I'd agree tht white Zinfandel or offdry to sweet Riesling appeal to
some non-wine drinkers, but I'm assuming if OP is looking for health
benefits he/she wants red. While alcohol in general appears to have
some health benefits in moderation, it is red wine that contains
significant amounts of resveratrol (and possibly other substances with
anti-oxididant or related properties). Zinfandel grapes certainly have
resveratrol in skin, but the method of making blush wines (I'm assuming
that's what you referred to based on sweetness comments) would appear
to not lead to a lot of resveratrol in the wine.

As native American (and hybrid) grapes have higher resveratrol, if one
is drinking for medicinal purposes why not drink those? Especially
since most are made in slightly sweet style and are cheap.


Stevie wrote:
> If you are looking for wines that don't taste like wine.....try
> Beringer zinfindel or a German Riesling from Mosel....very sweet wines.
> Taste like candy really.
>
> The Zinfin is around 6.00 a bottle. The Rieslings can go from 15.00 to
> 50.00. But soooooo goood. The sommelier at Jean Georges told me
> about Dr Loosen Riesling. 25.00 a bottle at the liquor store is good
> stuff. Highly recommended is the Gutsabfullung creenigte Hospitien
> Trier-Hope the spelling is right LOL It's a Spalese. $30.00 of pure
> joy.
>
> Happy Drinking
>
>
> Ed Rasimus wrote:
> > On 2 Nov 2006 09:45:57 -0800, "DaleW" > wrote:
> >
> > >Both cheap and mild are in the eye of the beholder.
> > >
> > >Two possibilities:
> > >Start in your local store, try Merlot or Shiraz wines in your budget.
> > >While both Merlot and Syrah (Shiraz) can make big powerful reds, on the
> > >low end they tend to light.
> > >
> > >Try a hybrid-grape blend such as Taylor Lake Country red. They tend to
> > >be light and a little sweet, and I believe lambrusca and hybrid grapes
> > >have higher levels of resveratrol. If still too much for you, try
> > >diluting with water or seltzer.
> > >
> > >If one of these work for you, in a few months see if regular
> > >consumption has made you more receptive to wine, and maybe then expand
> > >to more "serious" wine.
> > >
> > >I could give you lots of recommendations for lighter wines (Beaujolais,
> > >Loire, CA) in the $10-15 range, but think if you're drinking for health
> > >reasons alone you probably will be happier with a under $6 per 750
> > >wine.
> > wrote:
> > >> Hi
> > >> I want to start drinking wine with dinner for the health benefits, but
> > >> I'm not a real fan of the taste. Can someone suggest something thats
> > >> cheap and mild? Thanks.
> >
> > I'm always a bit fascinated by folks who "don't like the taste" but
> > are ready to jump on the "wine for health" bandwagon. It seems to fit
> > the "I read Playboy for the articles" gambit. Might even be reflective
> > of a Bible Belt upbringing that equated alcoholic beverages with
> > various levels of damnation.
> >
> > That being said, it should be noted that resveratrol is mentioned in
> > the news releases that I read about this research as being available
> > directly in health food stores. Might be better to bypass the
> > middle-man and simply pop a pill. Stock up on some multi-vitamins at
> > the same time and be sure to add a statin to handle cholesterol
> > issues.
> >
> > But if our sinister.genius really wants wine that's "cheap and mild"
> > there's a lot of stuff out there. By "mild" I assume not bitter, acid
> > or with overwhelming tannins. "Cheap" I understand.
> >
> > Suggestions:
> >
> > Box wines, like Black Box--somewhat more upscale in quality than the
> > Franzia plonk, but inexpensive and with reasonable flavors.
> >
> > Low end, mass-distributed super-market wines like Corbett Canyon or
> > Bella Serra in blends or generic names like "hearty red" or "chianti".
> >
> > Some samplings of shiraz/syrah, zinfandel, beaujolais or valpolicella.
> > Pinot noir fits the mild, but usually not the cheap requirement.
> >
> > Try some things, remember what you liked, then return to a dealer and
> > ask for "something like xxx, but a little more yyy". Lather, rinse,
> > repeat through a couple of iterations and you'll have your daily dose
> > of resveratrol.
> >
> >
> > Ed Rasimus
> > Fighter Pilot (USAF-Ret)
> > "When Thunder Rolled"
> > www.thunderchief.org
> > www.thundertales.blogspot.com