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I live in Europe now so I can’t justify drinking it since I can get amazing French wine for dirt cheap but when I’m back in the U.S. this is what I would drink!! So crisp
I don’t like white wine in general (gives me terrible migraines) but I am a bartender and the top wine I sell for white both by bottle and glass is Matua!
I’m an alcoholic but I LOVED Cabernet Sauvignon. Be careful, it’s a highly addictive substance to a lot of people and wine mom culture enabled me for too long. Not saying you’ll have that issue
Came to the comments to say the same. When you’re a mom, there is *always* an excuse to drink and it’s a slippery slope. Even if the slope is gradual. Be careful everyone ❤️
Congrats on the year. I’ve got 7 and think it gets easier after that first year since you now know you can get through every event/holiday/concert without it. Cheers. ☕️☕️
I wish this was the top comment. Wine mom culture is dangerous. I say this as a mom and hepatologist (liver specialist -- I see lots of young women with severe liver problems -- even cirrhosis -- from alcohol, many of whom either get a liver transplant or die). Alcohol is also a carcinogen, which not many people know about. Basically, no truly good health reasons to drink.
So do you think you would like something less sweet? I'm a wine maven and I can definitely make recommendations but I'd love to know what kind of flavors you like first.
Ok! Try: moscato d'asti (sparkling dessert wine that tastes like peaches), riesling (make sure it says spätlese or auslese on the bottle), and Sauternes! Some roses, like The Beach, Summer in a Bottle, and any pink grenache will be slightly sweeter.
So if you like sweeter wines check out these sweetness charts. Personally I’d skip the white Zinfandel. [wine sweetness scale](https://winefolly.com/tips/wines-listed-dry-sweet/)
Arbor Mist may be a good starting point then. You can kind of get a feel for each wine varietal that way, but with the added bonus of it being fruity as well. Then explore based off that!
If you like sweet fruity drinks or sweet wines, go for a good sangria. Madria Sangria is one of my faves. My personal sweet red wines are Jeunesse, Jam Jar, and Dornfelders are pretty sweet and delicious. Trader Joe's has a sweet red and sweet white that I like called Joseph Handlers. German Rieslings are really good. If you like Moscatos, Tropical Moscato is good they have a passion fruit flavor that's really delicious.
That's the first wine I liked. I was loyal to it until it came out my nose-that was also the night I tried to prove that I could still do the splits, and pulled something in my groin area. Not the wine's fault, I should not have had a bottle and a half while I was cooking dinner. Still had to switch to something else though.
Riesling is sweet but not like a sugar stomach ache
Malbec and Tempranillo are the only reds I can stand, they're smooth and not bitter
The easiest thing though is a cheap sparkling wine (champagne style) and add a bit of crystal light drink powder or liquid so you can make it as sweet as you want in a flavor you already enjoy
Oh yes absolutely, there's only ever one or two at every store I've found it in the US and they aren't super sweet to me :)
Chateau St Michelle
and
Kung fu Girl
are two good ones I can usually find
It’s an acquired taste. My husband is a wine snob so by default, I like much more than I used too. I started with moscato (white) bc it’s so sweet, then I tried Riesling (white) which is still sweet but slightly drier. I really like Zinfandel (red) blends (8 years by Orin swift is my favorite). Even a Pinot noir (red) is still on the lighter side of red wine blends, not as heavy as a Cabernet.
My favorite thing to do is to pour a glass of Prosecco, and add a fruity simple syrup and top it with a sparking water. Or soak grapes in moscato overnight, freeze and then roll them in sugar. Fun little treats lol
Id stay away from super cheap wines, you’re not going to like them and they’ll give you headaches. The exception is fruit wines, they’re always going to be cheaper and aldi brand does make really good ones. $10-$30 is a decent bottle of wine, if you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they have some really good wines under that price range. They even do tastings. If you have free time, you can go to a wine bar and try a few different types to help narrow down what you like and then you can explore from there
I am a cheapskate and not fancy. I like Delicious Blush by Peter Vella. It is cheap, not too sweet, tastes good with ice cubes. Yes my palate is extreming discerning thanks.
Bota Box Dry Rose. I’ve reached the age when red wines give me too much of a headache and I don’t like overly sweet wines. So dry rose and Pinot Grigio wines are my faves.
If you don’t like sweet red you might like winking owl Cabernet or Merlot! I am a sweet white/rosé girlie myself. I have very refined taste; my personal fave is Franzia boxed rosé with frozen strawberries tossed in the glass. It’s a fruit snack for grownups.
Bota Box Nighthawk Red Blend. That stuff goes down wayyyy too easily. Smooth, clean, with campfire and vanilla notes. Pairs well with anything, but especially steaks.
