Question about wine

I live more than a one-day drive from my hometown so I'm staying in my new state for Thanksgiving. A friend, who lives with mom having just graduated college, has invited me to his place. I want to take a bottle of wine as a thank-you gift for his mom.

Problem is, I know nothing about wine. I don't want something cheap but can't afford something expensive.

Any advice?

 

Something like Black Opal is decent. Maybe $10 a bottle. No one is going to mistake it for a really expensive bottle of wine, but it ain't Mad Dog, either.

 

You can buy nice bottles of wine for under $10 these days -- like a Shiraz from Australia (red wine). You can even get the bigger size for $12-$14.

Lots of good wines to be had for cheap. Go to a liquor store and ask for a a recommendation in your price range.

 

Try to see if they have a big discount wine place where you are: Wine Warehouse, ABC Liquors, Total Wines, etc. Then go in and give them your price range. There's a ton of good wine $20 and below. Wine with Thanksgiving meals should be a chard, reisling or pinot grigio, but a light Spanish red is good also. No White Zinfandels. They're an abomination and just Kool-aid with a little alcohol in it.

For the love of God, don't get Arbor Mist, Boone's Farm, or other cheap-o wines in the grocery stores.

 

los vascos is an incredible cab sav from chile. you can get it for under 10 bucks, and it tastes like a $20-30 bottle. a fantastic bargain.

 

I'm not sure what you consider expensive. You can get a pretty nice bottle of Pinot Noir for $14. That's a red wine, but it will go with turkey OK. You could also try a Gewirztraminer, which is a white wine, but fuller bodied than a chablis or pinot grigio.

 

oh, also the beaujolais nouveaus have just been released and you can get those for $10. they are light and fruity. good for t-giving.

 

Just called my friend the wine snob. His reccomendations:

Genesis by Hogue, $12, in a merlot and cab.

California Sauvignon Blanc for $12-$20. He said any California Sauvignon Blanc higher than $10 will be great for Thanksgiving. His quote: "You almost can't go wrong with any brand."

 

If you have time, you can always search the Wine Spectator ratings file:

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Wine_Ratings/Wine_Search/0,4432,Advanced,00.html

I believe you might stumble onto some Dr. Z reviews here. Heck, look at his SI.com archives. You get something about wine in almost every mailbag. But people ask because he knows his wine. "Dr. Z, what shiraz would best complement my charting of the Denver-San Diego game?"

/Dr. Z fanboy looser

 

What he said. I forgot about that one. The Chilean and Spanish wines are getting better all the time.

 

Wow, I can't believe how foreign all these brands are to me. I'm just going to print this page, highlight it a little and take it to the store. )
Thank you guys so much for you help. I appreciate it.

 

My girl drinks Pinot Grigio and I don't know squat about good wine. Any suggestions?