[ale] OT (way out there): switching from beer to wine....

[Benjamin Scherrey]

John -

	Although I think many will take it as sacrilege that you'd discuss abandoning beer (which 
is full of vitimans and minerals btw and safer than water) for wine but I happen to like wine very 
much and can only tolerate a few beers. The focus from the health people seems to be on red 
wines which the most famous seems to be the cabernet. This is also one of the harshest and more 
difficult to drink until you either develop a taste for it or pay for some really expensive wine - I do 
neither.

	When I'm introducing people to wines I like to recommend Shiraz, Pino, and Merlot to get 
an idea of what their tastes are. I really like Shiraz. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of domestic 
Shiraz or Pino but Australia and South Africa have some very good examples and are surprisingly 
affordable. Drinkable just under $10 and get pretty good between $12 and $16. If you want to get 
into the french wines then you will have to spend a lot more time learning - therefore a lot more time 
drinking! Their designations are based on regions and other factors and take more time to learn. 
Also - we have far fewer options in Georgia because of our laws that impose a monopoly on wine 
imports into the state to a few major distributors so the french wines available to us tend to be more 
expensive. When in france - some very good wine can be less expensive than drinking Coca-Cola!

	If you are in the Atlanta area, I recommend going to the Ansley Wine Merchants. They 
have a great variety and are very knowledgable and helpful when trying to discover something new 
to your tastes... and they have a pretty good beer selection too - JIC.

	good luck & enjoy!

		Ben Scherrey

PS: When ordering wine at a restaurant - prices are typically double what you would pay at a local 
store. This is not a complaint, but rather, a piece of knowledge useful when you find something you 
really like eating out - you have a good idea what you can buy it for later on. Wait staff will be 
happy to write down the details of the wine for you to find it later.

11/12/2002 2:20:35 PM, "John Wells" <jb at sourceillustrated.com> wrote:

>Stories like this
>(http://www.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/conditions/11/11/wine.dementia.reut/index.html)
> make me think hard about giving up beer and switching to wine.  After
>all, a man can't take any chances when it comes to his thinking cap.
>
><AA FLAME BAIT>Yes, I enjoy beer on a weekly basis</AA FLAME BAIT> with
>varying frequency, but have also enjoyed wine in the past and would
>consider trying the admittedly difficult departure from my good friend
>beer.
>
>However, I'm no wine expert by any means, and really don't know how to
>identify a wine that provides at least some quality for costs that
>approach beer's affordabilty.  I enjoy both white and red wines and would
>like to find a reasonably affordable, palatable, non-gut-rotting vintage
>in each.
>
>Any wine connoisseurs on the list?  Can you point me in the right direction?
>
>Thanks,
>
>John
>
>
>
>
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