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Wine drinking GAFers, I seek your aid

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Ruzbeh

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Ok. Sooo. I wanna start drinking wine (and alcohol in general). Like, I don't drink, but I wanna, because it's like a whole new world to explore and stuff, and I'm sure I know when enough is enough and stuff (in contrary to most people my age, 18). I don't smoke or do drugs by the way.

Anyways. So I discovered this bottle of wine and I wanted to drink from it (taste it and stuff), and it was friggin' horrible. I mean, I know it's healthy to occasionally have some wine, but how the hell do I enjoy? I heard something about alcoholic beverages takes getting used to, to enjoy it, but damn, how the crap do I start enjoying it? I wanna know how you started drinking wine so maybe you could help me out? Please? Thanks. >:O
 
sideways.jpg

I AM NOT DRINKING MERLOT.

Sorry.
 
You start doing a lot of things..hahah I am not knocking it.. I just have to ask if you try for longer than like a week or two?
 
Ruzbeh said:
Ok. Sooo. I wanna start drinking wine (and alcohol in general). Like, I don't drink, but I wanna, because it's like a whole new world to explore and stuff, and I'm sure I know when enough is enough and stuff (in contrary to most people my age, 18). I don't smoke or do drugs by the way.

Anyways. So I discovered this bottle of wine and I wanted to drink from it (taste it and stuff), and it was friggin' horrible. I mean, I know it's healthy to occasionally have some wine, but how the hell do I enjoy? I heard something about alcoholic beverages takes getting used to, to enjoy it, but damn, how the crap do I start enjoying it? I wanna know how you started drinking wine so maybe you could help me out? Please? Thanks. >:O
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you want to drink red or white? why do you want to drink wine? Beer man, beer.

If you have your heart set on wine, just get a basic bottle of red or white, try the cheapest stuff of each, find something vaguely palatable (depending on income, if you are a rich 18 year old, by all means get something finer) and move up from there, alcohol is generally an acquired taste so you might not find it really appealing at first. In turn that might make you say "why bother" but once you develop a taste for wine (or beer) it becomes very, very tasty.

I found when I started drinking red wine (hated white) I found a Cab sav to be the easiest to drink, now I will drink anything vaguely red :lol. for white, I couldn't stand it, then I found out everytime I tried it I was pretty much trying a chardonnay, which I still hate to this day. A Savignoun Blanc (sp?) seems to be the easiest least sense assaulting white for me to drink and I really enjoy it now.

If you are set on becomming a wine drinker, start learning about matching it with food. a general rule of thumb is red for red meat and white for white meat/pastas etc.
 
So, basically, I will start to like wine if I try and find a good wine and just start drinking often enough that I will learn to enjoy it? Gawd no. :(
 
Ruzbeh said:
So, basically, I will start to like wine if I try and find a good wine and just start drinking often enough that I will learn to enjoy it? Gawd no. :(
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well, you find something that you sip and go "hmm, not to bad" then it grows on you. but I mean, not everybody likes wine. you might be a "urgh fuck wine" type of person. you have to try to find out. you might hate red and like white as well, for instance.
 
Well, I tried wine, and also beer, and I noticed that when I tried it I get some kinda weird feeling it's real stupid and disgusting. I just dunno how to describe it. I felt like rinsing my mouth with water after trying it.
 
Ruzbeh said:
Well, I tried wine, and also beer, and I noticed that when I tried it I get some kinda weird feeling it's real stupid and disgusting. I just dunno how to describe it. I felt like rinsing my mouth with water after trying it.
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dr prescribes whiskey for your pain, repeat dose until troubles melt away.
 
catfish said:
dr prescribes whiskey for your pain, repeat dose until troubles melt away.
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I would say cocktails until you get wasted for the first time
 
Ruzbeh said:
Life isn't fair.
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well to be honest I hated beer the first time i drank it.. and coffee as well.. now I drink both often, and can tell the difference between different styles... just drink to get drunk for a bit instead of worrying about making it a hobby.. then you can get a taste for something
 
Ruzbeh said:
Life isn't fair.
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and alcohol was invented to cope with this fact!

oh yeah, I forgot about lolly drinks, drink something nancy like bacardi breezers, experience the joy of drunkenness and you will quickly find preferable paths to the happy land of booze town.
 
first time I got really really drunk I stole some whiskey from my parents liquor cabinet. I thought it was nasty on its own, so I mixed it with mountain dew. The first few sips tasted great but after a big bottle of it I was in pain. I ended up unable to walk, and puking on myself at my buddies house who was on house arrest. He had to call friends of his to come over and drag my drunk ass home. I think I was 14 or 15...

