Hello!
I’ve been asked to bring some wine to a party where I have no idea what the food situation is. The most I know about wine is Coopers Hawk (I know…). Are these two wines appropriate/good enough? Anything better at Publix below $20 is that’s universally liked?
by Rhiannonhane
29 Comments
If you like sweetish white, chateau ste michelle is decent.
If your party is for regular folks,meaning not wine geeks,those 2 bottles are actually perfect in my opinion ( riesling and the Decoy )..
The Chateau Ste Michelle is a bit on the sweeter side,so not my personal choice,but is still not bad,and Decoy Cab is also a safe choice.. It is a nice well balanced cab.
Even if there are a few wine geeks,Decoy is still a respectable choice,imo..
I’m a wine geek and someone brought the Decoy two days ago. I smiled but knew they pulled what they thought looked good. They didn’t cheap out so I appreciated them while I served a $120 bottle carmenere to pair with my smoked tri-tip. If you brought a $25+ bottle to my house, I knew you tried and that you appreciate being here and will gladly be welcomed back 😉
I’m far from knowledgeable when it comes to wine, but Decoy is the house wine at our city’s best country club. Had it many times and it was always solidly drinkable.
I’d buy the Decoy wine just for the jokes to be honest.
Sure. But in the future, if you want to know things, find a local wine shop and strike up a conversation with the staff about what kinds of wines you like and ask for suggestions. Small wine shop…not grocery store.
Chateau St. Michelle’s Gewurtztraminer is my first love
We do enjoy Decoy in this house.
Do they have Louis Jadot Beaujolais Villages?
Chateau St. Michelle is a smooth, slightly sweet wine. It is simple with no complexity or finish at all. It’s actually a pretty good wine for a beginner.
Saint Michelle is the best wine there is! Get a case at this price it’s a steal and they’ll be delicious in 25 years /s
Why is Cabernet Sauvignon between two Rieslings
I had a Ste Michelle Sweet Riesling harvest select with air-fried chicken wings last week and it was amazing.
Either or both are good choices. I’d probably go with SCM unless it’s being served at dinner. Most holiday meals have some big flavors so you’d think about serving the Cab. Both wineries are good producers. With the CA wine glut you might be getting some decent wine.
Never met an average drinker who doesn’t like Decoy. It’s like the intro-to-fine-wines wine. Higher price than most want to pay, but a nice step up in quality from what many daily drinkers get. Chateau ste Michelle is also always a safe choice. Consistent quality, and you know what you’re gonna get. Very rarely a bad bottle from them.
Edit: *cries in Canadian Dollars* Decoy cab sav is $39.99 + tax here. Chateau Ste Michelle is mid 20s.
That Riesling is good but it’s sweet, so maybe for people who aren’t wine drinkers it’s a good choice. Can be kinda like a dessert wine almost. Decoy is fine, nothing fancy, but drinkable.
Decoy is always a safe bet for the combination of being decent, reasonably priced, and readily available at most supermarkets/grocery stores.
I personally don’t enjoy the Ch. St. Michelle Riesling but I generally don’t enjoy sweet wines unless they’re truly exceptional. I would maybe recommend looking for a dry white (NZ SB tends to be consistently good at a low price point) but if you have sweet wine drinkers in your group, this is a good option.
Depends if you like them or not
Decoy is great!
I think the Decoy Merlot is good and a crowd pleaser.
Those are good drinkable wines that will be enjoyed by almost everyone.
That’s fine for most folks. If someone was a real wino they’d have volunteered to bring the wine so they could show off their taste or the price tag.
Decoy is great for the price, it’s from the Duckhorn estate. Witch is a top shelf wine
Unless your people are snobby, those are more than ok.
It’s also okay to be snobby, it’s just about knowing your audience.
Decoy is fine and I’d get a white (Rayburn Chardonnay is pretty good and well priced)..
Depends on the crowd.
Might I offer a radical alternative? Ring Dings and Pepsi.
19 for decoy? 23 for relax? What in the what? Where are you located?
And you can’t go wrong with decoy cab and ste Michelle.
Soooo I buy Decoy Cab for gatherings in our house. Easy to drink and never a complaint in the house. Also, I vote for Relax for parties. I buy that as well, easiest Riesling for non-wine drinkers to enjoy imo