I tasted wine for the first time tonight. It was Pinot Noir wine and I spit it out almost immediately. It was nasty and tasted like yeast. Why would anyone want to drink liquid yeast? I don't know anything about wine so maybe that was not the best kind to try for my first experience.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2014 08:24PM by bella10.

Start with dessert wines, they're sweeter.

What are some of the good dessert wines?

Sautern (France), Gewurztaminer or Riesling (Germany), Ice Wine (Germany and Canada), Vino Santo (Italy), Ruby or Tawny Port (Portugal) and for bubbly, try Asti Spumante (Italy).



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/31/2014 08:34PM by Devoted Exmo.

my favorite is a high quality Portuguese port. It will have a smooth taste and linger at t he back of your tongue.

I had the same experience. Then I tried Moscato. And pink Zinfandel. MUCH better!

Wine takes practice and one should start with a sweet white wine.

So true. At least with me. Did the same thing. It took about 5 different attempts before I finished my first glass of wine. I remember thinking people were crazy when they said wine enhances the flavors of foods. It made them all taste bad!

Remember, wine is not like cans/bottles of soda. You don't slam or gulp them.

Now, I really like wine. Those people were correct. Yes, it's foreign at the moment, but in my case, it was well worth the effort to go from "yuck," to "getting used to it," to enjoying it.

I went through a similar learning curve with coffee. Worth it, though.

Regardless, don't feel obligated, or rushed. It's your choice and timing.

I never got past the "yuck" taste of any alcohol. Now I average about 1 drink per year.

I did get over the "yuck" taste of coffee. Even though I only drink 2 cups per day in the morning, I wish I weren't attached to it. Sure it makes me more alert. But that's because I now need 2 cups of coffee in the morning to be alert. And it doesn't taste that great.

I'm glad I didn't get accustomed to and enjoying the taste of alcohol. It's too freakin' expensive. Same with cigs.

A good beer--a nice flavored ale, perhaps--doesn't have much of a yuck factor. But you're right that the cost really adds up.

You will also find some places have small bottles so you can try a few. Also, get some club soda and try a spritzer :)

I haven't been able to get used to wine. Tastes like Windex to me (or what I imagine Windex taste like).

Damn, I just ran out of mouthwash...I know! I'll buy a cheap white wine instead!

One thing you can do with a wine that's not to your palate is turn it into Sangria or a wine spritzer.

Some people wonder why you have to acquire a taste for alcohol and truly people have to develop a taste for anything that's not sweet, salty, or fatty. It takes time to accept new flavours, especially bitter and astringent. Think about a food you maybe hated as a child and then learned to love as an adult, maybe like broccoli, tomatoes, or mushrooms (or whatever.) Your palate changes with time and new, complex, and sophisticated flavours start to taste delicious, barring various issues.

Anyway, try some sweeter wines as suggested and move towards drier tastes down the line. I like red wine, but unfortunately it makes my skin flush, so I rarely drink it.

I agree with the other commenters that it's best to start with a sweet wine. Also, some wine sellers hold tasting events where you can get a feel for what you do and don't like. So, you may want to phone around.

Another suggestion is to find a sweet apple or pear cider and then work your way to wines.

Good luck. :-)

Pinot noir is not the best for beginners. Not only does it have a more intense flavor, but it's a wine that is generally not very good in the cheaper versions. Some inexpensive wines can be wonderful, but pinot noir is almost never one of them. If all you could taste was yeast, you were given a very poor (and possible off) wine.

I agree with trying a tasting event with someone who knows what they're doing.

You have to stop thinking of alcohol as a sweet or pleasant drink. They are unique and often bitter drinks. If you want Sicky sweet drinks, drink pop. Enjoy the bitter unique taste of beer wine and spirits.

years since I left the church so I've had plenty of time to try lots of different drinks. Don't like the dessert wines either.

I assume you are a lady with a name like bella10 and if that is so try a sweeter wine. Also I have found that the cheaper wines give me a head ache. So experiment and find what you like. Try a store where they have someone who knows wine to help you find something you may like.

I'll second others' suggestions. Namely, try one of the following:
-- Moscato
-- Riesling
-- Gewurtzentraminer

If you want to start with something else, try a dessert wine. Icewine is my favorite, but it's up to you.