Is that enough of an experience?

Anyways, now I am a sensible drinker, and I like cabernet savignon, and savignon blanc. and of course, beer.
 
Ruzbeh said:
But I don't understand how you guys got used to it. Tell me about your experiences?
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By what you describe, it sounds like you just don't like the taste of alcohol. At all. So the advice for you to start with cocktails is sage. Get yourself a bottle of Rum, Bacardi Gold will do. Also, at the supermarket, get yourself a Strawberry Daiquiri mix.

tl_strawberry_daiquiri_222.jpg


This frozen drink is a favorite because the strawberry mix and ice practically overpowers any alcohol. Luckily, Rum is a spirit that's all about the aftertaste, like caramelized sugarcane. If mixed properly, you'll probably not even get buzzed on this. Unless you're drinking alone.......

Graduate to Rum and Coke. Start with just a half shot of Rum in a tall glass of crushed ice, and top it off with Coke. The alcohol will be more prevalent. Add more rum and more rum until you can take a "double". You WILL get buzzed on this. Drunk, if not careful. Rum is 70-80 proof(35-40% alcohol by volume).

When you think you can leave mixing behind, start on white wines. Then move to red.

It also helps to initiate yourself with at least moderately priced shit. With wine, you get what you pay for. Talk with the liquor store owner and explain your situation. Hopefully he'll lead you to a $20+ bottle that'll be smooth as silk (he wants your returned business).

White wines are crowd favorites, but reds have deeper flavors for your sophisticated palates. :D

Merlot IS a good choice, despite what we learned from our favorite Pinot expert in Sideways. Considered the drink of aging hipsters, it's pros are that it reaches full maturity after only a few years, and gives you bang for the buck.
 
Ruzbeh said:
I just want to enjoy wine and stuff and I have to buy all kinds of shitty drinks?

Man!
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"Thanks for taking the time to reply after I asked, Gore. No, really."

I didn't notice your age before. After I read this reply, I knew you were young. Grow up first.
 
Ruzbeh said:
:lol :lol

Sorry. Ok. Thanks man. I appreciate the effort.
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No problem. I was meaning, my advice doesn't really fit if you're an 18 year old in the states. Certainly you can't ask a liquor store owner to take you on a wine tour if you're a senior in highschool.
 
For something that you apparently are interested in, you don't seem very willing to try anything.

I started choking down shitty domestic beer at about age 18. I hated it and I had to chase every drink, but drinking at parties is more fun than being the only sober guy around a bunch of drunks, so I made do. :) Beer, much like coffee, is an aquired taste. After you get to like the idea of being drunk, you'll get used to cracking a beer just like it's a soda. The first one always used to taste awful, but once you get past it, the next few aren't nearly as bad because your mouth is numbed with alcohol. Once you get used to regular beer, start trying micro stuff, and maybe branch out to wine or hard liquior.
 
Slo said:
For something that you apparently are interested in, you don't seem very willing to try anything.
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I am an unwilling, pacifistic, lazy bastard, yeah.
I started choking down shitty domestic beer at about age 18. I hated it and I had to chase every drink, but drinking at parties is more fun than being the only sober guy around a bunch of drunks, so I made do. :) Beer, much like coffee, is an aquired taste. After you get to like the idea of being drunk, you'll get used to cracking a beer just like it's a soda. The first one always used to taste awful, but once you get past it, the next few aren't nearly as bad because your mouth is numbed with alcohol. Once you get used to regular beer, start trying micro stuff, and maybe branch out to wine or hard liquior.
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See, I think this is the problem. I don't care about being drunk, I don't want to be drunk (well maybe someday I'll try it). Right now I just want to enjoy wine. Or is enjoying wine the same as getting drunk?
 
Here's the problem: Alcohol doesn't taste like apple juice. Caviar doesn't taste like Skittles. If you try caviar expecting it to taste like candy, you're not going to like it, no matter what. Likewise, most people don't start drinking alcohol because it tastes like CocaCola. People usually start drinking to get drunk, they become accustomed to alcohol, and some people develop a more refined pallette.

