Red, red wine

I am not a wine snob.

Trust me, this is only because I don't know enough about wine yet. If I had the same knowledge of boutique California zinfandels as I once did of obscure 80s rock bands and Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster, I'm sure I would be pretty smug and know-it-allsy about it. But alas, all I know is I like what I like, and I think I have good taste, but who knows.

I like red wines. Syrah and Shiraz, Cabernet, Cabernet Blends, Malbecs, and right now I'm giving a pinot noir a whirl. It's a 2002 Wild Horse Pinot Noir. My take on it? It tastes good. Probably be good with chicken or something. Other than that, I really can't tell you too much, other than that there are a lot of wines out there that I think taste good.

Oh yeah, I can also tell you not to be scared off by wine snobbery. If you think a wine tastes good, that should be good enough. Don't be scared by vintages, regions, varietals, and all that stuff. Find friends who like wine, try what they like. Find a good wine store with a helpful staff. Let them know what you've tried and like and they should be more than happy to help you out. For Carrie and me, Mark at the Cork and Cask in Beverly Farms has been patient and helpful. A couple casefuls of recommendations later, we have a pretty good idea of what we like and what we might like.

As always, the most important part of drinking wine is finding something you like, even if it is white zin. If that's your thing, don't let anyone stop you, but also don't be afraid to try something different every once in a while.

Some good red wines to try in the $10-15 range include Cline's Red Truck red table wine and the Stump Jump Shiraz. Both of these wines are affordable and we usually by at least one or the other every time we go into stock-up mode. How do they taste? Well, I think they taste good, and that's good enough for me.