As the festive season is almost upon us, now is the time to take advantage of my wine knowledge.

So go right ahead, let me know what your going to be eating and I'll make the best match I can.
Bear in mind my knowledge is from the UK wine trade so I'm not up on US brands and especially prices, but I'll try my best.

Post all your questions here and I'll respond as soon as I can.

Have fun

Hey curlyben!
Just who I need.
Since before Thanks Giving I've been trying to come across a very sweet wine, don't matter red or white, or pink (lol)
I don't really drink wine and I'm unfamiliar with it and all the differences between flavors/colors etc...
I end up feeling quite overwhelmed when shopping for it...
Any suggestions? I'm in the U.S... Thanks - great post...
Kae

Curlyben, a red wine that does not bite to the taste, smooth yet fruity?

Since before Thanks Giving I've been trying to come across a very sweet wine, don't matter red or white, or pink (lol)

Sweet whites are relatively easy.
What you are looking for is anything made from the Muscat grape.
These wines tend to be full of rich honeyed grapey fruit, slightly lighter in style than other sweeties, but well worth looking for.
Othe ones to look out for are wines labeled as "Late Harvest".
The lateness in harvesting the grapes leads to a wine of rich sweetness as the fruit flavours have become more concentrated by being on the vine that much longer.


curlyben, a red wine that does not bite to the taste, smooth yet fruity?
As already mentioned in your Turkey Thread (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/food-drink/xmas-dinner-try-something-new-47489.html) a good aged Chianti Classico Reserva, especially with tha dish.

Try an avoid the mass market wines such as Gallio as these are quite one dimensional in style.
For a lot more complexity you can't go far wrong with Ozzie reds, especially Penfolds or Rosemount.
A classic Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot bland is excellent.
Rich blackcurrant and Plum fruit.
Another good one to look out for is a CAb/Shiraz blnd.
Again blackcurrant fruit but with some peppery notes.

The bite you are referring to is tannin. These can seem harsh due to lack of age.
A tip to soften younger red wines is to decant them a few hours before you are ready to drink.

Decanting helps air get into the wine and mimics the effects of prolonged aging.
As a wine ages it starts to oxidise (in a good way) this softens tannins and makes for a more velvet style.

What wine goes beautifully with cactus!! :p

J_9 well something with salt and lime would be good ;)

Any more for any more ?

Hey curlyben!
Just who I need.
Since before Thanks Giving I've been trying to come across a very sweet wine, don't matter red or white, or pink (lol)
I don't really drink wine and I'm unfamiliar with it and all the differences between flavors/colors etc...
I end up feeling quite overwhelmed when shopping for it...
Any suggestions? I'm in the U.S... Thanks - great post...
Kae

Ice wine is an interesting choice if looking for something quite sweet. These are made from grapes harvested after a frost, late in the season as Ben indicated. Two really good ones from here in New England are put out by Newport Vineyards (very well known and respected) and Plymouth Winery. Ice wine tends to be a bit pricy, but in my opinion is worth the cost.
Sorry Ben, just putting a bit of my relatively limited, two cents worth of knowledge in. :)

Hey Curlyben, what's the best wine to get drunk on? :D

*typical student*

Thomas1970, no worries an excellent choice for unusual sweet wine.
Capuchin, well your best bet would be to try out making your own.
It's very easy, rewarding and best of all tax free ;)

My family has prime rib for our Christmas meal and we all (7 of us) love wine. The only problems is that part of the family likes dry and the other part likes sweet wine. I would like to find a wine that will please eveeryone! We usually have "several" bottles sitting around.

Any suggestions? Maybe a semi-sweet wine?

Thanks!

Mmmmm prime rib.
To bring out the best I'd go for a Cabernet Sauvignon based blend.
Now if you can stretch to it and also if you can find it, go for Ridge (http://www.ridgewine.com/).
My personal choice would be the Ridge Monte Bello Cab (http://www.ridgewine.com/wines/Monte_bello.tml)
This is very Bordeauxesque in style with wonderful rich blackcurrant fruit, vanilla and oak notes.
If this cam from France it would have a very large price attached to it.

When it comes to red wines they are described on their body as sweet/dry is quite meaningless.
Of course there are some exceptions ;)

I went shopping for wine this evening. The only thing I took notice to while trying to pick one out were the labels white zinfandel, merlot, Chardonnay, etc. (this is at a grocery store)
What do these labels mean? When shopping, which label would be considered sweeter?
I went with the merlot and it did not go over very well - very bitter.
Do I need to go to a wine store to find good tasting wine?
Your help is very appreciated. I'm trying some different ones before I choose the one I'll serve at Christmas. So any suggestions would be great.
Thanks
Kae