Food Staple wines to stock a home bar?

schadenfreude

schadenfreude

really
O.G.
Nov 13, 2007
3,554
101
#1
I bought a fairly large wine rack doohickey today and it looks really sad and empty with only my four bottles of cab in it. What are considered to be the core staple wines to have at home for casual entertaining? Specifics would be great, because I'm quite the wine ignoramus. Oh yeah, and reasonably priced too. Otherwise I'll just end up putting twenty bottles of two-buck Chuck in it, because I am classy like that.
 
#2
chardonnay and merlot are always crowd pleasers... as far as brands, I look for whatever looks reasonable or interesting to me, and if something is on sale, it's just an excuse to try it. There is very little chance you can go "wrong" in the wine dept in my opinion, unless the wine is has spoiled (in all my years of buying wine, I've only had 2 spoiled bottles) or super cheap (like the $3 regular price bottles - if you happen to get one of those, taste it first, cook with it, or mix it with punch or something).

Good luck!

PS - just have fun with it too! Don't worry you'll be fine :heart:
 
#3
schadenfreude said:
I bought a fairly large wine rack doohickey today and it looks really sad and empty with only my four bottles of cab in it. What are considered to be the core staple wines to have at home for casual entertaining? Specifics would be great, because I'm quite the wine ignoramus. Oh yeah, and reasonably priced too. Otherwise I'll just end up putting twenty bottles of two-buck Chuck in it, because I am classy like that.
Click to expand...

Dude, there is nothing wrong with extra bottles of two-buck Chuck! I use that stuff for everything--emergency sangria, recipes that call for wine, bad day at work that isn't bad enough to qualify for a $40 bottle of wine, etc.:P

I live in the heart of Virginia's wine country so I mostly drink a lot of local stuff so I'm not helpful with nationally sold suggestions.

I usually keep a couple of bottles of chardonnay (mostly steel aged b/c I don't like the taste of oak aged), a variety of reds (merlot, cab & pinot noir), a couple viogniers & a dessert wine or two for when I have company over.

Hunt around your town & see if any stores or restaurants are holding wine tastings. It's a great way of trying new wines & finding out what you like & don't like.
 
#4
Barefoot, Yellow Tail, you can't go wrong. Buy anything because SOMEONE will drink it.
If you get any hoity toity friends who don't like your selection, they can provide their own hooch.
 
#5
LMAO @ 2 buck Chuck!!! I always have a bottle of moscato in the house..no matter what! lol..I also like to have a nice Sangria around too..my favorite is Livingston. Others that people usually like are pinot grigio, chardonnay and a nice riesling...I lean toward the sweeter wines.
 
#6
^^I was going to suggest Reisling too because a lot of people like it. I like Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and if you can find it, Pinot Blanc. Like Nemo said, get a smattering of different ones because SOMEBODY will like it.
 
#8
Have a winerack warming party! Invite everyone over and ask them to bring a bottle of wine as your gift. You have a new home, that would also be a good reason.
(Register for gifts at a liquor store.)
If that doesn't sound ungracious.
 
#9
jillybean307 said:
Dude, there is nothing wrong with extra bottles of two-buck Chuck! I use that stuff for everything--emergency sangria, recipes that call for wine, bad day at work that isn't bad enough to qualify for a $40 bottle of wine, etc.:P

I live in the heart of Virginia's wine country so I mostly drink a lot of local stuff so I'm not helpful with nationally sold suggestions.

I usually keep a couple of bottles of chardonnay (mostly steel aged b/c I don't like the taste of oak aged), a variety of reds (merlot, cab & pinot noir), a couple viogniers & a dessert wine or two for when I have company over.

Hunt around your town & see if any stores or restaurants are holding wine tastings. It's a great way of trying new wines & finding out what you like & don't like.
Click to expand...

What a smart idea!
 
#10
If you're near a Trader Joe's, you can hunt down an employee and ask them for recommendations. In my experience, there's always someone who works in the store who loves to talk about wine.
Another wine I'm a big fan of is Zinfandel (it's one of the more fruity red wines). The ones from Lodi county (California) are very, very good and tend to be less expensive than Sonoma/Napa.
 
#11
Don't forget something sparkly! Doesn't necessarily need to be Champagne. My favorite sparkling wine is Riondo Prosecco, which you can get at Costco for $9.99-it's always a crowd pleaser!
 
#15
I agree with all of the above. If you are having a party or people over, keep a few bottles of Cab Franc around. It is not great on it's own, but it is usually in Meritage or other blends. At a wine tasting, we learned that a splash of Cab Franc added to a not so stellar wine can make it taste much better.
 
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