Have a big crowd coming over? Planning a party with a lot of wine-loving guests?  You might be faced with the same problem faced by one of our correspondents who is planning on throwing a party with 125 guests.  Though he plans to have some beer on hand, too, this is really a wine-drinking crowd he’s inviting over.  “So, how much wine should I buy?” he asks.

A soldier in Iraq is looking forward to coming home soon and to being with his fiancee.  He asks, “What is the best wine for a romantic evening?”  He thinks his fiancee is partial to Zinfandel, but isn’t sure.

“I really just want a nice, romantic evening, just the two of us.  After a good dinner and perhaps a little time in a hot tub, I’m looking forward to us simply sitting by the fireplace, sipping wine, and hopefully getting busy, if you know what I mean.”

Yes, we’re pretty sure we know what you mean!  But we’ll leave that part aside, and answer your question about the best wine for the occasion.

If you love is indeed enamored of Zinfandel (the real, red kind), then the answer is easy: buy a zin, of course (”zin” is the hip people’s way to refer to this popular varietal). One additional suggestion, though.  Look for a Zinfandel that is labeled as “old vine.”  Old vine zinfandel is generally considered to be a cut above regular zin in the taste department.  You will pay a bit more for it, usually, but it is worth it.

Another excellent choice would be just about any red wine from Argentina or Chile. Try either a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Malbec.

Or you could go in a different direction altogether and buy some champagne.  Good ol’ bubbly is associated with fun, frivolity, gaiety, and, yes, romance.  Brands? Pommery, Mumm, Veuve Clicqot, Hennessy, Taittinger — the possibilities are wide open. Or, for such a special occasion, you could go all out and get a bottle of Dom Perignon or La Grande Dame champagne.  Be forewarned, these last two will set you back around $140 to $150.  But what an adventure! Tickling her nose, and yours, with a great champagne can be the perfect prelude to getting busy, if you know what we mean.

I must be living in paradise.  My current home is in a relatively rural county in the southern U.S., albeit near a major university town (which could explain my good fortune, wine-wise).  The closest supermarket, about 1 mile away, has a really good wine aisle. It’s actually two aisles, with more expensive wines on one side and more moderate and inexpensive offerings on the other.

Based on my experience perusing specialty wine shops in many different cities, I have to say that “my” supermarket offers at least 90% of the varieties and wineries that I could ever want.  Is this really that unusual in this day and age?

Apparently so.

Recently, one of our correspondents asked if he can expect to find a good wine at the grocery store. Of course, this is impossible to answer without knowing any details about the grocery stores (or supermarkets) in his particular community.  But as a general statement, yes, I do think you can get good (even great) wine at a grocery store.

When I put the question to a panel of wine drinkers, though, I was startled by their almost universally negative answer.  I do have to wonder how long it has been since any of them shopped for wine in a supermarket, but in the spirit of balance, here is a representative sampling of their responses:

“Good wine from the grocery store? Isn’t that an oxymoron?  I doubt they’ll have much to choose from. Go to a winery and try a shiraz, sample away, and then buy.”

“Skip the grocery store!  If you are serious about drinking good wine, go where you will find it. That means a wine shop.”

“I haven’t seen a supermarket yet that stocks the variety of decent wines that a wine love such as myself wants to have available to give a good choice for all occasions. Yours may be different, but I’m betting it’s not.”

On the other hand, the following responses were also offered, focusing on specific recommendations rather than debating the whole grocery store/wine issue:

“Anything Clo De Buis is usually good. Cabarnets are my favorite. Also, Deloach is very good.  If you’re going to spend more than $15, dollars though, then don’t go to the supermarket, instead head to a place like Wild Oats or Trader Joe’s or even a BevMo type store. Lastly, if you can’t find the above, look for Napa Valley or Sonoma County wines wherever you do end up shopping. Those locations are known for their red wines since the region has great weather conditions for red-wine grapes.”

“Taste is subjective, and what I happen to like might not be what you like at all.   Try this instead:
Host a wine tasting party. Each of your guests will bring a bottle of his or her favorite wine. Have some light snacks at hand. Now taste the wines. When you find one you like, make note of it. Since most grocery store wines are less than $20, place a limit on how much your guests may spend on their bottles. Have fun!”

“If you are just getting into it, stay away from big wines like Zinfandels (the red ones, white Zinfandel is not really a wine at all, in fact it is made from the left-overs of other wines) or Cabernets. I would being with a Pinot Noir–Erath is a great Pinot Noir for around $20 and Safeway carries it. If you like white wines, St. Suprey makes a very nice, light, fruity sauvengon blanc, and it’s cheaper then the Erath.”

“If you have some time, go to your local higher end food store and ask the wine sales people. Don’t be intimidated about asking questions! Better yet, many steakhouses or nice restaurants sell flights of wine where you can get 3 or 4 small glasses to sample. In college I was a waiter for a steak house that sold a lot of wine, and I loved to talk to people about it. Plus we were required to take wine classes. So go out to dinner tonight and talk to your waiter or waitress.”