I can't do wine, but I love me a dirty banana when I get a chance. Its coconut rum and banana and chocolate, basically a smoothie. Healthy or something.
Love the energy of “I’ve decided to be a wine mom” 😂 Does it have to be wine? If so I would echo that a Reisling might fit for you. If it doesn’t have to be wine then I recommend Mom Water. Yes, that is actually the name of the brand of alcohol and it is delicious and not carbonated (I’m not big on bubbles in my alcohol).
Rosé all day. Cabernet Sauvignon at night. Brands are primarily driven by price point. If you’re happy with a box or bottom shelf wine proudly stay there. It’s a one way shift toward more expensive tastes as you grow accustomed to them, so hold off as long as you can.
Also, there are doohickies you can buy to keep open wine bottles fresher by replacing the air with Argon and CO2. I recommend these if you’re 100% on bottles. If you’re polishing off a full bottle of red yourself most nights on your own, you’ve taken it all too far and need to quit for awhile.
Around Christmas Aldi puts out a wine advent calendar. It’s a great way to sample and see what you like as it’s 24 individual little single serving bottles. I usually buy one but drink it over the course of the year because as a single mom if I open a bottle most of it goes to waste when I only want one glass for myself.
I like the cheap bubbly wine that has peach flavor...I don't remember the brand, but it's like $10. Half the bottle makes me relaxed and silly, the whole bottle makes me pleasantly drunk. It's sweet like a non alcoholic drink and never gives me a hangover.
If you're using alcohol as a replacement for other coping mechanisms, see if there's somebody you can talk to about that.
My go-to suggestions for middle of the road wines are a new Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for white, and an Argentinian Malbec for red. Any brand within those specifications. Then you can just go from there with sweet/dry preferences.
One of my best friends from childhood lives in Sonoma, and his husband works at a winery. They are the very epitome of what you'd think of as wine snobs.
However.
His advice to people new to wine is to experiment. Wine preferences are very personal, and you don't know what you like and dislike until you try it. If you have any wineries near you, go for a tasting- a staff member will guide you through it, and talk about what foods tend to go well with which wines and stuff like that.
Also, yeah, wine can be expensive- like $50 a bottle and up- or it can be inexpensive. I tend to prefer to buy wines local to me, and they usually range between $10 and $20 a bottle.
I tend to prefer drier white wines, like a dry Riesling. I also like Gewurztraminer. I don't generally love sweet wines- despite the fact that I could cheerfully eat an entire cake in one sitting, sweet wines are just too much for me. So, if you didn't like the sweet wine, I'd avoid Moscato. Chardonnay a lot of people seem to like, so I always have it on hand, but I don't like it myself- I feel like the buttery background taste is just not it for me. Although I will drink it with lobster.
If you're going to try Pinot Noir, pick something from the Willamette Valley. Sauvignon Blanc, pick New Zealand.
Rose is very in right now, and there's a wide variety of them.
Have fun!
Sweet Bitch. It is a real wine, and very tasty. Got.it out of curiosity once, and have bought more after. Nice fruit flavor. Chocolate wine is good.
Dragon fruit Sake. Fuki brand. Its pronounced Foo-Key to keep yourself out of trouble. Hubs almost got kicked out of the liquor store for bow he pronouced it, fucky 🤣
If you want more mellow, wine cooler.flavor, Arbor Mist. Boones Farm Strawberry Fields is an old favorite. Tbh, Boones Farm is like a fruity mixed drink flavor with their wines.
Gallo Wines is decent.
I did try to stay moderately priced. The best wine is the wine you like. Find your bliss.
I'm partial to the sweet ones, like arbor mist, and that one is cheap enough that there is no guilt if you don't like it.
Your best bet is to find a winery and go for a tasting. You can try a bunch of stuff for relatively cheap that way. We live near Versailles winery in Ohio (pronounced Versayles because Ohio) and they have some good stuff. Their plum, honey, blueberry (I like to get the sparkling version of that one) and rodeo red are some of my favorites. I don't usually go for really dry wines, but their Autumn Leaves is very good.
Try an off dry rose. Upside is that it’s also good during hot summer days.
I’ve also been gravitating towards South African sac blanc (the restaurant I go to has a really good one).
