My Favorite Wines

Gift Boutique Cheers Wine Glass |  Rose Gold Viski Summit Corkscrew

I have been back in New York City for a week – back to real life and starting the new year with a tan that is fading quickly.  The past few years I have done dry January but seeing as I will be in Paris in a few days that does not seem like the best idea.  Instead, I am going to recommit to my fitness goals but also try and strike that balance I talked about in last week’s post.  But that doesn’t mean giving things up but just enjoying everything with a bit more moderation and that includes my favorite wines.  

Over the 12 days I was in Florida – both in Naples and in Delray Beach – I had a lot of good wine – so much in fact Vivino, my favorite wine app, told me I was on a roll.  Whoops and while a great deal of this wine was either out of my budget or not quite my cup of tea (even really, really nice Chardonnay is not my favorite) I was fortunate to have quite e few glasses of my favorite wines.  So what are those exactly?  So glad you asked:  

White Wine:  My top, normal bet is Pinot Grigio and if we are being really fancy I will go for Sancerre. Generally a bottle of Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, seen above, is less than $20 at the wine store and I love having a common, reasonable wine that I know most stores will carry and that I am guaranteed to like.  I have seen quite a few different descriptions but one that described this dry white as tasting like Golden Delicious apples is probably the most accurate.  I will drink Pinot Grigio any time of year but prefer it when it is warm out! 

Rose Wine:  When I first learned that rose was made of red grapes I was a bit surprised as I think the taste is much closer to white, but I love learning new things! For years I stayed away from rose after tasting a very sweet, almost Riesling / Ice Wine-eque rose but I am glad I tried it again because now a crisp Whispering Angel is my go-to in summer months! Again, to explain the taste if you have never had it I would go with light, not too sweet, slightly fruity and clean – as the weather warms up you should try it and thank me later! 

Red Wine:  When it comes to reds this is where I have had my steepest learning curve.  One thing I have known since I have been able to legally drink – it is a lot easier to get a nice, cheap white then it is a cheap red.  After a few experiences with bad, inexpensive reds (think $6 bottles) I stuck to red as just being the base of a good sangria until a few years ago when I went to a wine tasting class and tried a nice Cabernet Sauvignon on a cold day – then I was hooked. Unlike my picks for white and rose I don’t have a default, go-to brand as I am still trying out a ton of new ones and it is always a fun adventure but usually picks something from a list like Wine’s 90+ Rated Cabernet Sauvignon Under $20 and the majority of the time it works out quite well! 

So there you have it – my favor tie wines from each of the three main categories, oh, and then always champagne. I have also adopted my mom’s trick if you are out to eat somewhere and want wine but nothing is jumping out at you or looks nice – Prosecco is usually always a safe bet! It may be a but rushed that I am posting this before I go to Paris this weekend and have the chance to go wine tasting but maybe that will make for a fun follow up post! 

What is your favorite kind of wine?