I don't know if you're going to be able to develop a taste for wine if you never let yourself get a little tipsy. The tipsy part is the reward.
 
have someone buy you a bottle of Vodka
without mixing it with anything, pour yourself a fairly large cup and down it immediately*









































*note: might not be the best idea


and yeah: alcohol in general tastes like shit. Americanized beer is so damn popular around here and I'm the only MF'er to think it tastes like fermented piss...I'm a vodka, rum, and whisky drinker myself...but a fucking lightweight at that
 
Ruzbeh said:
Right now I just want to enjoy wine. Or is enjoying wine the same as getting drunk?
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No, it's not. Getting drunk is just a nice side effect if you have more than a glass or two, but you don't need to do it that way. You eventually like the taste of it after you've had it several times, just like how it is for any other kind of food or drink. Each kind of wine has its own merits, and you eventually find your favorites. Don't drink it too fast of course if you're drinking for the taste, sip at it so you can enjoy more tastes of it.

Keep in mind that if the wine you get ever tastes rotten or moldy, that's probably from it being "corked" which means that the cork introduced some bad stuff to the wine. If it's corked you can always take the rest of it back to the store and get a replacement bottle for free. It's a very common thing, like 1 in 10 bottles. A lot of people drink corked wine thinking that's how it's supposed to taste, but it's not. Please please please take the wine back to the store and don't suffer through a bottle of spoiled wine.
 
Dsal said:
No, it's not. Getting drunk is just a nice side effect if you have more than a glass or two, but you don't need to do it that way. You eventually like the taste of it after you've had it several times, just like how it is for any other kind of food or drink. Each kind of wine has its own merits, and you eventually find your favorites. Don't drink it too fast of course if you're drinking for the taste, sip at it so you can enjoy more tastes of it.

Keep in mind that if the wine you get ever tastes rotten or moldy, that's probably from it being "corked" which means that the cork introduced some bad stuff to the wine. If it's corked you can always take the rest of it back to the store and get a replacement bottle for free. It's a very common thing, like 1 in 10 bottles. A lot of people drink corked wine thinking that's how it's supposed to taste, but it's not. Please please please take the wine back to the store and don't suffer through a bottle of spoiled wine.
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Ok, thanks. Nice post. My main beef with wine is that it's so bitter. Beer is also very bitter.
 
Ruzbeh said:
No, I live in the Netherlands. And no, the Dutch are only easy with softdrugs, not alcohol (AFAIK).
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It's still 16 for beer and wine in a bar though no? or 18 I can't remember. regardless people here will sell you beer. go to a bar with some friends and try absolutely everything you can think of, anything you like, that becomes "your drink" then you drink that until you start branching out.

I used to hate beer (till I was 20ish) then I started making a concious effort to see if I could like it because everytime I got to a party "hey you wanna beer man" etc. So at first I would take my booze there (bacardi and coke was my drink) and then I would drink a beer if offered. then I would take 6 beers to a party, with a bacardi backup and give away the beers if not wanted.

now I love beer. LOVE IT.
 
Hmmm. Ok. So there's hope for me to like it. Anyways. I just tried some more wine, it's red but a more pink though, 10.5% alcohol. Disgusting!! It just sends chills down my spine and sometimes it feels like I get stomach acid or something. Yuck! I tried taking a few sips, but then I got rid of it.

Man...
 
Some wines can be very acidic, but some can be very smooth too.
Also, I know some people can be allergic to all the acids and tannins in wine. If you feel like it might be that, you should stop obviously.

Beer gives lots of people stomach problems too. For some reason for me, if I have pizza and beer together it makes my stomach feel like it's burning or something aftewards, not sure why. No other food/beer combo does it.

The best way to sample wine if you're not sure you'll like it is to just ask for a few sips worth at first. That way if you don't like it, you don't have to pay for (or throw out) a whole glass.
 
Dsal said:
Beer gives lots of people stomach problems too. For some reason for me, if I have pizza and beer together it makes my stomach feel like it's burning or something aftewards, not sure why. No other food/beer combo does it.
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Pizza and Beer are a notorious combo when it comes to heartburn.
 
Dsal said:
Some wines can be very acidic, but some can be very smooth too.
Also, I know some people can be allergic to all the acids and tannins in wine. If you feel like it might be that, you should stop obviously.

Beer gives lots of people stomach problems too. For some reason for me, if I have pizza and beer together it makes my stomach feel like it's burning or something aftewards, not sure why. No other food/beer combo does it.

