Good tasting yet inexpensive wine?

Let me first begin by staring that I'm not a drinker, hence my complete and utter ignorance when it comes to alcohol. So I come to y'all trusting y'all will point me in the right direction.

Basically, I'm stressed beyond belief. Between my increased anxiety level and the never-subsiding stress, I need something at the end of the day to help my nerves and help me unwind. By the time I get the boys to bed at 7 pm, I'm wound up so tight I feel like exploding. It's draining me.

So I'm finally going to try my friend's advice of having a glass (6-8 oz.) of wine a night. If it will help take the edge off, I'll give it a shot. However, I've never even a wine drinker. I've had it here and there, but I don't even know what I'm supposed to be tasting. The times I've had it, it always seemed warm and kind of bitter (or sharp? had a bite?). What I do know is that I don't like white wine.

So, what would be a good relax-at-the-end-of-the-day wine? I also don't have unlimited funds, so spending $100 or more per bottle isn't going to happen.

I would love for some suggestions.

Also, ummmm....how exactly do you keep wine? Room temp? Chilled in the icebox?

ETA: I have no plans on becoming an alcoholic. Just wanted to get that out there.

No one plans to be an alcoholic though...

I am nt a wine drinker, but I find Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc is pretty light and easy to drink.

It's under $20 a bottle.

Francis Coppola has a good line under $20. I'm also a fan of Shoo-Fly wines. If you have a Trader Joe's near you, the Charles Shaw stuff is like $3 a bottle and pretty darn good.

Yellow Tail is also cheap and decent.

Most people start with a sweeter wine like a rose blend, white Zinfandel, moscato, etc.

Do you have a Trader Joe's nearby? Their Two Buck Chuck is pretty good. It's like $2.50 a bottle now but still, haha. Charles Shaw is the brand name but I don't think anybody calls it anything but Two Buck Chuck.

It sounds like you're looking for something that isn't dry or sharp, so look for "sweet" wines - or even an all out "dessert" wine. Moscato is a popular sweet wine, Barefoot Wines makes a nice one. They also have a Pink and Red Moscato; I haven't tried any but the regular white Moscato but both sound tasty. Fairly inexpensive brand. You might also look for sparkling wines, but careful with those... there are some out there which pretty much taste JUST like a bottle of, say, Welches Sparkling Grape Juice... until you stand up after demolishing a few glasses. Look for fruit based sweets as well; my all time favourite wine is a sweet raspberry from a local winery. So. Good.


As far as temperature goes, IMO it's a bit of personal preference, but some wines will definitely taste differently at room temp versus from the fridge. I think sweet wines are best cold.


ETA: Forgot - I hate Ed Hardy with a passion, but Ed Hardy Sangria is cheap and delicious.

I'm not a wine drinker, either. What I have found that when I just want to relax and chill is I really, really enjoy a cream liquor. Just a small glass on the rocks. Delicious.

I love Moscato. I like Yellow Tail and my personal favorite is Barefoot, yum!

re: temperature, I believe most red wine has historically been served "room temperature" but that was when it was kept in a cellar. Room temperature in a toasty modern house is too warm, so chill it slightly before serving.

I adore Oliver Winery Soft Red wine. It's produced by a winery near my parents' house in Indiana, but they do ship (tho a few states are excluded due to laws). I paid $7.50/bottle last time we bought it.

I wasn't a wine drinker until I went to a tasting at Oliver Winery and now I do really enjoy it, though I'm a huge lightweight: I drink no more than half a glass at a time, otherwise I get a bit tipsy.

I really, really wish I liked wine. There are so many good and inexpensive brands out there.

I've been told to start with Sangria, but I think that was probably my least favorite.

My parents used to make some sort of red wine when they had a cellar (crushed the grapes themselves and everything) and everyone they gave it to would rave about it. Even being exposed to it as a child, I've never been able to develop a taste for it!

Have you ever done a tasting Jessie? That's what helped me - I liked being able to try like 6 at once. Some I hated, but I didn't feel bad because I hadn't bought any yet! LOL

I like cupcake wines, specifically the red velvet one. I don't know the ins and outs of wine as I have a friend who works at a wine store and picks things for me and my agility peeps, but the cupcake wines seem to be the ones i like.

Also a nice fruity pinot grigio is also good for the novice wine drinker.

Yellow Tail's Merlot was VERY strong, IMO. That was not an enjoyable, relaxing wine. That was a "get trashed" wine. I had to cut it with juice. I haven't tried their others.

I like Little Penguin's Merlot, though. But that's all I got. I've heard a lot of people suggest Barefoot, but I can't personally vouch for it yet.

I've never done a tasting- I really should, though. That's a really good idea.

I try wine whenever I go to an event it's offered at (holiday parties, charity banquets, etc.), and I always feel weird when I take a sip and don't drink the rest. It makes me feel like such a little kid every time!

TBH all the wines I've tried at events were icky to me. The tastings I've done are super fun and each time I go I always find a new wine I like.

Sounds like you need to find a type of wine that you like (not necessarily a brand yet). Moscatos are a good option, as has been suggested. Pinot Grigios are usually sweet and fruity too. A reisling is a dessert wine that is really sweet. Look for a blush (a mix between red/white) that is a softer taste, usually.

No reason to spend more than $10 a bottle to get a tasty wine.

Thanks for the input!

I promise I have THE BEST wine for wine haters (like me, lol) it's called Fuke. It's Japanese plum wine. A bottle is $12 at the liquor store. It tastes like freaking grape juice! I love it. Another good one that's not quite so sweet is called like Barefoot or something. I love the sweet stuff, though. And I don't meant sweet by wine people standards, cause when they say a wine is "sweet" it's really not, lol. I mean sweet by anyone's standards. Fuke is as sweet as welch's.

I wish I knew what brand/type of red wine they serve at my church. It's freakin delish.

That's all I can contribute lol.

I like sweet

Muscato is yummy, yes, yellowtail and barefoot are both cheap, good and should be easy to find.

I like Rieslings too....sometimes a white zinfandel is ok.

My personal favorite is St. James Red Velvet but I am not sure how big of a distribution they have.

I like wine cold, or at least the ones I drink

Copper moon. They have a few different kinds and I think the wine starts at 11 dollars. That's what we relax to in the evening.