Supplewine.com Releases Top 10 Wine List, A Definitive Guide To Picking Wine For Any Occasion

July 21, 2009 (PRLEAP.COM) Lifestyle News
The world of wine is a tricky one to navigate. Mike Supple of Supplewine.com knows this well.

Plenty of us buy wine, drink wine and enjoy wine. We like to sip it on romantic dates, at casual get-togethers and throughout fancy dinners. But do we really spend – or want to spend – hours mulling its virtues and flaws? Scrutinizing the color of one vintage to another? Inspecting the size of champagne bubbles? Most people just want a nice bottle with dinner or a glass to nurse at a party.

Mike loves wine, but he also drinks beer and plays video games. In other words, he can relate. He knows we crave good-value options that aren't impossible to track down. That's what you can expect from his Top 10 Wine List, a definitive guide to picking the right vino for virtually every social occasion.

If you can't tell a Merlot from a Cabernet, that's OK. Foreign languages, unfamiliar terms and unavoidable snobbery can make the world of wine an unfriendly place for all but professionals and certified wine geeks. Mike's list is a handy tool – a cheat sheet, even – that provides solutions for many of life's social situations. It will teach you to handle them with ease and grace. Although it's not a list about 10 specific wines, there's an affordable recommendation for nearly every category.

Here's a sample of the Top 10 Wine List:

- Dating. Like wine, this is a notoriously difficult area to navigate. Whether you're dining out or eating in, you'll want to know what to serve to impress your date. Reach for bubbly (especially if it's a french wine). You can find a high-quality sparkling wine for as little as $10. Willing to spend twice as much? Mike suggests the Allimant-Laugner Cremant d'Alsace Brut Rosé, Alsace, France.

- Dinner with the boss or your significant other's parents. In either situation, find out what the hosts enjoy. For the boss, choose a unique wine from a specialty wine shop, such as the 2006 Fattoria di Felsina Chianti Classico, Tuscany, Italy. $22. For the parents, a classic style with modern flair should be a homerun (Mike's pick: 2006 Guelbenzu Vierlas, Ribera del Queiles, Spain. $14).

- The Picnic Wine falls under the let's-not-give-this-another-thought category. You'll want a white that's light in body and high in acid. Consider the 2008 La Playa Sauvignon Blanc, Colchagua Valley, Chile. ~$8.

- If you're at a barbecue, however, you will want a rich, full-bodied bottle that can stand up to high-fat red meats and intense spices and sauces. Any number of red wines will do, such as the 2007 Doña Paula Estate Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina. ~$12.

- Wine snobs. Unless you have wads of cash, they will be tough to impress them. Still, you can try. A safe bet is Opus One, a favorite among Napa red wine collectors. It runs at least $120. (Note: Wine snobs are not necessarily wine lovers, who can appreciate a good-quality product regardless of the price. Offer them the 2006 Argiano Non Confunditur Rosso Toscano, Tuscany, Italy. $23.)

The Top 10 Wine List is the guide you wish you had while standing in a supermarket, trying to figure out which of the hundreds of bottles to choose. Good thing it's a quick read and you're a quick study.