Wine suggestions please

[LizabethSwan]

My husband and I do not drink wine very often. When we do, we usually drink Asti Spumante. We went to the Olive Garden a few weeks ago and sampled some of their house wine. But they were mostly bitter tasting for us.
We are looking for something else to try, but I think the sweeter it is the more we will like it. Does anyone have any suggestions for us to try out.
Thanks

 

[lizabu]

Reisling is a nice sweet wine that most people like. When choosing a wine "dry" means less sugar and less sweet. "Brut" is extra dry. The sweetest wines are usually icewines

 

[Shipshape]

Look for a Moscato, Gewürztraminer or a Riesling! Moscato is the sweetest, usually considered a dessert wine.

 

[Mickey & Minnie Mom]

White Zin is going to be sweet and is usually a "starter" for those trying to break into wines.

Another good one to try is a Reisling. Most are sweet. Fess Parker is good, inexpensive one ... and you can get it at Disney.

After that, I might suggest Sauvignon Blanc. Maybe Oyster Bay, another inexpensive bottle. I wouldn't call this one sweet, but easy to drink.

Stay away from the reds until you've established you are a wine drinker. They have a much stronger taste ... not sweet.

 

[ENSOCK]

When you go back to Olive Garden ask to drink the Moscato. It is really a good sweet wine. Sadly, they will not let you purchase an unopened bottle to leave with.

I am not a big drinker and find most wines bite back, but I love the Moscato.

 

[crisi]

Port is another dessert wine you might like. Its red and syrupy.

You should be aware that generally speaking, dessert wines are pricier than regular wines. White Zin is pretty cheap though.

On the bubbly end, I like Toad Hollow's Risque - which is a sweety Asti like wine.

My new favorite wine in Rombaurers Zin, its a very fruity wine. But its $30 a bottle, so not a good investment if you don't know if you like it.

 

[brewcrew]

We enjoy the Chateau St. Michelle reisling. Very good.

 

[Mickey & Minnie Mom]

Just remembered ... Saint M is a good Reisling to give a shot.

 

[Swimalie]

Look for a Moscato, Gewürztraminer or a Riesling! Moscato is the sweetest, usually considered a dessert wine.

I agree. We used to live in Oregon wine country and, after tasting a lot of wines, we love Riesling and Gewürztraminer.

 

[Gigi22]

OP, if you are a beginning wine drinker, generally speaking it is safest to stay away from house wines. They may be less expensive, but they are often the cheapest and least pleasant wine in a restaurant. There are no Olive Garden restaurants in my area, so I can't mention any specific wines that are on their wine list, but generally a riesling or a white zinfandel (which is pink colored) will be sweeter tasting than most other white wines. I would suggest you try ordering a glass of wine with a meal to start, and see if you find something that appeals to your tastes. I would not order a port or an icewine at the start of a meal--ports are fortified wines (they are fortified with brandy), and can pack quite a kick in terms of alcohol content; and icewines can be quite expensive and very sweet, a lot like having a liqueur or a dessert before your meal.

 

[seven dwarfs]

My husband and I do not drink wine very often. When we do, we usually drink Asti Spumante. We went to the Olive Garden a few weeks ago and sampled some of their house wine. But they were mostly bitter tasting for us.
We are looking for something else to try, but I think the sweeter it is the more we will like it. Does anyone have any suggestions for us to try out.
Thanks

I am not a huge wine drinker either but like Asti Spumante. One for you to try is Rosa Regale. It is very good. It is more sweet not bitter at all. I may drink one glass of Asti but can drink several of Rosa!

 

[DisneyScraps]

I would start with a white zinfandel they are sweet and easy to drink. Sutter Home is pretty common and inexpensive. As others said rieslings are quite sweet. Wine is quite subjective 20 of us could recommend something and you might not like it. You kind of have to try them and figure out what qualities you like in wine.

Enjoy, I started drinking wine at 21 so I would look sophisticated on dates and not drink too much. Now I am a nightly wine drinker of good wines. My wine budget is almost as high as my food budget

Lisa

 

[LizabethSwan]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions, I am making a list and look forward to trying them. I am hoping there will be someone in the store that can help direct me to these suggestions I get overwhelmed in the store with all of those bottles.

 

[Sinderelly]

My husband and I both LOVE a local red called Vista Red. It is a semi sweet and is very easy on the palette. Think Rosa Regale without the fizz. I can't believe how good and it is and only around $8 a bottle. They can ship wine to IN, IL, OH, KY, CA, FL, MI & MN.

 

[chalee94]

costco has a riondo prosecco that is champagne-ish and light.

i'd also recommend starting with pinot grigios and that sort of thing.

 

[micheleq]

Look for a Moscato, Gewürztraminer or a Riesling! Moscato is the sweetest, usually considered a dessert wine.

Ditto! Hogue and Chateau St. Michelle Rieslings are good. If you can get it, Chateau Grand Traverse (Michigan) Semi Dry Riesling is delicious. I recently brought a bottle of that to a friend who writes a wine column for Chicago Magazine and even he liked it!

If you really like the sweets, go for ice wine (Iniskillin) or late harvest rieslings. Ice wine comes in a smaller, thin bottle and is more expensive, but delish! You won't drink full glasses of it, but worth a try. Sometimes you can find half bottles as well.

And don't be afraid to go into your local wine shop and ask the employees. If there is a Trader Joe's nearby, that is a great place to start exploring wines because they carry some good wines at bargain prices. Often wine shops will have tastings on the weekends. Or host a tasting with your friends.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

We like Ricossa moscato.

We also like riesling, but we have a hard time finding good ones. Last week I bought a bottle of Johannes Egberts 2007 Auslese and it is REALLY good. But the man at the wine store told me it is no longer available for import to the US so now I have to buy as many bottles as I can find!

Rieslings come in 3 types - Kabinett, Spatlese, and Auslese. They Kabinett is the least sweet. I had a 2007 Selbach-Oster Kabinett at Yachtsman Steakhouse and I really liked it, so even the "less" sweet ones can be good. We can sometimes find Selbach-Oster locally, but it tends to be pricey and the taste varies from bottle to bottle. You will notice some bottles have "extra" words on them, for lack of a better way to explain it. The words are the region or vineyard that produced the bottle, and I can tell a difference in taste from one to the other. I prefer the ones WITHOUT the vineyard listed. Also, the vineyard specific wines tend to cost more.

DH is enthralled with wine in blue bottles. Do not fall into that trap.

 

[CinRell]

Definitely Moscato!

 

[usnuzuloose]

I like to have wine every so often but I cant stand bitter wine. But I live in northern ca and in monterey I found a sweet wine with no bitter taste. It is called Olallieberry wine. The only place to get it is from Bargetto Winery online ( they ship ) or go in and buy it. I took my only bottle somewhere for christmas and it was all gone.

 

[blbh23]

I am generally an amaretto stone sour or daiquiri drinker. If it doesn't taste like Kool-Aid I don't like it! That said I really enjoy moscato. It is the sweetest wine I've ever had and it definitely fits the "Kool-Aid" category! You have to be careful with moscato's though. I have found if you don't pay at least $13 a bottle it is not sweet enough. The moscato's at my local Kroger taste like white zen, which I do not like. I think the brand Sorocco is the best. The one from Olive Garden (castello del poggio) is good too and I found that a few stores sell it so you dont have to pay the restaurant prices! I would recommend having a "good" moscato before trying one of the cheaper ones. Good luck!