The best way to sample wine if you're not sure you'll like it is to just ask for a few sips worth at first. That way if you don't like it, you don't have to pay for (or throw out) a whole glass.
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Hmmm, yeah, ok. I'm not allergic to anything, by the way.
 
10.5% alcohol? That's pretty strong, like drinking schnapps. Seriously, start with something less strong, like a girly drink. A hard lemonade or one of those Bacardi drinks. Those are more like 4% alcohol.
 
The first time I got drunk was god-awful. I was 15, and had about 16 shots of Vodka. I was puking for hours, and crying, telling everyone how much I loved them. The next day, I never thought I'd drink again. Funny how that turned out.

I don't really drink wine, but last week I had a cheap bottle of White Zinfadel, and was surprised how smooth it was. I heartily endorse it. Though, if I were you, I'd just get used to beer. You don't want to be the dude who just drinks wine.
 
Slo said:
10.5% alcohol? That's pretty strong, like drinking schnapps. Seriously, start with something less strong, like a girly drink. A hard lemonade or one of those Bacardi drinks. Those are more like 4% alcohol.
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Hmmm. So, about that, are all wines strong? Remember, I want to enjoy wine, not alcoholic beverages. Besides, we're talking Breezer? Well... y'see... here in the Netherlands, Breezer drinks (or BrEeZaH as we like to call them) have a negative image (...sorta) because of all the dumb girls that drink it. And stuff. I don't want to stoop myself to such a low level!

*sigh* ... Maybe I should just forget about the whole thing and concentrate on drawing and learning Japanese first.

BobbyRobby said:
The first time I got drunk was god-awful. I was 15, and had about 16 shots of Vodka. I was puking for hours, and crying, telling everyone how much I loved them.
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:lol :lol :lol
 
Ruzbeh said:
Hmmm. So, about that, are all wines strong? Remember, I want to enjoy wine, not alcoholic beverages. Besides, we're talking Breezer? Well... y'see... here in the Netherlands, Breezer drinks (or BrEeZaH as we like to call them) have a negative image (...sorta) because of all the dumb girls that drink it. And stuff. I don't want to stoop myself to such a low level!
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all wine is around the 9.5 to 11% range AFAIK. And yeah, breezers are for girls, but you gotta start somewhere. eh, just don't worry about it. Are you going to university? You'll discover it there.
 
Ruzbeh said:
Hmmm. So, about that, are all wines strong? Remember, I want to enjoy wine, not alcoholic beverages. Besides, we're talking Breezer? Well... y'see... here in the Netherlands, Breezer drinks (or BrEeZaH as we like to call them) have a negative image (...sorta) because of all the dumb girls that drink it. And stuff. I don't want to stoop myself to such a low level!

*sigh* ... Maybe I should just forget about the whole thing and concentrate on drawing and learning Japanese first.


:lol :lol :lol
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You just aren't coming off like you want to start drinking wine for YOU but you just seem to be trying to do it to fit in or look cool or something, don't know what but you just don't seem to be doing it for you. Be who you are and enjoy what you like, don't force yourself to like something if you don't like it.
 
I can't stand red wine, it feels so heavy to me and I can feel it sitting in my stomach. White wine all the way for me, with my favorite cheapest wine being Yellow Tail Chardonnay.

However, if you're wanting to start drinking and need something with flavor, try something more along the lines of a cocktail or a margarita, something that's got some sweetness to it - like an appletini or something like that.
 
Ponn01 said:
You just aren't coming off like you want to start drinking wine for YOU but you just seem to be trying to do it to fit in or look cool or something, don't know what but you just don't seem to be doing it for you. Be who you are and enjoy what you like, don't force yourself to like something if you don't like it.
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No, I just want to discover the world of wines. I see people on TV on these debating shows or these shows where they sit down and talk and stuff, they have wine. Everyone drinks wine and stuff, and I hear it's healthy, so I want to like it. That's why.
catfish said:
all wine is around the 9.5 to 11% range AFAIK. And yeah, breezers are for girls, but you gotta start somewhere. eh, just don't worry about it. Are you going to university? You'll discover it there.
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Discover what, alcohol? So is it necessary to enjoy alcohol if I want to enjoy wine?
 
Ruzbeh said:
Discover what, alcohol? So is it necessary to enjoy alcohol if I want to enjoy wine?
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:-|

I'm really starting to question your motives. It seems like you've got your heart set on taking up a hobby that you've got no interest in.

