J Lohr for red and Jacobs Creek Moscato for white

I am partial to Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. Both grapes are grown in Monterey County, and even tho we have moved away, I still seek out the varietals from Monterey at Total Wine in Delaware when we shop there. For cooking, I defer to a cheaper California chardonnay that is still drinkable.

special occasions: merlot, cabernet

everyday:

I prefer reds - cabs, syrah/shiraz, merlots - and typically stay with WA state wines. We do a good job with them :-) And I cook with what I drink.

For special occasions, Abeja Syrah or Beekeeper's Blend......if someone else is buying!

For red, I like Sangiovese and Côtes du Rhône, in that order. There are some Cabernet that I like, but not most.

For white, I like Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc. There are a lot of Chardonnay that I like, but they tend to be expensive - I do not like the cheap ones.

The ones listed above are for everyday and for cooking - I do not buy wines for cooking that I will not drink, unless I am making something that will use almost a whole bottle, like bœuf bourguignon, which I do not make anymore.

There are some sparkling wines that I have for special occasions - one that I got in Paso Robles that I especially like - but I don't have the name of that with me right now.

We tend to buy more Italian wine than anything else, then California, and then French. There are probably others that I would like, but I'm not familiar with them.

I do not like the cheap ones.

Is cost a reliable measure of quality?

I have not been much of a wine drinker for decades but have decided to buy a few bottles and try to learn more about it. My parents served wine with many of their meals and I would get a tiny sip, so I used to know more but have forgotten which ones they liked.

I'm not a big wine drinker, so all I'm really sure of is that I don't like sweet wines at all.

"Is cost a reliable measure of quality?"

Not at all!! Maybe in the past it was but there are so many boutique wineries these days, many of which produce great wines, that it is very possible to get a very good wine for a very reasonable price. Trader Joe's typically caries a very good selection of inexpensive wines (and I don't mean 2 buck Chuck!!) and my local grocery store - with a huge wine department - always features a number of wines in the $10 range. For my personal use, I focus on ones in that general price range.

And if it IS an expensive wine, it darn well better taste like it is. I've had some pricey numbers that taste like cr*p!

it is very possible to get a very good wine for a very reasonable price.

That is good to know! I started this thread to see what y'all's favorite are, while I'm sure everyone has their own taste, I thought that if several people mentioned a particular kind or brand that it would be something for me to check out.

I like Sauvignon Blanc as well. A good drinkable wine. I dont normally drink reds as they give me a headache and our friends who only drink red always bring something interesting with them. For special occasions Veuve Clicquot

This is our everyday table wine. Back when the Yellow Vests were protesting in France, we saw a shopkeeper being interviewed on French news, and I recognized this label in his shop! So we know it’s authentic lol. And inexpensive. The fellow at our wine store also offered up Famille Perrin Côtes du Rhône Réserve as an alternative, which is similar but smoother and richer, and a little more expensive: above $10. Yeah, we’re cheap dates.

We don’t cook with wine much, so if we add wine to a sauce, it’s probably the Vieille Ferme.

We really are cheap, so this is our list of wines when we can’t find Vieille Ferme:

Bpath I love your wine list lol!

Lucille, I keep a picture of it on my phone! As we try new wines, we add it to one side or the other of the list. Because when I get to the store and see all those labels, I can’t remember what we liked or didn’t like! It’s a very scrawly-looking list, probably because we write on it after we’ve had a glass or two lol

Not in stock anymore,! Those were the good ole days :o)

I like Riesling best, l think.........prefer white wines; cannot bear Merlot!

Used to be a White Grave. It has been years since I could afford it. I did purchase a bottle to share with friends right before this mess started and probably should just go ahead and open it. I remember that it was a wine to drink with food rather than something light afternoon sipper.

For everyday - Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Chardonnay, Kim Crawford Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio

For special occaisions - Duckorn Paraduxx Proprietary Red, Iron Horse Vineyards Unoaked Chardonnay Russian River, Dom Ferret Pouilly-Fuisse, David Bruce Pinot Noir Russian River

"I've had some pricey numbers that taste like cr*p!"

So true!

I'm a Pinot Grigio fan with Cupcake, Barefoot, Chloe and Naked being some inexpensive ones I like. Seems I'm always trying a new one. DH much prefers reds.

Not in stock anymore,! Those were the good ole days :o)

Remember this being served at some college parties. Did a search, it is still available. Of course when one is young & partying, one is not necessarily worrying about educating one's palate. One's youth is sweeter than wine.

Pinot Grigio fan here. I cook with the same wine that I drink.

I prefer the wines from the Niagara Region of Ontario, but I do like a particular Italian one that a friend and I had in a restaurant. Not sold to the public, only to the restaurants, so I treated myself and bought a case from the restaurant. It was pricey, so I save them for when I really want to treat myself or having my friend with the yellow mustang over, before the recent shut-down.

I like buying my wine in a box.....4 litres of wine for the price of 3. I like the convenience, it lasts for 6 weeks once opened, so no rush to drink a bottle, since I only have wine with my dinners on weekends. Easy to grab a glass out of the box for cooking as well.

