Red Wine or White Wine?

[ADbassman]

All of the above.

I enjoy most varieties of wine including Cabernet, Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Beaujolais. There is a different wine for every ocassion, but I probably enjoy anything from Bordeaux the most.

If you're looking for a decent Cabernet Sauvignon, it'd be wise to spend anything between $15 and $30. Anything over $30 and the differences between that and a cheaper wine are subtle at best, anything less than $15 and you're robbing yourself of some good flavor. Obviously there are exceptions, but in my experience they're few and far between.

IMO, the best Sauvignon blancs come from Marlborough, New Zealand. They have a wonderful balanced taste and are also excellent for cooking, though if you're going to cook with it, you should probably use a cheaper wine. There is a limit however, cause I've ruined some good meals with some crappy wine before. Generally speaking, cooking wines should be drinkable.

As was previously mentioned, Canada and particularly the Ontario region makes some excellent ice wines. Much like the other poster, I enjoy Vidal. It's a very sweet wine but has such a deep flavor. They usually sell them in 375ml bottles and they tend to be pricey, but if you read up on the process involved in making ice wine, the price will make a lot more sense.

I spent most of my life in Missouri and visited the wine regions of Hermann and Augusta often when I was in college. Missouri has some underrated wines. I still think they have a little ways to go to compete with Napa and Sonoma, but in many ways they're not even competing. Missouri has a heritage of german immigrants, so most of the wines mimic german favorites along the rhine valley. I'd recommend trying a chardonel, norton, or my personal favorite, Vignoles.

 

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In reds, to name a few: pinot noir, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, syrah (or shiraz), grenache, mouvedre, carignan, gamay, sangiovese, malbec, tempranillo, etc, etc. For whites: chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, piont blanc, pinot gris, chasselais, etc, etc.

Now now now.
The color of wine come from the time you leave the skin, seeds and pedicel inside the juice, which is always white.
Therefore you can make white wine out of red grapes (Champagne, for example can be entirely made of Pinot Noir) and while less common, rosé or grey out of white grapes (pacherenc for example).
I'm pretty sure you know this but it's not clear in your explanation.

It's always difficult for old world wine amateurs to make recommendations for other continents. The way I've been raised, a wine is essentially linked to a terroir. Grapes, while important are secondary and only chosen for historical reasons or because they bring out the best out of the soil.

In other parts of the world, a wine is defined by its grape specy. Which to me is very confusing.

If OP wants to get into French wines, which is far from mandatory since there are excellent productions in USA, my only recommendation would be to venture away from Bordeaux, especially if you buy abroad. It's way overpriced and unfortunately, more and more taylored to the taste of the English/American customer. They taste like people expect a Bordeaux to taste, surprise is gone.
There are very few bad wines left in France, most are affordable and interesting. Buy because you like the bottle, the color or the name, don't be afraid to try something you never heard about.

Yesterday I had a bottle of grey Gamay from Anjou that tasted incredible. Deep, not a hint of sourness but not very sweet, with a flavor that grew as I drank it. I paid 15 € for 2 bottles.

Weither or not you want to be serious about wine, you will never know anything. Try stuff, buy again if you like and forget what you didn't enjoy, for a while.

 

[Tituscrow]

Very interesting. Living in the UK, most available wines tend to be sectioned as French, Italian, Spanish, Australian and/or 'New World', which I have always thought of as South American, but I suspect this isn't quite the case.

I am thinking of joining a mail order wine club, where you sign up for a case of 6 random bottles once a month. Any experience of those?

Sweet Bejeebus....I'm turning into Niles Crane.