jiahu wine

My first rule of wine, only drink wine that you and your guests like, period.

Dont let a food or wine snob bully you in to drinking something you dont like because "it will overwhelm the seafood" or some other such nonsense. I drink red wine with chicken all the time, because that is what I like, not once has that chicken ever been able to tell the difference.

That said, normal pairing with pasta and meat sauces would be chianti, merlot, cabernet, shiraz. All pretty full bodied dry to semi dry red wines. These wines are best at room temp or cellar temps.

Here is a thought, if you are new to wine and have a taste for the sweeter wines, yet you need a red wine, try lambrusco. Hey, it’s italian ! Lambrusco is quite sweet, the only red wine you should serve cold.

If you want a white wine, not so sweet as a desert wine, a german spatlese would be a good choice or perhaps gewurvitzraminer (spelling ?)

If you want to drink the only true american wine, go buy a bottle of concord wine. Concord is the most prolific american dark grape. The wine tastes like concord grape juice pretty much. I am a dry wine guy, but I love a glass of concord from time to time.

Wine is a wonderful thing, keep trying new wines, you will find if you are like most people that your taste will shift to the drier wines over time. You will come to like that tanin feel, (pucker) and appreciate the subtle characteristics of the wine when not masked by so much sweetness. And, hey, if you dont, who cares, keep drinking what you like.

If you want a red that still has some sweet to it, in the desert catagory, pick up a bottle of Port some time. You dont need to spend a lot. Port is quite a bit stronger than wine, it is wine that has been fortified with more sugar during fermentation to boost the alchohol. After that is done, the wine is stabilized with preservatives and more grape juice is added. What you end up with is, a bit of kick, like a mild brandy, but with a sweet wine finish.

Look for inexpensive wine tastings in your area. It’s a great way to explore.

enjoy,
John