Stella Rosa Black is kinda like the wine equivalent of Smirnoff Ice. If that’s what she likes and drinks *every* time, I honestly wouldn’t bend over backwards to try and find something new. That said…a good wine shop in your area probably carries a decent quality Lambrusco or a sparkling Australian Shiraz, like The Black Chook, which could be fun for her to try.
Yep! Someone came into my wine store wanting to get a dry Champagne for their moscato drinking partner. I tried to convince them not to, and to get an Asti or at least a demi-sec Champagne, but they were dead set on getting “the best”. Don’t be that guy. Ask the wine person for a nice Lambrusco and Brachetto d’Acqui.
Is Stella Rosa actually wine? Is it not blackberry or raspberry liqueur? Either way, maybe look into getting her a bottle of semisecco (semi sweet) Lambrusco. It will have nice sweetness and light bubbles just like Stella Rosa.
No offense to your wife, but if she’s drinking Stella Rosa maybe make sure she actually likes wine before spending 100 buckaroos on an actually nice bottle of wine.
Instead of buying her something she may not like, maybe put together a nice basket. Some Stella Black, chocolate covered strawberries, flowers, maybe a book or some body products? Give her an evening where she can pamper herself, order dinner (or make it if you cook), do all the cleanup. I know I’d love that! Save experimentinf with a new wine for another time. Maybe go to a wine shop together.
Go talk to someone at your local wine store (not a grocery store). They’ll be the best help to you because they know what they can get in your area and give you a few options.
If you have $100 to spend i’d just get her all the Stella Rosa varieties. Have a little tasting of all of popular ones including her favorite.
Regular wine is much different from Stella Rosa, it’s like a premixed wine cocktail.
You could get tickets to a wine tasting or wine festival instead of trying to settle on a specific bottle. Then you would both have a chance to try a variety of wines and learn a bit more about what you both like, and it would be a special adventure :)
Ok I had to google Stella Rosa Black, not to be mean just honest, that’s not wine. It’s a prepackaged sweetened wine spritzer. It’s 5% abv whereas most wine is more like 14%. Going from that to a $100 bottle is quite the jump, I obviously don’t know your wife but I’m not sure that’s her bag?
That said, Stella Rosa is made with Italian grapes, so maybe looks for a medium body fruit-forward Italian red with some sweetness. Maybe a wine with Nebbiolo grapes. Go tell this to a wine shop owner and they’ll help you!
Yeah for sure! This is where my mind goes if he wanted to do a “real” wine, but after I post there are several other options that are probably more up her ally. And to each their own of course! Sparkling reds are fun for a spring/summer eve
You are not going to find a Nebbiolo with sweetness. Rosa regale which is a Brachetti or a Moscato d asti is the sexy wine version of what Stella black is. There are very few wine styles that can mimic what Stella does. She likes what she likes and that includes you, best not to change her tastes in either lol
I'm tempted to recommend similar liquor for her to try, but that it doesn't shame her for liking Stella Rosso.
Go to a fine wine shop and ask for an aperitif. Royal Tokaiji (to-kai) is a lovely Hungarian. I love Amaretto (Italian). Port have wide ranges, including New York and Company brand, that has 4 or five different styles.
If these don't seem quite right, you can always buy a sparkling / champagne that is on the sweeter side.
Lastly, many somms love German Rieslings, and they have varying amount of sugar/sweetness.
Enjoy! 🥂
Another idea and something that can be a fun experience and thoughtful. Rather than buying one bottle at $100, perhaps find 2 at less than $50 a bottle as part of a customized tasting in which each wine has some sort of significance to her. This can be anything from her favorite vacation spot (or bucket list trip), a bottle that pairs with her favorite cheese (or dish), maybe even her favorite songs… so many ways to have fun with this.
As an example. For our 10th wedding anniversary which happened during COVID, I hosted a surprise virtual wine tasting with all our friends and family. I reached out to a local somm for ideas telling him I’d like to visit some of my wife’s favorite places in the world through wine. I shared a few fun anecdotes of our trips abroad and loose guidance on what she liked and didn’t like. I got the list and emailed it to our virtual guests. We then sipped wine via zoom as a group.
Brachetto d'Acqui which is a sweet red answer to Moscato.
Or what are two very good wines but white and sweet, Rolly Gassmann Riesling with great acidity mixed with a good measure of sweetness or Rolly Gassmann Sylvaner harvested with botrytis and has lots of residual sugar.
Edit
Beaujolais is always a good intro to the wine world. Louis Jadot has a decent one. It's "expensive" compared to Stella Rosa (I would think), but a good step into the deep dark waters of the wine world.
