Wine.....

One glass of red wine per day is good for your heart. You'll have to try different kinds to see which one you like best. Some are very dry and some are more sweet, and there are those in between. Go to a wine store and ask questions - they should have a person there who can give good advice. Wine that is scored in the 90's are the really good wines and are worth drinking. (You can get good wines for lower prices when they are on sale. Please don't buy wines that aren't good quality - yuck!)

Buy one bottle at a time, starting with one end of the sweet - dry spectrum. Write down the name and what you thought of the taste. When that bottle is done, go back to the wine person and ask for the other end of the specturm. Then do the same. Eventually work your way toward the middle of the specturm, keeping your notes up, and then you'll know what kind of wine you like the best. And you'll end up being an educated wine drinker as well!

Have fun!
D.

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Everyone's tastes are different. So you might want to sample a few. Invite some ladies over for a "wine tasting"! That would be FUN.

I used to enjoy Chardonnays. But lately I have enjoyed reds more: Malbec, Zinfindel (NOT "White Zinfindel", that is a sweet light wine), or Pinot. Easter afternoon, I tried a light Pinot Grigio sitting out by the pool and it was wonderful. (Lighter, a little fruity, but not too sweet).

So try a few and see what you like.

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I know you want wine ideas but I have to share this: My very good friend is a very stressed,worriing,anxious person and she started drinking one glass of wine before she went to bed everynight a few years ago and now she drinks almost a whole bottle to "relax". She is an alcoholic who in her wildest dreams never thought she would be...she is relaxing everynight and the hour she starts relaxing gets earlier and earlier all the time. I am sure you feel you are stronger than that and you may be right and I hope you are just be careful and don't let yourself get out of control. I have never understood how one drink could relax anyone though..but I am not a drinker and when I did I wasn't drinking to relax I was drinking to party...

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Wine is great, but self treating with it, for stress, anxiety, isnt healthy. There are other healthy things you can do to treat those things. Alcohol consumption for the wrong reasons, like this, CAN lead to alcoholism. See your doctor.

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take a walk instead. Drinking alcohol should never be used as a "way" to destress....a glass of wine should be enjoyed as a point of pleasure!

To relax you, a glass of hot chocolate would be much better for your body.

EDIT: so in other words, only tell you what you want to hear? !! Peace...

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Don't know what your tastes are but nothing is more relaxing than a small glass of Port with a good blue cheese and water crackers. Cockburns is an excellent yet inexpensive brand. It is pronounced co burns so as an added bit of fun you can send the clerk looking for it and he will never find it. Then you go oh, here it is, he will say cock burns and then you can snicker.

Yeah I am a bit on the immature side sometimes. :p

Just read your what happened, you do know that even when it is worded as a suggestion it is still what relaxes that person? Like who would tell you this is so relaxing if it didn't relax them, ya know?

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I am an equal-opportunity wine lover. Talk to the wine steward at your local grocery store (many of them have wine stewards now), and tell them you want a 'sipping wine'. This will be different, perhaps, than something more robust (like a cabernet) that would go with a meal.

I myself like the Trader Joe's JW Morris California Gewurtzraminer (pronounced Guh-vertz-trah-meener) and we always have a bottle in the fridge. Also would recommend getting a vacuum seal cork and the vacuum (it looks almost like a white corkscrew-shaped thing,) which will keep your wine fresher, since you are drinking by the glass. Wine need not be expensive to be good-- so do talk to the wine steward or the person who does the purchasing/ordering in that area. And do pour your glass about 30 minutes or an hour before retiring, so that it can warm up a bit. White wine isn't meant to be served 'ice cold', but slightly chilled, so the flavors can open up a bit.

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Red wine is good for your heart (and good for your soul, in my opinion! Great for stress relief!). We enjoy California reds since we live so close to wine country. If you have never been a wine drinker to begin with, you may want to start with the less robust varieties of red wines, such as merlot, syrah, zinfandel. Also, keep in mind that you do not have to buy the most expensive bottles - there are some great wines under $10 a bottle. Many wine stores will post the Wine Spectator ratings (the highest score being 100) - anything over 90 is a good wine. Try a few different kinds and see what you like!

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Yes please!

I prefer white wines,
St.Michel Reisling
Any decent Moscati Asti - but this it not so much a bedtime wine
A nice Pignot Grigio

For reds I like a merlot or Pignot Noir

What I love to sip before bedtime, occasionally, is Frangelica - it is a hazelnut liquor that is divine and oh, so relaxing to me when I am overly stressed. Brandy is also a nice before bed drink.

Oh, Lord, I think I have to check the liquor cabinet and see what I can sip on tonight.

A toast to you all, and to all a good night.

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I love Victoria's wine tasting party idea! When I first started drinking wine I only liked the sweet stuff (white zin) and eventually graduated to the others. Now I can't stand sweet wine, go figure. I, too, will have a nice glass of wine every now and then to help me decompress. Try not to get too defensive over comments about the alternative ways to relax. It didn't sound like they were telling you how to relax, just suggesting other methods is what it sounded like to me. Enjoy yourself trying different wines, so many to choose from! Other than a glass of wine, I like beer as well as a nice cosmo every now and then!

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I'm not a wine lover. To me, it has a bitter edge to it, and I just don't enjoy it, until a friend introduced me to Moscato. It is sweet, but not as sweet as a wine cooler. I really like a sparkling Moscato - but not the "champagne style" - that one is too bubbly.