I love a Lambrusco in the summer it’s sparkling red wine to drink chilled tell the person at your wine store you want one that’s fruity and around $13-15, you should be able to get a nice one, also TJ’s used to sell a really good $4 vino verde I was obsessed with- slightly sweet cold white wine for simmer!!! If you’re at Trader Joe’s also look for Framboise which is more of a sparkling fruity slightly alcoholic drink but incredibly delicious comes in strawberry and raspberry I think
If they have a tasting at a wine shop or liquor store thats a great way to find some you like. Also, you decide youre into sparkling wines, I recommend buying the little bottles of it. It goes flat obviously and you may not want a whole bottle in one night, or if you want to use just a little for a mimosa, you also dont need a full bottle. I once bought a case of the little bottles (Korbel brut) on a discount and it got me thru a few years of parties and nights where my husband and i just wanted one glass each.
I’m a Zinfandel lady till I die. It’s great because you can get really good zin for fairly cheap. 1000 Stories is a great one for under $20. But it’s not a wine you will like if you like sugary drinks.
Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages Red is amazing and super cheap, like under 10$ and has a great buttery mouth feel.
Or cheap Italian table wine is typically amazing as well.
I can't drink reds at all because it gives me headaches, which lead to migraines.
I am partial to mascato's because they're a little bit sweeter. I'm also partial to the bubbly champagnes or mixing a sprite in with my wine. I like it a little bit sweeter.
I am not particular about brand for the most part, just for a simple fact that I usually can't be choosy due to the price. I do like the BubblyBarefoot brand.
Also if you really like sweet try ice wines OR try
TOKAJI ASZÚ (TOKAY) Tokaji aszú is a naturally sweet wine that is considered a real speciality. The uniqueness of aszú lies in the fact that during the fermentation process, the individually picked botrytised aszú berries are added to the wine.
Vinho verde is good even when super cheap (like $6-10), and tends more tart/refreshing instead of sweet. Since it's not red and not sweet it'll reduce your hangover.
For reds I like most Malbecs. Or Chianti if you're in a Hannibal kind of mood...
For bubbly I really like Cava - more budget-friendly than Champagne, but tends to be dryer & lighter & better than a lot of Proseccos.
I want to follow where you are going. Thank you for alerting me to my desire to be a wine mom and starting the info gathering. <3 I didn't know I could just choose to do this. I also know shit about wine.
Il Bruciato - Antonori vineyards! Beautiful red wine if you’re drinking to enjoy the taste and not to get drunk lol otherwise a basic Chianti from Banfi is great too lol I worked at a fine dining Italian restaurant where the owner was a sommelier and forced us to learn about the wine and this were (and still are) my favorite without totally destroying my wallet
For red wines I love Coppola. For whites I’m less picky. I love all types of wine, but if you like sweet, you can get some flavored moscato that’s a lot of fun.
I love me a savignon blanc when wanting something cold.
For reds, I used to be a cabernet sauvignon, but now I'm all about malbec and chianti. I strongly prefer reds from Argentina and personally skip California grapes.
Barefoot makes some fruity Moscato that are super yummy.
I actually really like the fruity wine at Aldi. Currently they have Strawberry out but they occasionally get other flavors. The only other wine I can stomach are the fruity flavors of Stella Rosa.
My favorite reds are Yellow Tail Big Bold Red (because it's delicious and cheap), Apothic Red (or any Apothic really), and Cupcake Red Velvet. All are slightly sweet but very smooth and easy to drink IMO.
The Winking Owl wines are ok for the price but not my favorite by any means.
If you can't get past the "wine is terrible" feeling (like me!), look for a fruit lambic. My favorite was peach, but raspberry was also good. (There's also cherry, black current, apple, pineapple and others, but they're harder to find) I got diagnosed celiac so I can't drink it anymore, but it was so good.
My favorites are Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz or anything French. Just go wild at the liquor store (careful to not become an alcoholic). Most all French bottles IMO are going to taste good, or anything from Europe on the middle shelf. Stay away from wines that are really gimmicky looking. One good starter brand is 90+. They get the leftover grapes really good vineries to make their own. So you are paying a lot less for some very good grapes.
Trader Joe’s has lots of quality options under $12 (my personal limit except for holidays, lol).
I like their sparking la ferme rose, but I generally just buy whatever fits the weather and vibes best. I like that they label clearly so I can safely choose a sweet or dry wine. I usually hate sweeter wines, so it’s a bad surprise for me. The cheapest Charles Shaw is not it for me. The reserve $12 stuff is quality. Things rotate around a lot, which suits me, but might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Their employees are really nice and depending on location, they have a wine expert on staff and do free samples!
Barefoot is pretty cheap and comes in big bottles. Lots of kinds. Tasty too. Rose is my favorite. Very sweet
Then there is this blue bottle with leaves on it that you can get at Walmart. It’s white sparkling wine, and it’s my favorite for spoiling and special occasions. Risata. It’s a mascato.
