When buying a bottle of wine (preferably red) what are the key things to look out for?

Im about 21 and recently have been interested in wine. I drink socially with my friends and spend about 拢10-15 on a bottle of wine. I only like red wines and would like to know some key tips and general information that will help scrub up my wine knowledge. Thanks.|||What Wings said and also, if you're just getting into this wine thing...





1) Go to a decent wine shop. Those people are there to help, not to be snobby toward you. After all, they want to sell wine, not turn you off.


2) In general, White wines are more fruity, lighter and easier to drink. Reds are drier (not all of them) and fuller. This is just a general rule, not an absolute


3) Buy a good book on the subject - The Wine Bible by Karen McNeil is awesome. It's huge, but not designed to be read cover to cover, rather a reference. The Complete Wine Course is excellent too, by Kevin Zraly.





Good wineries, for the money are:


Bogle


Firesteed


Robert Mondavi


Louis Jadot


Kim Crawford


Penfold's





That is a start - welcome to the world of wine!|||Buy some book, or even browse the web, there is a ton of free info on wines.


I would start with two basics: grape varietals and geography.


Learn what the different grapes taste like, and what the different primary growing areas are like.


When I first got into it, I took some classes and attended some wine tasting, and learned from some experts. If you can find local wine dealers or restuarants with an experienced sommolier that hold tastings, these can be great ways to learn as you taste different wines side by side.


If not, you could hold your own with some friends- everyone bring a bottle of wine, drink them all side by side and see what you like best.|||First, buy for what you're planning. Dinner, outing, casual drinks.





You can check the alcohol content by looking at the label.





What style do you prefer Bordeaux's, (cabernets, merlot, cabernet franc) or burgundies (pinot noir, beaujolais, gamay).


Dry wine...like Zinfandel


How dry...robust and full-bodied or lighter?





Best thing to do is talk to your wine merchant. They have probably tasted the wines in their shop and should be knowledgeable as to dryness, flavors, etc. Also go to a wine bar and try "flights" of wine to compare different vintages and different producers wines made from the same grape. This will expand your wine library. Take notes too and keep a journal.





This was brief but I hope it helps|||I prefer Shiraz, its a bit nuttier and spicier. If you like more berry wines then I would stick to Merlot. If you are buying for someone else I always buy Cabernet Sauvignon it tends to suit most ppl. Australia has great red wine but can be pricier, I live Chilean or Argentinean wine. But I really like wine so I make it in my little apartment And I just finished a Chianti, It was great. If your wine store has 1-5 number ratings, try to stick to a 0 or 1 other wise it can get to sweet.





Happy Drinking!|||Just remember to ignore all the fancy-shmancy crap that the wine company puts on their bottle's label.





Wine can be very confusing... especially when you go to a meijer and they have about 12,000 bottles of it staring back at you. If you want to try a pretty good red wine, try Da Vinci Chianti, Estancia Cabernet, or Kendall Jackson Cabernet and Merlot.