Monday, April 13, 2009

Amuse bouche: The best beginner's wine?

It's appalling to watch people who aren't into wine order things like young Cabernet Sauvignon. There are few things that are going to turn someone off of the most heavenly of beverages more than a confusing, tannic wine like that. People sometimes ask what the best thing to give a wine novice to drink is. That's easy. Start with Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling. The fruity and acidic profile appeals to anyone. They taste good and are generally easy to understand. American tastes have trended so intensely in favor of tannic reds being drunk far too young that even wines like Sauvignon Blanc have gotten an unfair label of being "sweet." Disagree?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, Boone's Farms.

K-Ham said...

I completely agree! But I would throw out the Red Zinfandel as a good, easy to drink option for a beginner who wants to drink red.

brinkmann0 said...

I prefer Merlot.

Unknown said...

All good suggestions. I actually admit I prefer a spritzer of white zinfandel and Boone's the best ...