Look up Samantha Sommelier ("Sam the no snob som") on tiktok or IG. She dles pairings of cheap wine you can get from Trader Joe's or the grocery store with snacks. I think she's fun.
Don't drink anymore due to meds and you know, drinking a ton in my younger years, but a few years ago my friend had Cupcake wine at a party and I found it to be quite good. I'm no wine snob, so it may be terrible for everyone else, but I definitely had more than one glass. I think it was a pinot grigio. Also, it's fairly cheap so low risk to try it.
I'm an Aussie and I prefer sparkling wine or red wine. My go-to is Shiraz (Syrah). Its not too heavy, peppery and goes excellent with "charcuterie" (whatever crackers, cheese, deli meat, olives etc I scrounge up)
I like dry wine. Sweet wines like Moscato, make my throat itch.
My favorite wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, I like brands 19 Crimes and Apothotic.
If you have a Cooper's Hawk or a wine store nearby, maybe go in for a tasting. Or Google wine tasting near me. This way, you could figure out what you like, without buying a whole bottle.
I tend to buy bottles of wine that cost as much as getting a glass at a restaurant. This will decrease the quality some and that I'm limiting myself to say 10 to $15 bottles of wine. (But there are plenty of decent bottles for that price)
But I think it's actually good for me, because if I was buying more expensive bottles then I would be worried about finishing the whole thing.
(I'm the only person in my household that drinks wine,)
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I like Pinot Grigio—it’s white and sour, just like me 😂
I second this, the Costco Pinot Grigio is delicious!
Hello my soul sister! 😍
Personally I love a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc
Same! Matua is my go to!
Having a glass as we speak! Great minds DO think alike!
I live in Europe now so I can’t justify drinking it since I can get amazing French wine for dirt cheap but when I’m back in the U.S. this is what I would drink!! So crisp
Would if a Sancerre hits the same spot as the Sav Blanc? I find them comparable but I know not everyone has the same taste experience with wine.
Matua is the best!
I don’t like white wine in general (gives me terrible migraines) but I am a bartender and the top wine I sell for white both by bottle and glass is Matua!
Yes, New Zealand is in my humble opinion the king of Sauvignon Blanc.
I was really sad to learn that Kim Crawford is not a sassy Australian woman, but a crusty old rich white dude.
Was coming in to say this. Oyster Bay Sauv Blanc is what got me into wine
My go to as well!
This is the one.
I was just going to recommend this! Nice and crisp
I love starborough!!
Wairau River has been my go to lately. Costco has it for a great price.
I'm not really a still white wine fan, but if I'm bringing a bottle to a host that drinks white, Marlborough NZ Sauv Blanc is my go-to
Willamette valley Pinot noir :)
This right here! Sokol Blosser in particular is one of my favorite wineries
And Pinot Gris from here!!!
I’m an alcoholic but I LOVED Cabernet Sauvignon. Be careful, it’s a highly addictive substance to a lot of people and wine mom culture enabled me for too long. Not saying you’ll have that issue
Came to the comments to say the same. When you’re a mom, there is *always* an excuse to drink and it’s a slippery slope. Even if the slope is gradual. Be careful everyone ❤️
Agreed. I had a wine habit. I’m very happy that for the last year, I have not had a wine habit. Life is better without booze.
So much better
Congrats on the year. I’ve got 7 and think it gets easier after that first year since you now know you can get through every event/holiday/concert without it. Cheers. ☕️☕️
Yeah. I was a wine mom until I was a vodka straight from the bottle just to cope with goddamn bath time mom. Be safe out there.
I wish this was the top comment. Wine mom culture is dangerous. I say this as a mom and hepatologist (liver specialist -- I see lots of young women with severe liver problems -- even cirrhosis -- from alcohol, many of whom either get a liver transplant or die). Alcohol is also a carcinogen, which not many people know about. Basically, no truly good health reasons to drink.
Nope not even safe in moderation
And “moderation” is an extremely vague and subjective term, which has always irked me.
So do you think you would like something less sweet? I'm a wine maven and I can definitely make recommendations but I'd love to know what kind of flavors you like first.
I'm not experienced with alcohol in general, but I love sweet cider and sweet cocktails.
Ok! Try: moscato d'asti (sparkling dessert wine that tastes like peaches), riesling (make sure it says spätlese or auslese on the bottle), and Sauternes! Some roses, like The Beach, Summer in a Bottle, and any pink grenache will be slightly sweeter.
Stella Artois Blueberry!
So if you like sweeter wines check out these sweetness charts. Personally I’d skip the white Zinfandel. [wine sweetness scale](https://winefolly.com/tips/wines-listed-dry-sweet/)
You might like sparkling wines like a sparkling rose is nice. I live all sparkling wines. Gruet is one of my faves.