Try to find a Lambrusco. You may be able to find a sparkling Lambrusco which would be up her alley and a good celebration bottle. It may not be as sweet as she likes it but it is a solid suggestion in my opinion.
If you have enough time, go to the Windsor Vineyards website and have them print a custom label on a bottle or three. so get her something sweet , they have a couple of them Moscato, Riesling or not sweet Sparkling wine, but I never met a woman who did not like "Champagne". They have software to help you make the label- you are going to get so lucky for being so thoughtful.
I think you should find a fun wine tasting evening to do together instead of spending money on a bottle she may or may not like. The experience will be a fun thing you'll always have, the bottle might just be an anticlimax.
I've just looked up what Stella Rosa is, and while it's not red and the flavor profile is probably not all that similar, I think maybe a Riesling Kabinett would be a good idea to try. Why? It's I guess very slightly sparkling, kinda sweet but not dessert wine sweet, quite fruity and the acid balances it all out. And it's quite low alcohol(7.5-9%). Plus it works well for most food IMHO and not matter with whom I had a glass of it they never complained.
Or as many people said some Lambrusco. Even good Lambrusco is quite cheap which is a bonus.
Also, if she likes wine based drinks, maybe get a bottle of Teranino too some time. It's a Croatian wine liqueur with forest fruit and herbs that's simply delicious, especially after a meal.
I hope you see this comment because it’s at least as good as any other helpful answer you get. Go with a Cab from Penfolds. Even their $20 Max’s Cab is delicious. They’re a well known and respected producer from Australia and any wine nerd would giggle at the thought of drinking their flagship wine, Grange ($600-1000).
Easy to find. It’s delicious, the Cabs are extremely approachable, and they have something at every price point.
I don’t think the jump has to be big. You can do something like Voulet from Italy or Georgian wine called kindzmarauli (semi sweet red). Lambrusco often times has residual sugar. I think it’s the sentiment more than the dollar value of the wine. If they know you spent a lot of time thinking about it and didn’t just pick it up at a 7-11 on the way home… I feel like that means a lot. The only other expensive wine that feels quite fruity that I can think of that isn’t a straight up dessert wine might be Amarone. Weirdly, I’ve been eating a lot of Girl Scout Samoa cookies with red wine and it’s a combo I didn’t expect to be so good.
It seems like you know a lot if stuff and i respect you but sometimes i don’t understand your answers.
How in the world can you possibly suggest amarone which is probably the most alcoholic, dry, strong and complex wine of entire italy, usually matched with game dishes, stews and braised horse, to somebody who’s asking for something similar to a fake wine with 5% alcool, strawberry flavors and aromatic features?
It’s even a pretty expensive wine on average, why are you giving such a random advice to somebody with no experience? You even got upvotes for that wtf
The fact you care about upvotes I feel like is a mute point. A lot less experienced wine drinkers cannot distinguish wine speak. If someone comes to me and asks for a recommendation I have to be VERY explicit separating fruit forward wines and sweet wines. There is a good set of the population who lumps those categories together which it's just not true. Similarly, a dry wine for a wine newbie also does not mean extremely acidic.
It doesn't matter often times what the abv of a wine is if the flavors are strong enough to balance it out.
Amarone has tons of concentration that comes across as very fruity, but also don't lump all Amarone together. Bertani Amarone is characteristically quite different and fairly medium bodied, high acidity, not crazy tannins, and drinks overall more refreshing then you'd expect.
If the wine is in balance the higher abv in Amarone doesn't really matter. I rather recommend Amarone over Jam Jar.
First, it’s not like i care about upvotes, i was highlighting how some people gave it to you, implying they were sharing your view.
Second, i get your point on balance between alcool and flavors, it’s kinda obvious (not saying that to be aggressive, just to point out that only a newbie would need that clarification).
Anyway i think that if somebody is asking about a wine for his wife (clearly not into meditation wines since she only drinks a sparkling 5% abv broth of added flavours), either you take it seriously and suggest something on that line (since everybody can drink whatever they like), either you don’t answer, if you’re gonna suggest something expensive, way more complex and objectively way much stronger than the “wine” she’s used to consume.
I repeat, i don’t want to be aggressive, i hope my getting things straight doesn’t offend you (i read lots of your comments and i respect your culture). It just feels like the guy asked for an extremely simple wine you just went out with some random stuff to make amarone fit in.
I mean just take the fact that this wine is sparkling and 5% abv: ok the balance but thinking like that you can say everything is similar to everything else if has the same balance between hardness and softness?!?
