Anonymous wrote:Omg I can't believe I am geeking out on wine on the Internet but here I am. I agree that Italian wines are a good place to start, but I disagree that they are "lighter" than French or California wines. A good starter Italian wine is acidy and sweet, and not too tannic. Not light! Unless by "light" you mean not tannic? Conversely, a fine French wine can be really light - but to a newby, might be too gamey or too tannic. IMO, the reason people don't like reds is because they have only tried cheap nasty stuff, or they are not used to the earthiness of French wine. The best starting place would be a GOOD California cab or Italian - and price does matter. Doesn't have to be a $100 bottle, but there are not going to be that many $15 bottles that actually taste good. The price range is more like $30-60.
You can't really lose by going to a good wine store and asking for help. Schneiders on the hill or McArthurs. Don't go to one of those trendy ones on 14th st.
I disagree-- there are plenty of wines that taste good in the $15 range, especially for someone just getting into wine. Personally I might try something from Australia or Chile. There was an interesting article a while back on a 2 buck chuck wine drinker learning to drink more expensive wine and it turned out if you just want to drink a glass of wine after work then 2 buck chuck (i.e. the Trader Joes house wine) and other inexpensive wine can work quite well, but when you start pairing wine with food is when more expensive wine can really show its stuff.