I am hosting a Tastefully Simple party on Thursday and I'd like to be able to offer wine to my friends.

I've never even tried wine so I'm not at all even familiar with what to choose.

Can anyone offer some ideas?

Thanks!
Amy

I don't drink wine either so I have a very scientific way to pick out wine:
I pick the one with the cutest picture. LOL Sorry I can't be of more help.

Thats that exact same thing I do! Not a big drinker here either; I know at our Sams they list a bunch of information of what would go best with the particular wine..maybe you can check there?

If anyone knows of a good beginner wine, let me know!

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" Even though life can be a very long, hard, stressful and never-ending journey, never lose hope in what you want the most."

I am not a drinker at all. Infact if I have 1 drink a year that is alot. There are only 2 wines I will even consider drinking if someone offers and I am in the mood. Riesling (think that is spelled right) and Ice wine. Now Ice Wine I could really learn to like. It is a dessert wine and tastes just like white grape juice. bad thing is for a good one it is like $40.00 + a bottle.

I like to drink wine. And my fav is Bridgeport. Not too expensive. Around $15-$20 a bottle. I'd go with a white wine and also a red. Merlot has a bold taste while a red chardonay isn't as "bold". Not sure if bold is the right word. Also I have had many tastefully simple parties and with that heavy beer bread the red is probably going to go first. Hope I helped.

I don't drink wine on a regular basis; usually holidays and when we visit inlaws. One good affordable wine is called Fish Eye, which you can buy on sale for around $5.99 a bottle. Be sure to buy white and red (chardonnay, merlot) so there's a variety.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

I am a wine drinker. I like all kinds. If you are not a wine drinker and know that not too many of the party attendees are not big wine drinkers, I would stick with a couple "neutrals" as I can them

Chateau St. Michelle Rielsing: white sweet wine sround $9 a bottle. It's our fave. There are lots of Rielslings but some aren't as clean or light. It's a wine that even my non wine drinking mom likes

Beringer Wine Zinfindel: pink in color. The "starter" wine for many. It's the wine my mom drinks but I can't stand because I drink a lot more wine

If you want to do red wine, I would do a claret..most brands are good and a claret is light. I like Trapiche Malbec (around $9) as well but it's more complex.

Today many of the *cheap* wines are actually very good. We like the Penguin wines (penguin on label) and all Pepperwood (around $5 a bottle) are great. Actually, the Pepperwood Pinot Noir is our fave from even $100 bottles LOL

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I am a wine lover, as well. I think a lovely idea for a party is to see if there are any vineyards in your state and offer selections from them. Perhaps go and talk to someone in a local liquor store and see what they would recommend. A lot of my favorites aren't available out of our region. I bet you have some wonderful choices available to you, as well. At the very least, if you have a Cost Plus near you they have some good deals on wine from all over the world. Every question I have ever asked, they've been able to answer.

I love being from Texas because we have lots of wine made in our state! My personal favorite is Muscat Canelli from Becker Vineyards.

Good luck! You might just find a new interest!

Yep you can't go wrong with a Rielsling if you don't like wine or know wine.

I am french and don't even drink wine........sacrebleu.....

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We drink wine and this will sound funny, but if you can find "Black Box" it is so good! It comes in a box but is not a "cheap" wine like Franzia (which I think is actually a wine cooler). Since it is packaged in the box and doesn't have the bottling expenses, it is $20-$25 a box and is the equivilant of 4 bottles. It will stay good after opening for a month. Very good! We tasted it at an upscale pizza joint and could not belive it when they told us it was from a box!

lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

I always wondered about the black box wine. We have it here and I didn't want to spend that much if I didn't like it. But now I will try some since you like it.

Ok another fellow wino here. I love to try different kinds and have some favorites. If you have a Trader Joe's around you they are very helpful. If not go to your liquor store and ask. Some of the ones I get might not be in your area. But like others are saying you should be good with a white and a red. I wouldn't go for things that are different like the ice wines. I went to a tasting and tried one for the first time. OMG I hated it! But other people were really enjoying it. So stick to the basics and you should be ok. Make sure when you go to tell them your price range and they are usually very helpful since all stores are used to giving suggestions and what is best in your area.
Have fun

Keep it simple. Pick one wine that will appeal to most everybody and harmonize with the food you're serving. It should be young, fruity, food-friendly and not too tart. A light-bodied red, like grenache or inexpensive pinot noir, served slightly chilled, works with almost any menu or buffet. If your guests don't drink wine often, a white wine with a bit of sweetness, like off-dry riesling or chenin blanc, will probably please them. In any case, don't feel obligated to offer several wines.

Keep it inexpensive. Wine doesn't need to cost a lot to serve its most important purposes: enhancing food and creating a festive atmosphere. Plenty of delicious wines - even sparkling wines - are available for less than $10.

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

The newest issue of Consumer Reports has wine ratings - there were some inexpensive wines that were highly rated.

I love to drink wine- but peoples tastes vary so much- I would offer one blush or red and one white- rieslings are delicious to me, very fresh and fruity tasting- appeal to most people.

One CHEAP red wine that I LOVE is Love My Goat red- it has a goat on the front. I actually like it so much I take it to parties with me now. LOL

If you have any local wineries around you, check them out- for a few dollars (sometimes free ) they will let you sample their wines and you can choose a locally made wine.

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★♥Caroline★♥

Another idea I just thought of, using some of the fresh autumn fruits like grapes, pears and apples, make a nice sangria up instead

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★♥Caroline★♥

Thanks for the recommendation. I may look for it and try it out. It actually is cheap, if it is the same as 4 bottles of wine.

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I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!

I would try something made locally if you have it? Here there is a winery just over the hill ( not far from where my family had their still back in the day) and everyone from town raves about it. Then it's not just about the taste, but it has a meaning to it too?

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I like wine But I normally go for the cheap Boonesfarm wine. Its more like wine cooler wine but comes in a big bottle. Its found normally by the beer/wine cooler section and I find many people actually like it.

For a real wine yea Rielsling is very good and liked by most.

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aspeed, please check with your Tasetfully Simple dealer before you buy the wine. I know when I sold jewelry it was against our policy to have any alcohol at the parties. There are some liabilities there. Just thought I'd give you a heads up. TS may very well not have that policy! Have fun either way!!

Melissa

You might even want to ask your Tastefully Simple party person what she recommends - what has gone over well in the past - she probably has some recommendations!

I like Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon by Robert Mondavi - very safe choice, consistent, average ($10 - 15, I think)

I also LOVE this white wine AND red wine - it's actually called "Mom's Time Out" - people love the label - I bring it along to Bunco, and everyone gets a kick out of the label, and then everyone always loves the wine, too! It's not expensive - I think it's $8 -$10 around here.

I agree with Cherin's suggestion of a sangria. People have such differences in wine palates. Last weekend I hosted GNO (Girl's Night Out). I try to find a new beverage each time so I don't leave out some people's likes. I found a WONDERFUL Sangria recipe online. It had 5 stars with over 400 people rating it. % stars was the top score. My friend was the first to arrive and looked down her nose at the concoction. I belittled her to try it, and she drank the most! She told the world what a great drink it was. It had Merlot, spiced rum and oj in it... if you want the recipe, message me and I would be glad to send you it. It was a success as I had to make 3 batches. Just my opinion

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