Alternately, try one of the low-alcohol content bubblies. Prosecco or asti spumante are good choices, as is cava. Stay away from 'brut' (dry, or less-sweet) versions.

You can also mix a sangria. There are literally hundreds of sangria recipes out there, typically Spanish or Italian in origin.

Stay away from reds and stronger whites. Pinot Grigiot and even Chardonnay are probably not the best for beginners.

My wife, oddly enough, loves rich reds (she's partial to Zinfandels) but complaints of the yeasty taste of beer.

I forgot to mention that some wine sellers have sommeliers (that's fancy for wine experts) that will come to your home/business party to give a wine tasting and a fun lesson about wine, the different sorts and getting the most out of the experience. Normally, if you can get a group of friends together, you can make a night of it, with finger food etc.

The company my husband works for often provides nights like this under the banner of "team building". And an old friend of mine is a sommelier who used to offer a similar service to corporate and private functions. Sadly, she no longer does it.

it tastes across part of your mouth sort of like a pungent pomegranite juice but it tingles

I like wines that taste like this, my favorite is 100 dollars a bottle for special occassions- its like Pinot Noir, but, even better. Way better, but in the same way.

I don't know what this is called, what type of flavor this is. Its red. eh? Maybe someone out there knows.

my first surprise wine after I took off the garments that was amazing was served at a monastery in Oregon- very very sweet yellow like muscate grape muscutane something. I like this other kind more.

Enjoy your exploring

on a summer day I wouldn't want it at 110 degrees either- not hot like a hot day, but at room temperature & not chilled at all

Not cold in the fall or winter or a spring breeze- room temperature. Like it just came out of of the barrel at my mom's or siphoned out of a five gallon jar into a wine bottle to carry. Its more like its from the wine side of the barn near her vineyard.

So let me get this straight. The stuff tastes like horse piss, but for some reason, you are supposed to keep trying it until you like it? Where does that come from? Sounds like cult thinking to me.

Seems we ought to follow our real desires, and not try to conform to a religion or society's expectations.

Not to mention booze is not cheap, and liver is a toxin that our liver has to clear.

Strange that we feel obligated to drink it.

No one is suggesting that anyone is obligated to do anything. Wine, beer, and coffee have complex flavors that don't necessarily taste good at first, but once the taste is acquired, many people find the experience very enjoyable. If it's not for you, so be it. Sometimes things are worth trying more than once, even if the first experience is not what we expected. The point is to feel free to experiment and learn so you have real options. Or not.

The only expectation here is that if you want to try wine, it's normal to dislike the first taste, but that doesn't mean it's not worth exploring.

alcohol is a toxin

It's a wonderful toxin. Besides, the dose makes the poison.

I actually tried it for the first time too just last week I believe. It was disgusting. Since then my brother's girlfriend (she's older) introduced me to other alcohols, ones like peach schnapps and a few others that were in beautiful glass bottles. Anyways what I'm saying is it gets better! :) They tasted amazing, but yeah as far as pure wine, I'm just not a fan. :/

After I had already quit believing in church, but while holding the office as high priest group leader, I had to go to Milan on business. An Italian guy I knew had me to his favorite trattoria for dinner and bought us an expensive bottle of some sort of Tuscan wine. I was too chicken NOT to drink it, and when I did I thought it was one of the best things I had ever tasted. Since then I have loved red wines, at least the good ones. It was not an acquired taste. That trip helped me work up courage to have beer at the airport when our flight was late. That was also not an acquired taste. I loved it immediately. What is so fun about beer and wine is that there are so many hundreds of types to try and to judge for tastiness.

Somewhere there is a wine for you.

When I first had wine I had some friends who drank very good very expensive wines. I could not even swallow one sip.

Like others recommend here start with the sweet wines. Now I'm the one going after the very best wines and count a glass with a friend one of life's greatest rewards.

I think everything is an acquired taste. Just like children don't like a lot of things they will love as adults. Celery made me throw up, whole wheat mush made me gag, and don't even get me started on brussels sprouts. Love them all now.

A lot of enjoyment from food comes from recognition. We like what we know, it gives comfort. Eating our favorites often bring good memories subconsciously along with the flavor.

I went for years and years after I left the church without a drink, but then got tired of not being part of things.

For champagne, try an Asti Spumanti, dry not brut. Zinfandels are nice to start as are Moscatos.