IS the local wine known to be good? A good friend of mine used to bring me terrible wine from a place they went regularly. I think white is safer than red, because I don’t know any red wine drinkers who won’t drink white, but I know several white drinkers who don’t drink red. Oregon Pinot Gris are great. We buy King Estate by the case. New Zealand Sav blancs are also very popular. We like Kim Crawford and Fernwood.
I like the Kim Crawford Sav Blanc as well. Many restaurants/bars have it on their menu by the glass.
I have not tried this… But I suspect it would fit the bill for a sociology professor:
http://www.rootsrundeep.com/hypothesis.html
http://www.totalwine.com/wine/red-wine/cabernet-sauvignon/hypothesis-cabernet-sauvignon/p/127322750
Rosé or a cabernet sauvignon (red).
You can get really decent cabernets for around 20 bucks, sometimes less, on sale.
Rosés from France and Spain are trendy right now, and are perfect for warm weather. I’m not a fan of sweet wines, but I like Rosés because they’re not too sweet, not too dry, and leaning toward sparkly. They’re fun and lighthearted, :).
Truly decent cheap wine - Apothic Red or Menage á Trois, both red blends.
I agree that whatever you bring will be appreciated and enjoyed.
I would definitely get a recommendation from the wine store staff but, personally, when entertaining I use Costco which has very nice wines. On the weekends they have their own “expert” on hand to guide you (or at least they do in my local store). The last large party I hosted I offered a red BLEND of 3 different varietals so it would appeal to a broader range of tastes. In CA, blends are very popular!
BTW- The Costco wine guy or girl works for Costco and is not a vendor!
In New York Costco’s can’t sell wine. 
I appreciated @MotherOfDragons post about the reds and whites evening out. BUT a nice dry rose sipped on the deck on a warm summer afternoon is heaven. So could not like her post. 
I liked both posts. There are really nasty roses, and then there are awesome roses. It is hard to pick a good one without tasting.
If you are taking chocolate, then red wine would pair much better than white. Pinot Noir is not to everyone’s palate and relatively inexpensive ones (<$30) are often pretty funky. To each his own of course.
Depending on budget, I would get a chewy zinfandel on the less expensive end or a nice cabernet sauvignon on the higher end.
A kiss of death is local wine.
“A kiss of death is local wine.”
Say WA? (Or OR or CA - lol!!!)
@mathmom wrote [I’m always amused when people say a sauvignon blanc is safe as I really don’t care for most of the New World versions of the wine.
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Yeah, people tend to have very strong feelings in one direction or another about Sauv Blancs. I don’t like the Chilean Sauv Blancs at all because they taste too acidy to me.
Pinot Grigios are easy to love wherever they come from, I think. Buttery and not pushy on the palate.
Oaked chardonnays give me the voms. Blech. Those always get re-gifted.
We get Georgia wines as gifts sometimes. They are uniformly terrible. I would love to support local wineries, but ew.
@benreb wrote
I didn’t start drinking at all until I was 37. My internist, of all people, recommended I have a glass of wine every now and then because I was, as she put it “so tightly wound you’re going to blow a gasket”. So, I learned to appreciate wines, and as a geeky/nerdy type I got very into why different wines taste different and how the growing conditions affect them.
@benreb - why don’t you visit a local winery and try a flight? You may find something you like as a gift. I recently tried wine in Arizona, not a place most people think of as a grape growing region, and it was wonderful. Not only that, their wines were mostly blends, which wine snobs love to hate. But they tasted good and that’s what counts.
Another “safe bet” is Cote du Rhone. A French red and they’re always good. About $30/bottle today.
Interesting wine factoid, all types are either Bordeaux or Burgundy. Burgundies are in the bottles with the long sloping “shoulders”, Bordeauxs are in the bottles with the high, more squared off shoulders. This is what you find out if you make Boeuf Bourginone and you’re told to use any red burgundy!
Wine questions always result in varied advice. That’s part of the fun. My friend says the best sauvignon blancs are the ones that smell most like cat pi*ss. I like cote du rhones but they can be a bit “earthy” for some. Even some people don’t like cab or red whine in general. If you drink a lot of wine, you do get sick of chardonnay, especially the buttery unctuous ones.
About the local wine, kiss of death comment: unless you live in wine country (west coast), local wines are among the worst and many are made from what seem like the worst grapes trucked in from California - or maybe they drive them up from Chile based on the taste.
In the end it is the thought that counts. Any bottle of decent wine will be appreciated. I think the recommendation for a good rose might be the best. A good one does not cost much and it is great with appetizers especially in warm weather.
As you can see , everyone’s tastes vary. Personally, I’d recommend an Argentinian Malbec (a ted) as you can get a nice wine at an affordable price.
Personally I dislike sweet wines. And prefer reds. Would regift a rose’ or Sauv. Blanc. Prefer oakey chardonnays though lighter steel parreled ones are ok too, and will drink a Pinot Grigio if drinking whites. Lots of depth and character can be found in reds, both single grape (Cabs, Zins, pinots, etc) and blends are nice. Another thought would be a nice ITaalian red. A Sangiovese or Barolo. What is she serving for dinner?
Rather than a local winery, go to a local independent wine retailer and get suggestions.
They will have good picks in all price ranges. I just picked up a delicious 90 point Portuguese red for under $10/bottle.
I do not like any sweet wines, any rose, or any viognier.
Interesting tidbit: viognier has a similar chemical to one that is in cilantro and folks love or hate it similarly. I don’t like either.
@jym626, we have similar tastes.
If you decide this is the way to go, I highly recommend Whispering Angel. Depending on the year, it’s anywhere from $17-25 a bottle and one of the best summer drinks.
All you people who don’t live in PA, count your lucky stars. We buy wine from state stores. No wine in Costco, or Trader Joes. Just state owned stores staffed with people who don’t really know wine, they are there to work the cash register.
Consequently I have very low wine standards. I will drink any and all of the wines suggested here, including one from our local vineyard.
That is no longer the case. Blending 2-3 varietals is no longer the cheaper, lesser quality option. This is not to be confused with table or bulk wines where the consumer doesn’t really know what grape and percentage thereof is in the bottle. These boutique blends are clearly detailed on the label and, even at our CA Costco stores sell for $20 a bottle. I live about an hours drive from the Napa Valley, and blended wines are becoming more popular than ever before. Ditto for Paso Robles.
I’m not a fan of rose, but my favorite champagne is a rose! Moët and Chandon Nectar Imperial, it’s on the sweeter side though.
A little OT, but the wine-drinkers on this thread who like varietals and are also coffee drinkers should try single-origin coffees. Terroir brings as much individuality and nuance to coffee beans as it does to wine; it’s totally worth exploring for those who enjoy such things.
But I like cilantro @mominva