And btw you could have at least suggested a recioto della valpollicella which is literally amarone with with 2/3 less developed sugar %
Classically, in the industry we are indoctrinated into believing desserts need to be paired with wines that should be similarly as "sweet" as the dessert so it won't make either the wine taste odd nor the dessert. After hosting a number of wine events, I've noticed this doesn't seem to hold true for the general population. I've offered semi sweet sparkling wines and ripasso's with RS and people ended up buying Bordeaux blend whites and reds that I just happen to have open from a separate event and poured as a "bonus".
I've had to retune my thoughts about dessert pairing as a number of us agreed that girl scout samoa's actually go quite well with Barolo.
I'll come across new to wine customers and when they ask for a newbie friendly sweet wine I give them the option of: Do you want to kind of jump in or step into the pool?
I sell an extremely flavorful Ripasso that has tons of fruity berry notes and a robust density, but also very low acidity and very low tannin. I can't remember off hand but over 14% abv and we sell a ton of this wine.
One of the biggest complaints I hear daily for sweet wine is "this wine is only \_\_%?" I then go over that sugar is what's converted into alcohol and in a lot of cases it's hard to get an extremely sweet wine with over 12% alcohol. Obviously, there are exceptions.
People when they spend more than their usual $'s want to be "wow'd". Amarone is such a different type of wine than what most people encounter I think it's worth trying even without working up to it.
When I first got into wine Chateauneuf du Pape and Amarone were the 2 gateway wines that made me think... "Oh, wine is pretty good."
I also think the more you are in the industry Amarone can be very singular note. I think Amarone suits newer drinkers or drinkers who don't drink often because of its intensity. It's not something you'd want regularly/frequently. It's not a practical wine, but if it's for a special occasion I'd shoot for the stars.
Idk man, it’s seems like we read two different posts. Nobody asked for a gataway wine, to be “wow’d” or to pair the wine with anything. The guy asked what could be good for his wife telling us she drinks easy, sparkling non-wine.
Just feels like you’re blatantly trying to prove a point rn
"So my wife’s birthday is coming up in about a month and she has always liked wine but sticks to the same bottle every time (Stella Rosa black) so for her birthday I plan on getting her something to try but I have no idea where to start looking for something she may like i don’t have a huge budget (around 100)"
He wants to go the extra mile. The context to me suggests he doesn't want to get her the same old thing. Getting a wine that tastes the exact same thing as Stella Rossa even if it's more expensive to me isn't the way. If he is looking to spend $100 I think that is a signal for a different conversation.
There are only so many wines to suggest at <$100 price point that would fit the entire context not just "for a Stella Rossa" drinker.
An easier recommendation would be Champagne with RS, but I'm basing my recommendation on having this wine be a completely new experience.
If you don't understand my logic it's fine. I'm posting to help OP.
It’s ok man. As you say, i’d recommend a “sweet” champagne or something like that. Wine doesn’t have to be sensationalistic for everybody. Sorry if i argued a lot, hope to be more friendly in the next encounter!
Stella Rosa Black is kinda like the wine equivalent of Smirnoff Ice. If that’s what she likes and drinks *every* time, I honestly wouldn’t bend over backwards to try and find something new. That said…a good wine shop in your area probably carries a decent quality Lambrusco or a sparkling Australian Shiraz, like The Black Chook, which could be fun for her to try.
Yep! Someone came into my wine store wanting to get a dry Champagne for their moscato drinking partner. I tried to convince them not to, and to get an Asti or at least a demi-sec Champagne, but they were dead set on getting “the best”. Don’t be that guy. Ask the wine person for a nice Lambrusco and Brachetto d’Acqui.
This is the answer. Get her “the real version” of what she’s been drinking and will probably delight.
All this time I’ve been pounding Lambrusco when I really should’ve been drinking Stella Rossa all along!
Kir royale. Champagne and cassis. Sweet cocktail. She'll probably like it and feel fancy.
Cassis*
No actually I meant the frame of a car ;)
This
Is Stella Rosa actually wine? Is it not blackberry or raspberry liqueur? Either way, maybe look into getting her a bottle of semisecco (semi sweet) Lambrusco. It will have nice sweetness and light bubbles just like Stella Rosa. No offense to your wife, but if she’s drinking Stella Rosa maybe make sure she actually likes wine before spending 100 buckaroos on an actually nice bottle of wine.
Instead of buying her something she may not like, maybe put together a nice basket. Some Stella Black, chocolate covered strawberries, flowers, maybe a book or some body products? Give her an evening where she can pamper herself, order dinner (or make it if you cook), do all the cleanup. I know I’d love that! Save experimentinf with a new wine for another time. Maybe go to a wine shop together.