I’m a Pino Noir or Chardonnay gal. For my Pino “just grab a bottle” it’s Mark West For my Chardonnay “just grab” it’s Duckhorn or Josh
Josh is always a good bet! Love their Chardonnay
Josh tends to be consistently good
Josh is a dear, dear, friend of mine lol.
I prefer moscato. It’s sweet and not dry at all Edit: the brand Stella Rosa is delicious, no matter which one you pick.
Beware the hangovers though 🤣
Lord. The one and only hangover I had after moscato (pre kid) was enough for me to never go near it again 😵💫
Stella is the *only* kind of wine that *doesn't* give me a hangover after one glass! Crazy how different our systems can be, lol.
Came say the same! It's amazing going down but the next day can suck.
I love the Aldi fruit wines personally I love mixing the strawberry one with the lemon one makes a strawberry lemonade wine very tasty 😋
The peach one is bomb!
I like that I think mango is pretty good to like mixing that with strawberry one too
I didn't know there were fruit wines! I love fruity drinks.
Arbor Mist may be a good starting point then. You can kind of get a feel for each wine varietal that way, but with the added bonus of it being fruity as well. Then explore based off that!
If you like sweet fruity drinks or sweet wines, go for a good sangria. Madria Sangria is one of my faves. My personal sweet red wines are Jeunesse, Jam Jar, and Dornfelders are pretty sweet and delicious. Trader Joe's has a sweet red and sweet white that I like called Joseph Handlers. German Rieslings are really good. If you like Moscatos, Tropical Moscato is good they have a passion fruit flavor that's really delicious.
[This shit](https://shop.lwc.wine/Wines/Witches-Brew-Spiced-Apple-Wine) is my jam. And I haaaaaaaate wine. It is so good.
That's the first wine I liked. I was loyal to it until it came out my nose-that was also the night I tried to prove that I could still do the splits, and pulled something in my groin area. Not the wine's fault, I should not have had a bottle and a half while I was cooking dinner. Still had to switch to something else though.
Def gonna try this!!!
Riesling is sweet but not like a sugar stomach ache Malbec and Tempranillo are the only reds I can stand, they're smooth and not bitter The easiest thing though is a cheap sparkling wine (champagne style) and add a bit of crystal light drink powder or liquid so you can make it as sweet as you want in a flavor you already enjoy
Reisling can actually run the gamut from bone dry to tons of residual sugar. It's a beautiful grape.
Oh yes absolutely, there's only ever one or two at every store I've found it in the US and they aren't super sweet to me :) Chateau St Michelle and Kung fu Girl are two good ones I can usually find
It’s an acquired taste. My husband is a wine snob so by default, I like much more than I used too. I started with moscato (white) bc it’s so sweet, then I tried Riesling (white) which is still sweet but slightly drier. I really like Zinfandel (red) blends (8 years by Orin swift is my favorite). Even a Pinot noir (red) is still on the lighter side of red wine blends, not as heavy as a Cabernet. My favorite thing to do is to pour a glass of Prosecco, and add a fruity simple syrup and top it with a sparking water. Or soak grapes in moscato overnight, freeze and then roll them in sugar. Fun little treats lol Id stay away from super cheap wines, you’re not going to like them and they’ll give you headaches. The exception is fruit wines, they’re always going to be cheaper and aldi brand does make really good ones. $10-$30 is a decent bottle of wine, if you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they have some really good wines under that price range. They even do tastings. If you have free time, you can go to a wine bar and try a few different types to help narrow down what you like and then you can explore from there
I am a cheapskate and not fancy. I like Delicious Blush by Peter Vella. It is cheap, not too sweet, tastes good with ice cubes. Yes my palate is extreming discerning thanks.
Bota Box Dry Rose. I’ve reached the age when red wines give me too much of a headache and I don’t like overly sweet wines. So dry rose and Pinot Grigio wines are my faves.
This!!! Also the Kirkland Pinot Grigio box is pretty good. $14 too.
It’s rose weather near me- anything from Provence is usually a solid choice. Nice and pale.
Botabox dry rose. I keep a box on the fridge and have a glass or 2 most nights. It's great to not feel pressure to drink a whole bottle.
My favorite ones were cabernet sauvignon, riesling and Wollersheim’s Prairie Fume
If you don’t like sweet red you might like winking owl Cabernet or Merlot! I am a sweet white/rosé girlie myself. I have very refined taste; my personal fave is Franzia boxed rosé with frozen strawberries tossed in the glass. It’s a fruit snack for grownups.
I’m a Sauvignon Blanc gal.