Wine is an alcoholic drink. You don't seem to understand that. This is a whole new beverage genre for you. The bitter, harsh feeling that you don't like is the alcohol. That's what's bothering you. What everyone is telling you to do is pick something with less alcohol in it so you can get used to the feeling. Wine is not soda pop. It's likely that everything that you've chosen to drink in your first 18 years has been chosen because of taste. People generally don't drink alcoholic beverages for the taste, they drink them to get have a good time. After a while, people start to associate the taste of alcohol with partying, like you might associate your mother's cooking with home. Only after they are somewhat experienced with alcohol do they start to appreciate the taste of finer liquiors.
 
Ruzbeh said:
Discover what, alcohol? So is it necessary to enjoy alcohol if I want to enjoy wine?
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absolutely. IMO wine goes to your head faster than any other drink.
 
I'm (un)lucky in that even after years of drinking, I still haven't developed a taste for alcohol, which means I can drink the cheapest/shittiest tasting beer or wine without noticing much of a difference. Some nuts or pretzels are all I need to drink pretty much any alcoholic beverage.
 
Ruzbeh said:
No, I just want to discover the world of wines. I see people on TV on these debating shows or these shows where they sit down and talk and stuff, they have wine. Everyone drinks wine and stuff, and I hear it's healthy, so I want to like it. That's why.

Discover what, alcohol? So is it necessary to enjoy alcohol if I want to enjoy wine?
Click to expand...

So in other words you want to drink wine and like it because you see others doing it on TV shows? Sometimes you just have to take a step back and really evaluate what you are doing and what for. Wine is an alcoholic beverage, if you can't stand it and aren't willing to try anything else to maybe acquire a taste for it then alcoholic beverages might not be for you. Wine is not as healthy for you as you are making it out to be, it's not a vitamin or anything like that. If you have to fight so hard to make yourself like something then it probably is not worth it.

I tried smoking once because everyone around me was and I wanted to see what it was. I did, tried it for a good 2 weeks and decided I really didn't like the taste and it didn't do anything for me so I stopped. I tried Marijuanna with some friends and again, I didn't like the taste and it didn't do anything for me so I haven't done it since. I drank alcohol with some friends, some beers and vodka and OJ and I liked it. I liked the way it made me feel and I actually liked the taste of vodka after a couple sips and it has been my mainstay since.
 
Ponn01 said:
So in other words you want to drink wine and like it because you see others doing it on TV shows? Sometimes you just have to take a step back and really evaluate what you are doing and what for. Wine is an alcoholic beverage, if you can't stand it and aren't willing to try anything else to maybe acquire a taste for it then alcoholic beverages might not be for you. Wine is not as healthy for you as you are making it out to be, it's not a vitamin or anything like that. If you have to fight so hard to make yourself like something then it probably is not worth it.

I tried smoking once because everyone around me was and I wanted to see what it was. I did, tried it for a good 2 weeks and decided I really didn't like the taste and it didn't do anything for me so I stopped. I tried Marijuanna with some friends and again, I didn't like the taste and it didn't do anything for me so I haven't done it since. I drank alcohol with some friends, some beers and vodka and OJ and I liked it. I liked the way it made me feel and I actually liked the taste of vodka after a couple sips and it has been my mainstay since.
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No, I don't do it because everyone else does, wine just seems to be a tasty drink or something. I'm just a little tired of water, juice, lemonade and milk and want to try something else.
Slo said:
:-|

I'm really starting to question your motives. It seems like you've got your heart set on taking up a hobby that you've got no interest in.

Wine is an alcoholic drink. You don't seem to understand that. This is a whole new beverage genre for you. The bitter, harsh feeling that you don't like is the alcohol. That's what's bothering you. What everyone is telling you to do is pick something with less alcohol in it so you can get used to the feeling. Wine is not soda pop. It's likely that everything that you've chosen to drink in your first 18 years has been chosen because of taste. People generally don't drink alcoholic beverages for the taste, they drink them to get have a good time. After a while, people start to associate the taste of alcohol with partying, like you might associate your mother's cooking with home. Only after they are somewhat experienced with alcohol do they start to appreciate the taste of finer liquiors.
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What about the people that taste the wine and really enjoy it and stuff? It's just alcohol associated?! I thought it was just a nice drink to taste or something, not to get drunk.

Oh well. End of thread.
 
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