Ed Rasimus wrote:
--snip--
>
> I'm a fan of Alsace Gewurz and Reisling as well. (Someone will jump up
> shortly from the Euro contingent to point out that Alsatian is a
> dog--what we in the colonies usually refer to as a German Shepherd.)

Ah, maybe I should add 'wet Alsatian' to my list of 'bad
characteristics' :-)

Forgot about Alsace Riesling. Very good, only had about two so far but
love 'em.

>
> Does you wife not drink because of distaste for alcohol or because she
> doesn't like wine? If the former, then that's fine. If the latter, she
> might be eased into enjoyment as you explore the world of wine. Get
> into the habit of wine with meals and always offer her a small portion
> of the current bottle. She may find something she enjoys. Meanwhile,
> you maintain that rare social grace.

My wife is a good sport, she's tried almost every wine I have, but in
general doesn't like wine. The only ones she will drink more than a sip
of is a sweet Gewurz (like Duck Walk Vineyard's ice wine), and there is
one other which I can't remember. Another gewurz, a bit sweet and had
the slightest bit of bubbles though it was considered a still wine.
Reds, she absolutely hates, even Beaujolais Nouveau. Too strong in flavor.

Several years ago, I bought a bottle of Syrah. Jekel. Didn't let it
breathe at all, poured two glasses and let her try first. She choked,
and for a moment though I was really trying to poison her. Until I
tried a sip too. Way to tannic, it was either a really bad Syrah or
should have aged a bit longer and then aired before drinking.

>> Several months ago, my brother-in-law watched Sideways. He was so
>> inspired by it that he came to visit, and declared we will now be wine
>> aficionados. OK, no problem here. Since then, every week I have hosted
>> a wine tasting/family meal for both of our families. Which is
>> excellent, I love to cook, and of course wine :-)
>>
>> The good part of this is obvious - someone to enjoy wine with. Hardest
>> part was getting brother-in-law off of the Pinot kick. Tasting pinots
>> side by side every week gets a little tedious. Sideways, I love you and
>> hate you... But thankfully now we have branched out into different
>> wines. When I purchase a bottle of white, it's usually not embraced
>> with open arms, though it does get tasted and enjoyed. The rose I have
>> for today is really going to cause a stir...
>
> Sideways did a lot for the wine community--some of it good and some
> bad. Merlot, for example, can now be purchased for less but must be
> consummed from a brown paper bag to keep the varietal name
> undiscovered. Pinot Noir, OTOH, has continued to soar in price for
> quality wine.

Yeah, I had to hide the bottles of Merlot I served to my brother-in-law.

>> I happen to prefer reds as long as they are not too tannic, pretty much
>> equal preference between a French style and California style. For
>> whites, I still enjoy the rose and lychee nose of a good Gewurz, and
>> Sauvignon Blanc on occasion. Only had one Chard which I enjoyed, but it
>> was really, really good. I'm learning more about French wines, but
>> Italian wines are still a mystery to me. And mostly I stick to the
>> mid-grade wines, with the rare foray into the upper-mid grade offerings.
>
> I've found that a good way to discover new wines is to find a
> restaurant that you enjoy which has a good, affordable wine list. You
> pay more obviously than buying directly from the wine store, but you
> benefit from having a knowledgeable source doing the research and
> filtering the list down to quality offerings. I particularly
> benefitted from an Italian upscale chain (Biaggi's) which had a
> "reserve" wine list with some excellent examples of Barolo,
> Barberesco, Chianti Classico and Super-Tuscans. I used to joke that
> dinner at Biaggi always cost me several hundred dollars because I
> would inevitably return home to order a case of something I'd tried at
> dinner.

One somewhat local wine merchant is amazing. He follows the rule of not
upselling (say you want to spend $20, he offers anything from $13-$19 or
so) and every selection he suggested based on very sketchy details has
been astounding. There's also a very well rated restaurant withing
walking distance which I plan to visit very soon. Wine Spectator rated
their wine list very well also.

-ben