First, try a blended 'Red Table Wine'. Usually, as they sell them in France, blended table wines are for every taste, so most of the time they are balanced.

Then, try to remember the types of grapes used and branch out to the varietals. While it's not always the case, each variety is usually made similarly across vintners.

If you do decide to try a varietal, or even on the blends, look for words like semi-dry, or semi-sweet. That will get you closer to the middle between the extremes.

rgreen48, I shall go to Wegman's asap and follow your kind instructions to the letter. Many thanks.

Amazing to me that as people are worrying more and more about the sugar content of their soft drinks, more people are choosing sweet wines like a Moscato, and sweeter mixed drinks like a Cosmo and things made with butterscotch schnapps and whipped cream....guess it's all where you choose to get your sugar....frankly I like mine in pie!! LOL!
many wines are labeled "sweet red table wine"...if you like sherry you might also mike a ruby port or even a marsala.

If people ever drank as much sweet wine as they do sweetened soft drinks, then... well... lol

I like all kinds of wine. There are a few I don't care as much for than others, but there are occasions for sweet, dry, and anywhere in between. The trick is to get a working knowledge of how each grape variety or fruit is customarily treated. That is to say... is a certain variety of grape made into a sweet or a dry wine? There are a few grapes and fruits that could go either way, and they give the winemaker more latitude, but consumers are trained to have certain expectations.

I have always encouraged exploration. Start with what you think you would like, and then follow similar taste characteristics down different paths. After a while you may find that your expectations may not be what you imagine.

This is always a good one! Nobody doesn't like it: http://www.menageatroiswines.com/wines/red?ag=1

Since I do not drink sodas or sweet cocktails, feel I'm entitled to a small glass of wine now and then if I so choose. Have tried Menage a Trois but did not care for it. Beginning to think I prefer white wines because reds leave a fuzzy feeling in the mouth. Thanks for all suggestions.

pink... there are blended white table wines also.

I think Suzi has a good idea. Tasting a small glass of something you may or may not like is much better than buying the whole bottle and not enjoying it.

There are reds that don't leave that 'fuzzy feeling', but since taste is so subjective it can be difficult to say that there is a specific wine that you might enjoy.

The other thing when first trying wines you may like, is to remember that each winery usually makes a number of wines. Of course its possible that their products aren't the best, but usually a brand will make wines for all tastes.

Unless I'm pairing for a meal, instead of sweetness/dryness, I look for flavor characteristics. Sometimes it's wonderfully surprising how a fruity flavor in a red or a white will make the dryness much less noticeable. The same idea goes for sweets.

If the acids and tannins in the wine are balanced well, then unless it's at the very extreme, the mouth-feel will not be as pronounced.

As a white wine, unless the winery leans heavily toward the sweet, I find a nice pinot grigio, or pinot gris to be a good white summertime wine.

But the tasting idea is a winner. That way, anytime you go into a wine store, you can ask for something that is similar to....

Try to find a wine appreciation class conducted by an adult education cooperative or attend a wine tasting hosted by a package store. Have some wine drinking friends? Get them together for a pot luck and wine tasting. Have them each bring a bottle of wine that they've not had before for sampling. Many local organizations hold wine tastings for fund raising. All of these are good ways to sample a variety of different wines without committing to buying an entire bottle.

Thanks to all for suggestions - which I shall follow. Cheers!