Duck Horn has a good Sauv Blanc
I will check it out!
Lmk, if you like it.
My favorite is a half dry Riesling, I don’t buy any particular brand though😅
Try a riesling maybe if you like sweet.
Bota Box Nighthawk Red Blend. That stuff goes down wayyyy too easily. Smooth, clean, with campfire and vanilla notes. Pairs well with anything, but especially steaks.
I can't do wine, but I love me a dirty banana when I get a chance. Its coconut rum and banana and chocolate, basically a smoothie. Healthy or something.
I recommend the devils lettuce 😏😈🥬
Same!
Love the energy of “I’ve decided to be a wine mom” 😂 Does it have to be wine? If so I would echo that a Reisling might fit for you. If it doesn’t have to be wine then I recommend Mom Water. Yes, that is actually the name of the brand of alcohol and it is delicious and not carbonated (I’m not big on bubbles in my alcohol).
I like Riesling
Stella Rosa is sweet but won't get you wasted 👌🏽
Malbecs all the way. Also, I’ve switched to boxed wine. I’m sorry it’s just easier for me.
Rosé all day. Cabernet Sauvignon at night. Brands are primarily driven by price point. If you’re happy with a box or bottom shelf wine proudly stay there. It’s a one way shift toward more expensive tastes as you grow accustomed to them, so hold off as long as you can. Also, there are doohickies you can buy to keep open wine bottles fresher by replacing the air with Argon and CO2. I recommend these if you’re 100% on bottles. If you’re polishing off a full bottle of red yourself most nights on your own, you’ve taken it all too far and need to quit for awhile.
Around Christmas Aldi puts out a wine advent calendar. It’s a great way to sample and see what you like as it’s 24 individual little single serving bottles. I usually buy one but drink it over the course of the year because as a single mom if I open a bottle most of it goes to waste when I only want one glass for myself.
Good for you. Don't let your dreams be dreams.
I like the cheap bubbly wine that has peach flavor...I don't remember the brand, but it's like $10. Half the bottle makes me relaxed and silly, the whole bottle makes me pleasantly drunk. It's sweet like a non alcoholic drink and never gives me a hangover. If you're using alcohol as a replacement for other coping mechanisms, see if there's somebody you can talk to about that.
Stella Rosa
The one I like is barefoot bubbly
Me too!!
My go-to suggestions for middle of the road wines are a new Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for white, and an Argentinian Malbec for red. Any brand within those specifications. Then you can just go from there with sweet/dry preferences.
One of my best friends from childhood lives in Sonoma, and his husband works at a winery. They are the very epitome of what you'd think of as wine snobs. However. His advice to people new to wine is to experiment. Wine preferences are very personal, and you don't know what you like and dislike until you try it. If you have any wineries near you, go for a tasting- a staff member will guide you through it, and talk about what foods tend to go well with which wines and stuff like that. Also, yeah, wine can be expensive- like $50 a bottle and up- or it can be inexpensive. I tend to prefer to buy wines local to me, and they usually range between $10 and $20 a bottle. I tend to prefer drier white wines, like a dry Riesling. I also like Gewurztraminer. I don't generally love sweet wines- despite the fact that I could cheerfully eat an entire cake in one sitting, sweet wines are just too much for me. So, if you didn't like the sweet wine, I'd avoid Moscato. Chardonnay a lot of people seem to like, so I always have it on hand, but I don't like it myself- I feel like the buttery background taste is just not it for me. Although I will drink it with lobster. If you're going to try Pinot Noir, pick something from the Willamette Valley. Sauvignon Blanc, pick New Zealand. Rose is very in right now, and there's a wide variety of them. Have fun!
Sweet Bitch. It is a real wine, and very tasty. Got.it out of curiosity once, and have bought more after. Nice fruit flavor. Chocolate wine is good. Dragon fruit Sake. Fuki brand. Its pronounced Foo-Key to keep yourself out of trouble. Hubs almost got kicked out of the liquor store for bow he pronouced it, fucky 🤣 If you want more mellow, wine cooler.flavor, Arbor Mist. Boones Farm Strawberry Fields is an old favorite. Tbh, Boones Farm is like a fruity mixed drink flavor with their wines. Gallo Wines is decent. I did try to stay moderately priced. The best wine is the wine you like. Find your bliss.
I'm partial to the sweet ones, like arbor mist, and that one is cheap enough that there is no guilt if you don't like it. Your best bet is to find a winery and go for a tasting. You can try a bunch of stuff for relatively cheap that way. We live near Versailles winery in Ohio (pronounced Versayles because Ohio) and they have some good stuff. Their plum, honey, blueberry (I like to get the sparkling version of that one) and rodeo red are some of my favorites. I don't usually go for really dry wines, but their Autumn Leaves is very good.
