Wine
 

quick and easy, i'm 20 years old and am invited to dinner at my buddy's girlfriend's. Her and her roomate are cooking. It'll be me, them, and the roomate who she wants to hook me up with.

Dinner is pasta w/ pesto, and an unknown dessert, i said i'd bring the wine, any suggestions on a bottle?

I'm not terribly concerned about price, but i'll look like just as much of a douche if show up with a hundred dollar bottle as if i show up with franzia.

(it's tomorrow and i'm in nyc if that helps)

Re: Wine
 

I really like Rombauer Merlot, you will find some 2002 around for about $30.

Re: Wine
 

Bum Wines.

I suggest the Thunderbird, perhaps a 2005 vintage. Prices range from $3.50 to $4 a bottle.

Re: Wine
 

Are you just looking for a wine that will "pair well w/ the food?" Meh. Most people drink most of their wine before and after eating, rather than during, mitigating the "need" to pair "perfectly," if there is such a thing. It's most important that you bring a wine you like and you think your friends will like. It doesn't matter if some expert recommends a perfect pairing if you don't much care for the variety or appelation. Are there any kinds of wine you've liked before? Let's start there.

Re: Wine
 

i'm really pretty friendly to wine in general, i can't remember the last wine i had that i didn't like.

That being said, i am interseted in the "right" wine, simply because red or white doesn't make much of a difference to me. we're all in college and i certainly don't care (nor i imagine could anyone tell) if the pairing was perfect, just want it to match up semi-correctly.

i dunno some i like are pinot grigio, sauvignon blanc in whites, cabernet sauvignon, chianti, and pinot noir in red.

Re: Wine
 

If you know nothing about wine, the best way to get a good bottle is to go to a store with a good selection and ask a clerk who will then start asking you questions about price, what you like, what will be served, etc. (If they don't or seem clueless, go to another store.) In a GOOD liquor store, there's usually one or two people who know wine. And in NYC, you shouldn't have trouble finding a decent store.

Re: Wine
 

Man, choosing wine is easy - so many wine shops have a staff that know more about wine than 98% of the population. There are a hundred wines you can buy that would fit. It's really hard to go wrong unless the chick is some wine lover and is expecting some kind of uniquely flavored wine. Just spend at least $15 bucks.

Re: Wine
 

You need to find a wine with a good story. Share the story and sound excited about the wine, like you're letting them in on somthing. I'd get an Amarone - it's a wine from Italy's veneto region and they partially dry the grapes on the hillsides and rooftops before pressing. Tell them the clerk mentioned how it's "smooth yet complex, it tastes like [whisper] velvet panties." The wine has enough going on for someone who appreciates wine to enjoy it but at the same time it's got a lot of fruit and avoids the tannin smash of something like a california cabernet (so people who like wine but don't have a cultivated pallete appreciate it as well).

But really, go with whatever you feel comfortable talking about.

Re: Wine
 

With four people, and unknown tastes they may have, I'd get two different wines, one white and one red. For pasta w/ pesto I'd go with a Sav. Blanc or a light Chardonnay and probably a Pino Noir for the red. But all that matters is what you and your friends like.

Bottles priced $10-20 sound about right for this situation.

Re: Wine
 

I agree the wine store should have people HIGHLY qualified but I agree with other posters that a white and a red would be best. Tell them your deal, tell them $15-$20 a bottle and they'll help.

You can't go wrong with an Italian red (MASI Valpolicella for exampl) and a California Chardonnay (Kendall Jackson) for example. Both should be around $12-$15 a bottle and are quite decent to drink as neither is particularly "huge" in the mouth to overpower whatever else you're eating.

No need to go wine snob and drop bigger bucks on very high end wines when you're not really into it at this point in your life.

GL.