Pinot grigio is nice, but I have a strange reaction to it: odd and disturbing dreams. Seriously, while I would enjoy it with lunch, I just can’t.

In summer I like vinho verde.

I don't get why people like wine. It's got a sour taste to it and while I try to like it, I just don't. And trust me, I've tried many. lol

Everyday: Segua Viudas, cava brut or Jacques Pelvas Provence sparkling rose (or brut blanc de blanc)

Special occasions: same as above, Santa Margherita pinot grigio or whatever wine Dee used when she made that Marcella Hazen recipe.

Cooking: Lonely Cow, Sauvignon blanc. I also like to drink it. It smells like warm peaches, and tastes grapefruity. I don't use sparkling for cooking because I don't see any point in paying extra for bubbles only to have it go flat.

My very favorite in general is Oregon Pinot Noir, specifically ones from R Stuart, Stoller, and a few other wineries. I also like Cote du Rhône’s very much. I have also had a few inexpensive reds from Whole Foods recently, one was a Dunraven and another a red blend that were quite good for the price.

For whites I like a good Sauvignon Blanc and I would have to go refer to the spreadsheet I keep to look up the list. I will drink a non-oaked Chardonnay on occasion.

For sparkling occasions, I like Gruet or Veuvre Cliquot. Gruet makes some quite nice ones at a reasonable price.

As long as the wine or champagne isn’t sweet I’m ok. For champagne I prefer it slightly on the dry side. For cooking, a good wine will do, and it depends on how much is required whether I will buy one specifically for the recipe or just use a little of what I have.

It depends on the food. I’m no where near as knowledge as some people I know are.

I like a good Bordeaux if I’m having red meat, which is a rare occurrence.

Cotes du Rhone is nice...

For white, some white Bordeaux are very nice. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Sancerre if you don’t mind spending. They’re always expensive.

I like French wines. Generally, even the cheaper ones taste ok. Italian is good. Chilean is good.

The California wines are good now. Years ago they were not, and they were very expensive.

I love champagne. It feels like a celebration when you pop open a bottle of the bubbly!

One of my go-to favorites is Ste Michelle Horse Heaven Hills Sauvignon Blanc - for everyday, now available at Costco for under $20. I can't recall how much exactly.

I also recently discovered Chalk Hill Sauvignon Blanc from the Russian River Valley that I LOVE. Another everyday, under $20.

This was a wonderful Sancerre that I would buy again in a heartbeat for a special occasion.

I cook with what I drink, though I don't cook with it too often; maybe to steam mussels is about the only application I can think of.

All of them. :)

Seriously, depending upon the situation I prefer red or white, sweet or dry, etc.

One of my favorite things in life is a good meal, with a good glass or three (if I'm not driving!) of wine, surrounded by good people in a nice restaurant (where I don't have to clean up). It's one of the things I miss most about the pandemic - that fun, leisurely, outstanding dinner experience. With wine. Yum. :)

Mdln, I love that riesling. I've been drinking it for over 20 years and it was super cheap back then. Could get it on sale for 3.00/bottle. I don't have a sophisticated palate, I'll be the first to admit. I like red wines in winter and whites in the summer. I love all of the Menage wines for reds. I like a riesling in the summer.

"Is cost a reliable measure of quality?"

Your question reminded me of this article, which was just published, about how people like cheap wines much better if they think they cost more:

https://www.marthastewart.com/8073985/cheap-red-wine-tastes-better-if-told-expensive

I saw some similar opinions. I'm doing a lot of reading, and one takeaway is that there are some good wines to be had in the $10-15 range. Which is why I started the thread, to see what y'all actually bought and liked. So my question was directed at Lars to clarify, about his cheap Chardonnay wine comment.

I'm really getting into it, I found a great deal on FB marketplace on a J.K. Adams wine rack that can be configured. So the way I built it, I have room for 33 bottles of wine :)

I am ordering groceries soon and saw that HEB sells wine, I went through the recommendations here and found several for sale at HEB, so thank you all for your specific recommendations.

My friend and I have waited and waited. She and I are both fully vaccinated. When we have figured a nice safe place to have lunch outdoors, when weather permits we will be wining and dining! Neither of our husbands are into it! Oh well, I guess we’ll have to go without them....😁

I have a bunch of the JK Adams wine racks.

For reds, we prefer Petite Sirah(California) followed by Pinot Noir, usually from Oregon. However we always have at least 6 bottles of Moon X Pinot Noir from Trader Joe’s.

Spanish reds we like Tempranillo and Grenache

For whites we like Sauvignon Blanc(specifically from New Zealand).

French white, I love Picpoul. Spanish white Albariño.

My go to every day is any dry Rosé.

We also have a good selection of Port.

"I don't get why people like wine."

Debby, that's how I feel about beer and most hard liquor, although I won't pass up a margarita.