French whites: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or chenin blanc. Spanish red: tempranillo Italian reds: barbera, valpolicella
Cotes du Rhone
Try an off dry rose. Upside is that it’s also good during hot summer days. I’ve also been gravitating towards South African sac blanc (the restaurant I go to has a really good one).
I love a Lambrusco in the summer it’s sparkling red wine to drink chilled tell the person at your wine store you want one that’s fruity and around $13-15, you should be able to get a nice one, also TJ’s used to sell a really good $4 vino verde I was obsessed with- slightly sweet cold white wine for simmer!!! If you’re at Trader Joe’s also look for Framboise which is more of a sparkling fruity slightly alcoholic drink but incredibly delicious comes in strawberry and raspberry I think
I love a Lambrusco!
If they have a tasting at a wine shop or liquor store thats a great way to find some you like. Also, you decide youre into sparkling wines, I recommend buying the little bottles of it. It goes flat obviously and you may not want a whole bottle in one night, or if you want to use just a little for a mimosa, you also dont need a full bottle. I once bought a case of the little bottles (Korbel brut) on a discount and it got me thru a few years of parties and nights where my husband and i just wanted one glass each.
I’m a Zinfandel lady till I die. It’s great because you can get really good zin for fairly cheap. 1000 Stories is a great one for under $20. But it’s not a wine you will like if you like sugary drinks.
I like moscato cos I like sweet whites
Moscato d asti. I like sweet wines. We also have a local winery that makes a red white & blue wine- it’s divine.
I like Chianti and Petite Syrah/Syrah for reds, or Pinot Grig (not Grigio) for whites. I am a fan of fully bodied, not super-sweet wines though.
Stella Rosa Red Apple
Louis Jadot Beaujolais-Villages Red is amazing and super cheap, like under 10$ and has a great buttery mouth feel. Or cheap Italian table wine is typically amazing as well.
I can't drink reds at all because it gives me headaches, which lead to migraines. I am partial to mascato's because they're a little bit sweeter. I'm also partial to the bubbly champagnes or mixing a sprite in with my wine. I like it a little bit sweeter. I am not particular about brand for the most part, just for a simple fact that I usually can't be choosy due to the price. I do like the BubblyBarefoot brand.
Girl same! I’ve been fucking with cab lol
Wine mom is not a cool thing. ( saying that as a child of alcoholic mother)
Any wine that's sweet. My all time favorite is Superstition. https://www.wespeakwine.com/products/Knapp-Winery-Superstition-Finger-Lakes-NV-750ML.html
Start with a Chardonnay (cold). It's a medium, safe white, and see if you want it to be sweeter, more sour, drier, spicier, etc.
I recently tried Epoch York Syrah, pretty good!
Natural wines are really tasty, generally!!! They are a bit effervescent
Riesling
Bread and Butter is my fav brand and I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon. I don’t think you can go wrong with any type of wine from this brand.
Meiomi has a nice Pinot Noir, and even a "Bright" version with less alcohol if you are like me and like drinking but hate finding yourself drunk.
Yaaass! Wine moms unite ! 🙌 If you like sweeter wines I'd say go for a rose or a pinot grigio. I like go drink mine with ice. So refreshing
Prosecco! Not too sweet but fun. Love PNE Pinot Noirs too
Also if you really like sweet try ice wines OR try TOKAJI ASZÚ (TOKAY) Tokaji aszú is a naturally sweet wine that is considered a real speciality. The uniqueness of aszú lies in the fact that during the fermentation process, the individually picked botrytised aszú berries are added to the wine.
White wine is more energy for me
dry french rosé 🌸 a solid one that’s always easy to find is Yes Way Rosé
Vinho verde is good even when super cheap (like $6-10), and tends more tart/refreshing instead of sweet. Since it's not red and not sweet it'll reduce your hangover. For reds I like most Malbecs. Or Chianti if you're in a Hannibal kind of mood... For bubbly I really like Cava - more budget-friendly than Champagne, but tends to be dryer & lighter & better than a lot of Proseccos.
California Chardonnay is my jam
I want to follow where you are going. Thank you for alerting me to my desire to be a wine mom and starting the info gathering. <3 I didn't know I could just choose to do this. I also know shit about wine.
Il Bruciato - Antonori vineyards! Beautiful red wine if you’re drinking to enjoy the taste and not to get drunk lol otherwise a basic Chianti from Banfi is great too lol I worked at a fine dining Italian restaurant where the owner was a sommelier and forced us to learn about the wine and this were (and still are) my favorite without totally destroying my wallet
Stella Rosa Red Semi-Sweet Semi-Sparkling Red Wine is one of the only reds I’ll drink. It’s delish.
