I hope that Yuku had a nice Chianti to accompany the post that it ate :)

I have followed Kendien's recommendations a number of times and found them to be very tasty bottles.

One thing to remember about wines is the concept of marriage- that many wines are often created to accompany certain types of foods or very particular dishes, and their flavors are enhanced by particular dishes. While not a wine, a Belgian Beer such as Duvel or Goliath, is best drank with hot curried dishes because the strong taste matches the curry well.

Seasons also will vary the taste of the wine. A drought, a heat wave or exceptionally rainy summer can all affect the way that the wine tastes for that year. I think it is 2003 that France had a huge heat wave that resulted in some exceptional red wines.

Finally, remember that individual taste as alot to do with it as well. I don't like really sweet wines or ones with strong fruity tastes to them. I tend to seek drier, more subtle wines so, for example, I tend to avoid Moscato's.

Connecticut is starting to develop some very nice vineyards- although the Northeast's focus is primarily white wines. Kendien can tell you about the wines of the Pacific Northwest but I find that the Northeastern whites tend to be drier than the Pacific Northwestern ones- again a matter of personal taste.

Overall, the best thing to do is get out there and just start sampling with some of the more general wines. I find that Australian wines, particularly Yellowtail, are easy to mix and match with a meal and are reasonably priced although amazingly difficult to uncork. Young Bordeaux's are also fun to experiment with, and can generally be bought for between $6-9 a bottle.

The nice thing about wines is that they are fun and if you are willing to take a chance here and there, you can be pleasantly surprised with the results. I am the cook in our family; my husband the vinophile so very often I have to tell him what I am making prior to the purchase so that he can pick the appropriate bottle to accompany.

I know that. :) I was just trying to be funny :(

I love to butcher the English Language in the early morning hours.