Two questions answered and more tips on red wine

Today we are featuring two of your questions. Thank you all very much for your ongoing questions which enable our website to be continually interactive. 

First question:

“I like drier reds like the cabernet and my husband and friends like something a little more sweet or with more of a grape taste.  I saw a movie no reservations and they speak of a Dolcetto?  I am new to all of this so I am hoping you can help.  I work weekends and rarely get to go to a wine tasting party.” 

The Dolcetto grape is also grown in Australia and California where it is called Charbono.  This grape produces wines that can be drunk when they are quite young.  Dolcetto is rarely blended with other grapes. 

Dolcetto wine is dry, medium bodied, soft, round, and has fruity flavours that may include black cherries, prunes, licorice and almonds, followed by a bitter cherry finish.  It has low acidity and a fair amount of tannin.  People of Piedmont generally drink Dolcetto as their starter wine with a meal.

Another question asked by a visitor:

“Is red wine vegan?”

Yes red wine is vegan.  No animal products are used.  The really great thing about red wine is not only is it healthy but it does go really well with vegetarian cuisine. 

Here are a couple of quick tips:

If you have a lot of greens in the dish such as kale, spinach, collard greens, etc. then I’d recommend a red wine such as a Zinfandel.

If you're having a lighter vegetarian pasta dish more subtle in flavour, then I would recommend a Chianti or Pinot Noir.

Also, if you’re having a spicier vegetarian dish then I’d again recommend a Zinfandel.

Both of these questions really lead me to a couple of summary points:

Many people have reported that they’re interested in learning more about a particular wine, in the above example Dolcetto.  My recommendation is that you try a variety of wines within each wine type.

In other words, if you want to learn more about Dolcetto then I’d recommend trying not just one or two bottles but many over time.  Obviously this costs money and many people have reported that they can’t afford to break the bank, and they want to know the quality producers.

Also, many visitors have suggested that they want to know more about what foods to pair with what wines, as you can see from the above recommendations regarding vegetarian dishes, I made some specific recommendations depending on what you were eating.

However it’s important to know about pairing wines with foods because successfully pairing a good wine and a good meal can enhance the wine and the meal.

That is exactly what Ed Gandia’s shares in his book  “Fool-Proof Wine Values”, which is why I highly recommend you obtain a copy. 

You see, over the years, Ed has compiled a comprehensive list of 44 select producers and the 147 wines they make which meet this strict criteria.

Getting Ed’s book (and many free bonuses!) will enable you to access a variety of high quality wines (without breaking the bank) from reliable producers for under $10! Yes it is possible.

This guide will help you become an empowered enthusiast by providing you with information on tons of low cost high-quality wines and producers, as well as information on wine so you can build your wine knowledge along the way and, most importantly, have fun!

It also contains a ton of extremely valuable information on pairing wines and food and countless other things and answers questions many of my visitors have asked.