I really like that chocovine, it's chocolate wine - plus it's so rich you can't drink much!

glass of red. Merlot or Cab is good. I tall depends on what kind you like. if you are not into red and like sweet, then you would like a Reisling which is white and sweeter. One glass, or two, might help! :o)

I agree with the suggestion of going to a wine-tasting event. They're fun and usually free. Then you can see what kind of wine you prefer. I like cabernets. Also, sometimes cheap wine is quite tasty! Yellow Tail is a very cheap brand, but I love it.

To me, a good wine is all about what you are serving with it.
And everyone's tastes for wine are different.
I tend to like slightly sweet wines (Zinfandel/Chardonnay/Reisling), and I usually love a little bit of Stilton or Blue cheese while I'm sipping it, although some cheddar spread on a cracker is ok, too.
I like drier (less sweet) wines with fish but I can't think of anything that would not go well with Italian food.
Red wine of any kind tastes bitter to me, but I'll try it once in awhile to see if my tastes have changed.
For New Years, I prefer Asti Spumonti over champagne because it's sweeter.

I also like the california wines...Mirasso (sp?? sounds like mirr o so) Here they run about $8 a bottle on sale...I love the merlot and chardonay (sorry my spelling feels very horrible!!) Both are very different. I like the chardonay (white wine) after a meal...it makes a great desert wine and the merlot is great with italian dishes.

Enjoy!!

i'll do some wine or some hennessey and pepsi or rum and pepsi!

I like all kinds of wine although I rarely drink it. It's usually a glass when we're out to dinner or a special occasion.
I like fruity wines in the summer, but for relaxing, I like a nice Merlot. One glass is really all you need and it's also a red wine which has some health benefits.
You should check to see if any places near you have wine tasting. When my kids and I travel, our hotels usually have a wine and cheese tasting in the evenings.
I know the winery at Biltmore in Asheville has a nice little set up.
Maybe try some different kinds that way and find what you like.
Merlot is best at room temp and it's very smoothe. Quite relaxing in my opinion.

Best wishes.

Light wines give me headaches, and red wines give me hives.

I'll have a vodka cranberry ;)

Actually, and this is something I haven't had in a while but I'd love some, is either that expresso vodka in decaff coffee or some Baileys or Kahlua in decaff coffee. One of those, the Baileys or Kahlua, messes up my belly, so I guess I have to figure out which one DOESN'T ;)

I sometimes enjoy a kahlua on the rocks as a nightcap. I love the idea of chocolate with port! My red of choice at the moment is an Australian Hunter Valley or Barossa cabernet Sauvignon. I also enjoy champagne, but that's probably not a bedtime relaxer.

Couple of thoughts...
1. Don't start drinking wine just because you are stressed.
2. Try a couple of things to relax you before bed b/c wine may not be your answer if you don't already enjoy it. You could take a hot bath, read a magazine, read a book, do a yoga DVD, journal, knit, sew, etc.
3. If you're not sure what kinds of wine you enjoy, call around to some local wineries or retailers and see when they have wine tastings scheduled. Most wine retailers do them on Saturday afternoons. You can sample a few and see what you like.

My husband and I both enjoy wine and have come to understand that the price doesn't dictate the taste! We attend the annual wine festival in our area to try new wines and revisit our concepts of what we like and don't like.

You could try any of the "critter wines" to see what basic grapes you like (Little Penguin, Monkey Bay, etc)

We enjoy good wines and we have at least a glass daily.

What is your budget?

My hubby loves a great Chardonney this time of year and I stick with a good chilled Merlot or Cabernet all year long.

Our favorites:

Sterling... the cheapest one they have $10/bottle is a good bottle of wine for the money. We use the cheapest one for daily but if we go visit a friend or something we take a pricier Sterling.

Blackstone decent everyday wine
Kendall Jackson is good, a bit more pricey
We enjoy Napa Valley wines and Italian wines. We collect great wines and will occasionally tap into our collection and have a fantastic bottle. Caymus is one of those great bottles but it can be as high as $150 at the local store and sells for about $300/bottle in a restaurant. That is our celebration wine!!

Start small, try to get a tasting so you get a feel for what you like.

I would go with the port idea and add some dark chocolate to the mix ;) If you like it slightly sweeter go with a port that is a Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) or tawny. Port does have a little bit more alcohol than wine so that can be either good or bad depending on what you are looking for. I tend to sip less than a 1 oz serving of port since anymore will usually kick my you-know-what.

I had to laugh at your "so what happened" comment. I've had to do that myself at time ;)

Oh I forgot to mention, there are liquor stores these days that will feature a wine for tasting so maybe ask/keep an eye out in your area.

I suggest exploring other ways to relax - have your hubby give you a foot massage, other times a back massage, listen to a relaxation tape, do some yoga exercises ending with a meditation/relaxation session at the end; take a nice warm bubble bath, listen to relaxing music; earlier in the evening go out on a jog or bike ride or exercise walk, then follow up with a nice shower, and then a massage from hubby...
And most of these things can be combined in various ways, it does not have to be the same routine all the time.

And then also try to figure out what the root cause of your anxiety and stress is, and start working on that! The stress and anxiety are symptoms only, and not the problem itself. So figure out the problem, and then work towards improving that situation. It may not be easy, it may take time and some ingenuity, but it will be so much healthier all the way around!

And then you can drink a glass of wine to celebrate, and don't need it to self-medicate on a regular basis.

Wine is fine, but beer is better! Plus here in NY, we can still only get wine at a liquor store, sigh, but beer is everywhere!

Cheers!

(As far as wine goes, we like a red zin, very sexy)

:)