What are the basics of knowing whether a red wine is acceptable or junk?

A lot seems opinion. I have access to cheaper red wine and just want to know what is OK and what are signs that it is no good|||The real test is if you like it. If you do, then for you, it is a good wine.





Enjoy.





.|||Well that depends on a few things, mainly: Is this for you, or are you planning to serve to a in-the-know friend?





If it's for you, just drink it if you like it. Developing a "refined" palate is not all it's cracked up to be. I wish I could be happy with a cheap wine!





If it's for a more distinguished friend, there are a few ways to tell.


Easy ways: look into the classifications. Anytime they mention a specific region, you're getting better. The more specific, the better.


Vintage (year) is important!! White wines need to be drunk ASAP, within 2 years of the listed date (chardonnay and Riesling can go to 3-5 years for the average bottle).After this, whites start to turn to vinegar. Reds generally get better with age. Pinot Noirs and other light reds have the same time line as whites, but any other red (i.e; cabernet, syrah, merlot, etc) can last quite a few years, even decades, in the bottle and only get better. However, if the wine is a "cheaper" red, I'd say you have to drink within 3 years of the vintage for light reds, 5 for the rest.


Also, pour a bottle. Hold the wine (in a glass) against a white background, turn on it's side. Look at the color. Any brownish tint (for red or white) is a bad thing. A good sign is a consistent color that goes all the way to the rim of the wine (wines tend to get lighter along the edge, but the more rich and consistent the color the better).


Smell It. Does it smell like cardboard? Like vinegar? These are common signs of a bad wine.


** Random fact: screw tops are always better than corks, given the choice. It keeps the wine better than the cork. **





Enjoy!|||Most wine is acutally fairly good. Improvements in wine making techniques and agriculture have made bad wine somewhat of a rarity.





Once you get past $20-30 a bottle, wine is priced more for it's rarity than it's quality. For example.





Wine A and Wine B are wines that are made from the same grape from the same region and both are made by good wine makers. Both wines are good tasting. The winery made 100,000 cases of wine A. Only 1000 cases of wine B were made. You will find that wine B will probably cost twice as much in a liquor store.|||A rule of thumb is if it tastes good to you, then drink it. You know a ton of people drink 2 buck chuck(Trader Joe's wine) and think it is fine. Most pretty good wines cost $20 or less for a bottle. I have tried very expensive cabs and found them to be no better then a good $25 bottle. A good example of this is Opus wine which is great, but well over $100 a bottle. There are many cabs out there just as good for under $25. Often you are paying for the label and name, not what is inside. Drink what you like and never mind what others may say.|||Whether you enjoy it or not. There are specific brands I'm not fond of, but even Yellowtail has a reserve Cab that's passable.








There are quite a few reds at or under ten bucks that are good. They won't age or win any awards, but for spaghetti night or just sipping, why pay tons? My favorite wines are fairly expensive: $45 a bottle for a Barboursville or $50+ for a Frog's Leap, but those are for special occasions.