Red wine question

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  • Does anyone know which red wines are beachier than others? or are they all basically the same? Inquiring minds wanna know
  • I too am curious.
  • There are dry red wines and sweet red wines. The dry ones are Beach friendly. (In Canada, sweetness is shown on the shelf with the wine name and price - zero or 1 are the sweetness level to look for for dry wine.)

    A dry red wine will have about 72 calories and 1 carb in a 3.5 oz glass. A sweet wine will have about 158 calories and 12 carbs in the same size glass.

    It should be an easy choice!
  • Our bottles aren't marked in the US. hmmm...I sure wish we had nutritional labeling on wine here..or maybe I don't ahhahhahahah..
  • I tried the "one.six" brand of merlot at a restaurant. It was very good and dry and had only 1.6 crabs per serving. They also have a chardoney, but Red is SBD friendly. It sells in US stores for about $10.99 a bottle.
  • one.six brand of merlot?
    I have never heard of one.six brand of merlot. Is it something new and if so, is that the specific brand name? I ran an IE search engine on it and could not locate any information. I'm very interested in trying it. Thanks!

    ETA: I did find the following article on low carb wines which is very interesting and mentions a one.9 merlot. http://www.fairfieldweekly.com/gbase...id=oid%3A74026
  • I used to work at a wine store, and am very much a wine drinker, so I can help.

    The vast majority of red wines sold in the US are dry. If you're unsure, a good rule of thumb is to stay away from German wines - both red and white German wines tend to be sweet. Most US, French and Australain reds are dry, and if they aren't they probably say so on the label.

    In particular, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel (the red kind, NOT the white, which is actually pink colored and quite sweet) are good dry reds. French wines are labelled by region, not grape. Good dry French wines include Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Burgundy, Cotes du Rhone, and about a thousand others.

    If you're not a wine drinker, here's some good "starter" wines that appeal to most people:

    Beaujolais - look for the Georges Deboeuf brand. Around $10, soft and round and easy to drink
    Merlot - another soft, round wine. Look for California Merlots.
    Cabernet Sauvignon tend to be more bright and fruity, as opposed to soft and mellow. Again, California Cab Savs are great.

    Australia's Rosemount brand makes a variety of inexpensive really good dry reds. Almost anything they make is good.
    Rancho Zabaco Zinfandel is sold nationwide in most stores. Another good choice, especially with beef.
    Around here the "Little Penguin" brand of wine is on sale a lot, and is really good for the price.
  • Wow! I'm going to print this off in case I need to buy wine in the USA! Thanks for all the info.
  • Abadoozy, we know who to go to with wine questions! Thank you!!!

    I've become very fond of Merlot. And I used to be an ice wine drinker! The sweeter the better!
  • Thanks so much for all the information
  • This is an interesting thread. Don't forget the Italian wines, too. A couple of suggestions: Valpolicella (red) and Soave (white) are dry, not sweet.

    Unfortunately, the German wines imported to the US are generally the sweet ones that have been shipped over for decades, but the full spectrum is available here in Germany. The Germans laugh at Blue Nun !!

    Have you ever wondered why there are so many shapes of wine bottles and what they can tell you about the contents? If so, see this link: http://www.thewinedoctor.com/advisor...leshapes.shtml
  • Thanks for all the information.

    I just tried some of the Rancho Zabaco the other day and was pretty impressed with it especially for the price. Will be adding them to our wine list. Our main goal with the restaurant is to carry wines that taste good and are affordable for the average diner. We get a lot of traveler's and plenty of locals. If anyone has not tried Snoqualmie wines they are good too and they make a really nice Cab-Merlot blend.
  • Quote: Unfortunately, the German wines imported to the US are generally the sweet ones that have been shipped over for decades, but the full spectrum is available here in Germany. The Germans laugh at Blue Nun !!
    I didn't mean to slam German wines in my post. There are many really wonderful German wines - both sweet and dry. I love a nice Trockenbierenauslese!

    But, like you said, most of the German wines in your average American wine store are the low end, overly sweet variety - Blue Nun and cheap Liebfraumilch, the German equivalent to our Night Train and Boone's Farm.
  • Wow, what a great thread! I'm trying very hard (unsuccessfully so far) to learn to like red wine for the heart health benefits. I also am going to print this thread and stick it in my purse
  • I used to avoid red wine because of the tannins which could cause migraines, but now I hardly ever get a migraine so it's safe for me to drink red wine. I only drink it with dinner - I count it into my daily calories. It sure makes Lean Cuisine taste better. The best reds are the dry ones. I favor pinot noir which can get pricey. I recently tried an Australian red - Yellowtail - which was very good, especially for the price. $4.99 or $5.99 at Trader Joe's.