HELP! Wine for Dummies?

[joanieb]

I don't have ANY wine savvy, and if I drag my husband down one more wine aisle tonite at the grocery store, he'll whine, so I hope you great minds on this terrific board can please help me! Any recommendations for good, not too expensive, wines to cook with? Both a "dry" white and red, please, since that's what a lot of recipes call for? They don't put that helpful word "dry" on the back of the bottles, and I'm tried of substituing extra broth and/or apple juice (bleh!) in recipes, cause I know the wine can add something extra, tastewise! (I did find a lovely bottle that had a cute hummingbird on the label, but I couldn't justify THAT to my hummingbird collection!) MANY THANKS! HAPPY WEEKEND TO ALL!

[MrsReber]

Hi Joanieb, not too long ago there was a topic posted "Calling all winos". There is alot of info about wines on that thread! I learned a thing or two from reading it! (I found the topic back on page three)

[This message has been edited by MrsReber (edited 07-28-2000).]

[Ralph]

Several years ago, I remember reading or seeing on TV just this subject. What it said was that the quality of the wine for cooking isn't all that important, so just use an inexpensive bottle. We've subscribed to that theory ever since, without any problems. We usually just end up buying one of the 1.5 liter bottles (Inglenook, Almaden, Gallo) of chablis, chardonnay, or "white table wine" for whites, and a similar generic red when called for. Further, I can't justify paying that much more for something that'll end up mixed in the entree - I'd rather drink it. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Deanna]

Check out Food & Wine Online (http://www.pathfinder.com/FoodWine/) for some great, informative and educational articles on the subject of wine "for dummies!"

[Pat58]

In the low cost/high quality department, one of my favorite lines is Columbia Crest. A good blend is their Semillon Chardonnay and I also like the Sauvignon Blanc. Another good choice is a Pinot Grigio, you can get 1.5 liter bottles for $10 or under and it is a good cooking wine and a good dinner wine, especially for Italian dishes. DON'T use Franzia or other box-type wines for cooking, they're great for picnics but ruin whatever you cook with it.

[joanieb]

EXTREMELY grateful for the advice about dry cooking wines, folks! I did go back & check out that wine thread earlier this week, MrsReber--wow! (I was locked out of the board for the lst 4 days of this week due to CL's tech. difficulties...LOTS OF ACTIVITY!!).
Hugs from NC

[Vanessa]

try foodtv there is a section on wines. Also they have a tv program which is about wine (matching wine food and reviews). Caprrial Pence and other tv cooks usually give recomendations for wines & your newspaper probably carries a weekly food section which reviews wine. I found this reviews very interesting. With wine my advice is go to a good wine store usually they have wine tasting on saturdays...try some see what you like..buy a bottle and your husband and you can enjoy.
Or...have a wine party. Ask a few couples over and ask them to bring a bottle of wine they like.You will have like your own wine tasting. There are lots of afordable wines from Australia, Africa, Chile, Spain & Ca. so you can learn and enjoy as you go along.

[MrsReber]

Joanie,
Glad that post helped you- yes, there is lots of information on that thread! My head was spinning trying to read it! My sister lives in NC, too. She's in Garner, outside of Raleigh. I don't know much about wine myself, I only know which one I like to drink! There's some real wine enthusiasts out there. I found myself writing down the names of some of the wines so I can buy something different next time I go to the store.

[SoCalTom]

I have never gone wrong with any Fetzer wines
they are California wines, and we buy them at our Ralphs grocery store for $3.99.

[Susan]

These two shows sound like they would be helpful. :-)

~~Susan~~

ON FOOD NETWORK
Live Chat with David Rosengarten
Wednesday, August 2 at 10:00 p.m. ET
Don't know what wine to drink with your risotto? In honor of Wine 101 Week,
wine aficionado David Rosengarten, host of Taste and In Food Today, offers
his wisdom. Ask him everything you ever wanted to know about wine at: http://www.foodtv.com

---
ON FOOD NETWORK

Wine 101 Week
Monday, July 31 to Friday, August 4 at 9:30 p.m. ET
Learn about fine wines with Frasier's David Hyde Pierce. He'll take you through the basics--from winemaking to shopping--demystify varieties and food
pairings, and explore different wine regions, including
France, Italy and California.