, both Rieslings and Gewurtztraminers tend to pair well with spicy foods.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here: thank you for all the suggestions. I usually go to a wine store and ask but in this case I want to amass a few bottles of each type just to have on hand that paid with a wider variety of food (blasphemy I know, but I am a wine been)

Nothing blasphemous about it. There are plenty of good wines that pair with a variety of food. I'd stock up on some medium-bodied reds, a few more full-bodied reds in case you're serving steak or something, some New Zealand sauvignon blancs, and maybe a bottle or two of rose.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Apothic?

Tastes like Kool aid. And I know it costs like 9 bucks at CVS. If you're going cheap at least go obscure

I like to open a bottle of Apothic and let it "age" on the counter. By day two or three it tastes really interesting! The oxidation gives it some backbone, and there is so much sugar that it is still drinkable. yes, my wine snob DH thinks I am totally insane ...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no "right answer". All I was saying is that if you care about wine quality when hosting its best not to take advice from people who clearly buy wine at CVS and Costco and nowhere else.

There are literally thousands of options.

You want one? Buy an El Coto Rioja in the 2010-2012 range. It is AWESOME. Drinkable but also very complex and tannin rich so it will satisfy people who are wine snobs and those who are not. You gotta look for it, it's not next to the diapers at CVS. But it's also very reasonably priced, usually in the 10-14 range.

You are clearly not as much of a wine expert as you'd have us believe. Anyone who's anyone in the wine business loves buying bulk from Costco. The one in DC sells wine and hard liquor.

Yep - I can only convince the Wine Snob in my life to go to Costco because he enjoys browsing the wine!

[Anonymous]

[/b]

Anonymous wrote:Any Sauvignon blanc from Marlborough should be reliable. Lots of good choices in the $10-$15 range. Oyster Bay, Mussel Bay, Nobilo, etc. [b]

Pinot Noir is a pretty safe red. Not as heavy and spicy as a Malbec or a Syrah, but substantial.

I like Barboursville Pinot Grigio out of Charlottesville a lot. Lots of good Italian Pinot Grigios out on the market though.

This is my go-to. Always a crowd pleaser.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There is no "right answer". All I was saying is that if you care about wine quality when hosting its best not to take advice from people who clearly buy wine at CVS and Costco and nowhere else.

There are literally thousands of options.

You want one? Buy an El Coto Rioja in the 2010-2012 range. It is AWESOME. Drinkable but also very complex and tannin rich so it will satisfy people who are wine snobs and those who are not. You gotta look for it, it's not next to the diapers at CVS. But it's also very reasonably priced, usually in the 10-14 range.

You are clearly not as much of a wine expert as you'd have us believe. Anyone who's anyone in the wine business loves buying bulk from Costco. The one in DC sells wine and hard liquor.

Yep - I can only convince the Wine Snob in my life to go to Costco because he enjoys browsing the wine!

Is this really true? Maybe I go to the 'wrong' Costco, but I never see anything that I find all that interesting. I mean, the prices are good if you want something like a Kim Crawford Sav blanc (which is pretty reliable) but I rarely see anything on the more pricey end that isn't what I can find at my neighborhood Safeway, etc..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Apothic?

Gross. All marketing. Horrible wine.