As for cheap Cabernet - that rule holds for me, with the exception of Trader Joe's, which does have inexpensive Cabernet that is acceptable. Otherwise, any of the cheaper Cabernets that I have had tasted awful. I've had a similar experience with Chardonnay - the ones I like best are not cheap. Being expensive is not a guarantee of being good, but being cheap is often (not always) a guarantee of being inferior. The wine growers know when they have a good thing and when they can charge more for it. However, some people may be fine with the less expensive wines - I wish that were the case for me more of the time.

We do not have a good selection of wine here in the Coachella Valley, and so I have decided that we need to shop at the Trader Joe's in Cathedral City more often. Even the high end grocery stores in Rancho Mirage and Palm Desert do not have Sangiovese, which is not an expensive wine, but it is one of my top favorites. We will also take more wine with us from L.A. next time. Beverage Warehouse near Marina Del Rey has an excellent wine selection at good prices. It helps that they group their wines by country of origin, and the perimeter walls are all California.

I've gone to countless wine tastings in Sonoma, Napa Valley, and Paso Robles, and what I've noticed is that I cannot tell the different between a moderately priced wine and an expensive one (with notable exceptions), but I can definitely tell the difference between an inexpensive wine and a moderately priced one. Whether inexpensive wines are acceptable to you is personal and varies from individual to individual. I'm extremely happy when I find inexpensive wines that I like, but unfortunately these tend to be rare.

If you can, go to a store that has wine tastings. There is one here in Palm Desert, but I think it might be expensive, and so I still stick with Trader Joe's.

@sleeperblues, also long time consumer, was ~$10. last I bought it. The German in me likes riesling, but like supporting American wineries. Have you tried the Harvest Select? I like it for dessert.

Currently my favorite is this montepulciano d'abruzzo:

https://www.totalwine.com/wine/red-wine/montepulciano/zaccagnini-montepulciano-dabruzzo/p/8029750?glia=true&s=208&&pid=cpc:Core+Catalog+-+Shopping%2BUS%2BVIRG%2BENG%2BSPART::google::&gclid=CjwKCAjw7J6EBhBDEiwA5UUM2s1NPQBLyZvVEqPBtLttzk2VAvHv5hYSUqOOBalpQTJTnp1MfaUxnxoCNToQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Oh, and for a fun look at the evolution of Napa and California wines watch the movie Bottle Shock. Just make sure you have some wine on the ready.

I also loved the documentary Somm about a group of people getting ready to take the Master Sommelier exam. Those people have crazy palate skills!

rum raisin ...

Bragu - ha!

Annette - what port do you like? My favorite is https://www.totalwine.com/wine/dessert-fortified-wine/port/tawny-port/grahams-10-yr-tawny/p/1545750

I don't like the taste of wine (or any alcohol for that matter). I took my daughter out tonight for her birthday. We ate at a German restaurant and she ordered a glass of Reisling. I tasted it and it wasn't great but probably the least bad tasting wine I've ever had. ( :

It's bad when all three of the other people you're eating with start discussing various alcoholic drinks and you have no clue what they're talking about.

I whine sometimes. I whine well.

To drink, I'll have a Diet Dr. Pepper please.

Mdln, I haven't tried it. I'll have to give it a go since it's (finally) getting warm here. Thanks for the tip!

Mariagrazia, I do love Graham’s. Our favorite port is from a little place in Napa called Pragers. They have multiple varieties. If you ever go to Napa, make sure you do a tasting there, such a cool little place.

From local stores I like Warres.

Warres

Thanks @Annette - I'll have to try those.

I also don't drink wine and seldom any alcohol at all. I don't like the taste or the way alcohol makes me feel. If I do have a mixed drink that I like, one is not enough, and two is too much. I haven't had any alcohol in at least 5 years.

After visiting Paris and having a glass of vino with lunch/dinner, came home and found one I like. Roscato sweet red.

one of my favs is Blue Canyon Cab/Sav...

most of our wines come from CA... although we do like WA/OR wine as well... and of course from Italy.

we are primarily Red drinkers

I'm starting to venture into wines. I haven't found a red wine that I like yet as it's just too strong for me. I like the sweeter white wines so far, like moscato. I also found a local Utah wine that I loved in a raspberry flavor so I'm going to try their other flavors.

I'm finding I prefer fruity/sweet wines. I usually drink them after dinner/before bed as they make me sleepy.

I love dry red wine, mostly Cabernets. I've been buying this Chateau Fage at my local store which is super dry and only $10a bottle. Bogle cabernet and merlot are decent for about the same price. California wines may be good but tend to be more expensive. Stag's Leap is a favorite of ours but we save it for special occasions. Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand is good for a change. I use it a lot for piccata and scampi type dishes and finish the bottle just for fun.

Glenda, my girlfriend and I would get together for pizza and ice cream, and always have a bottle of Crackling Rose (don't think it is around anymore either).

I've never liked many wines though, and especially those with an "oaky" component. I have several bottles of wine in my basement that have been given to me over the years, but have little desire to open them up.