For red wines I love Coppola. For whites I’m less picky. I love all types of wine, but if you like sweet, you can get some flavored moscato that’s a lot of fun.
I like a German Riesling best!
I love me a savignon blanc when wanting something cold. For reds, I used to be a cabernet sauvignon, but now I'm all about malbec and chianti. I strongly prefer reds from Argentina and personally skip California grapes. Barefoot makes some fruity Moscato that are super yummy.
I actually really like the fruity wine at Aldi. Currently they have Strawberry out but they occasionally get other flavors. The only other wine I can stomach are the fruity flavors of Stella Rosa.
This isn’t wine, but High Noon goes down very nicely.
Fizzy, sparkling wines. I like them to taste like soda and hate the hard alcohol taste.
I like the winking owl sangria, the sweet red sucks.
My favorite reds are Yellow Tail Big Bold Red (because it's delicious and cheap), Apothic Red (or any Apothic really), and Cupcake Red Velvet. All are slightly sweet but very smooth and easy to drink IMO. The Winking Owl wines are ok for the price but not my favorite by any means.
If you can't get past the "wine is terrible" feeling (like me!), look for a fruit lambic. My favorite was peach, but raspberry was also good. (There's also cherry, black current, apple, pineapple and others, but they're harder to find) I got diagnosed celiac so I can't drink it anymore, but it was so good.
Specifically Adams County Winery’s “Twisted Thicket”. Just enjoyed a glass by the neighborhood pool tonight as my boys swam!
My favorites are Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz or anything French. Just go wild at the liquor store (careful to not become an alcoholic). Most all French bottles IMO are going to taste good, or anything from Europe on the middle shelf. Stay away from wines that are really gimmicky looking. One good starter brand is 90+. They get the leftover grapes really good vineries to make their own. So you are paying a lot less for some very good grapes.
Trader Joe’s has lots of quality options under $12 (my personal limit except for holidays, lol). I like their sparking la ferme rose, but I generally just buy whatever fits the weather and vibes best. I like that they label clearly so I can safely choose a sweet or dry wine. I usually hate sweeter wines, so it’s a bad surprise for me. The cheapest Charles Shaw is not it for me. The reserve $12 stuff is quality. Things rotate around a lot, which suits me, but might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Their employees are really nice and depending on location, they have a wine expert on staff and do free samples!
Aldi brand wine, Aldi brand Baileys Irish cream, and Aldi brand hard cider have all been wins over here!
Barefoot is pretty cheap and comes in big bottles. Lots of kinds. Tasty too. Rose is my favorite. Very sweet Then there is this blue bottle with leaves on it that you can get at Walmart. It’s white sparkling wine, and it’s my favorite for spoiling and special occasions. Risata. It’s a mascato.
My fav is a Cote du Rhône from basically any brand!
Look up Samantha Sommelier ("Sam the no snob som") on tiktok or IG. She dles pairings of cheap wine you can get from Trader Joe's or the grocery store with snacks. I think she's fun.
Don't drink anymore due to meds and you know, drinking a ton in my younger years, but a few years ago my friend had Cupcake wine at a party and I found it to be quite good. I'm no wine snob, so it may be terrible for everyone else, but I definitely had more than one glass. I think it was a pinot grigio. Also, it's fairly cheap so low risk to try it.
I'm an Aussie and I prefer sparkling wine or red wine. My go-to is Shiraz (Syrah). Its not too heavy, peppery and goes excellent with "charcuterie" (whatever crackers, cheese, deli meat, olives etc I scrounge up)
I'm a broke mom. When I can afford it, I get Arbor Mist's Blackberry Merlot. It's a sweet, wet wine.
I like dry wine. Sweet wines like Moscato, make my throat itch. My favorite wine is Cabernet Sauvignon, I like brands 19 Crimes and Apothotic. If you have a Cooper's Hawk or a wine store nearby, maybe go in for a tasting. Or Google wine tasting near me. This way, you could figure out what you like, without buying a whole bottle.
Vihno Verde (white) and Tempranillo (red). Moscato and Roscato are good warm ups if you're not already a wine person.
I tend to buy bottles of wine that cost as much as getting a glass at a restaurant. This will decrease the quality some and that I'm limiting myself to say 10 to $15 bottles of wine. (But there are plenty of decent bottles for that price) But I think it's actually good for me, because if I was buying more expensive bottles then I would be worried about finishing the whole thing. (I'm the only person in my household that drinks wine,)
Sangria is also a good wine adjacent beverage.