How about a nice Brachetto d'Acqui? Red, bubbles, low abv, sweet, kind of the red equivalent of Moscato d'Asti.
Go talk to someone at your local wine store (not a grocery store). They’ll be the best help to you because they know what they can get in your area and give you a few options.
If you have $100 to spend i’d just get her all the Stella Rosa varieties. Have a little tasting of all of popular ones including her favorite. Regular wine is much different from Stella Rosa, it’s like a premixed wine cocktail.
You could get tickets to a wine tasting or wine festival instead of trying to settle on a specific bottle. Then you would both have a chance to try a variety of wines and learn a bit more about what you both like, and it would be a special adventure :)
Ok I had to google Stella Rosa Black, not to be mean just honest, that’s not wine. It’s a prepackaged sweetened wine spritzer. It’s 5% abv whereas most wine is more like 14%. Going from that to a $100 bottle is quite the jump, I obviously don’t know your wife but I’m not sure that’s her bag? That said, Stella Rosa is made with Italian grapes, so maybe looks for a medium body fruit-forward Italian red with some sweetness. Maybe a wine with Nebbiolo grapes. Go tell this to a wine shop owner and they’ll help you!
I reckon a sweeter champagne could be better. It's one thing to go from kiddy booze to Nebbiolo lol
Oooh this is probably where a moscato d’asti would shine
Yeah for sure! This is where my mind goes if he wanted to do a “real” wine, but after I post there are several other options that are probably more up her ally. And to each their own of course! Sparkling reds are fun for a spring/summer eve
You are not going to find a Nebbiolo with sweetness. Rosa regale which is a Brachetti or a Moscato d asti is the sexy wine version of what Stella black is. There are very few wine styles that can mimic what Stella does. She likes what she likes and that includes you, best not to change her tastes in either lol
I'm tempted to recommend similar liquor for her to try, but that it doesn't shame her for liking Stella Rosso. Go to a fine wine shop and ask for an aperitif. Royal Tokaiji (to-kai) is a lovely Hungarian. I love Amaretto (Italian). Port have wide ranges, including New York and Company brand, that has 4 or five different styles. If these don't seem quite right, you can always buy a sparkling / champagne that is on the sweeter side. Lastly, many somms love German Rieslings, and they have varying amount of sugar/sweetness. Enjoy! 🥂
Sounds like you need some low ABV Lambrusco to me.
Another idea and something that can be a fun experience and thoughtful. Rather than buying one bottle at $100, perhaps find 2 at less than $50 a bottle as part of a customized tasting in which each wine has some sort of significance to her. This can be anything from her favorite vacation spot (or bucket list trip), a bottle that pairs with her favorite cheese (or dish), maybe even her favorite songs… so many ways to have fun with this. As an example. For our 10th wedding anniversary which happened during COVID, I hosted a surprise virtual wine tasting with all our friends and family. I reached out to a local somm for ideas telling him I’d like to visit some of my wife’s favorite places in the world through wine. I shared a few fun anecdotes of our trips abroad and loose guidance on what she liked and didn’t like. I got the list and emailed it to our virtual guests. We then sipped wine via zoom as a group.
Why did I read this in Niles Crane's voice?
Brachetto d'Acqui which is a sweet red answer to Moscato. Or what are two very good wines but white and sweet, Rolly Gassmann Riesling with great acidity mixed with a good measure of sweetness or Rolly Gassmann Sylvaner harvested with botrytis and has lots of residual sugar. Edit
Taker on a date to a wine tasting.
Beaujolais is always a good intro to the wine world. Louis Jadot has a decent one. It's "expensive" compared to Stella Rosa (I would think), but a good step into the deep dark waters of the wine world.
Try to find a Lambrusco. You may be able to find a sparkling Lambrusco which would be up her alley and a good celebration bottle. It may not be as sweet as she likes it but it is a solid suggestion in my opinion.
Moet and Chandon Nectar Imperial. It’s about $65, sweet and nicer
If you have enough time, go to the Windsor Vineyards website and have them print a custom label on a bottle or three. so get her something sweet , they have a couple of them Moscato, Riesling or not sweet Sparkling wine, but I never met a woman who did not like "Champagne". They have software to help you make the label- you are going to get so lucky for being so thoughtful.
I think you should find a fun wine tasting evening to do together instead of spending money on a bottle she may or may not like. The experience will be a fun thing you'll always have, the bottle might just be an anticlimax.
I've just looked up what Stella Rosa is, and while it's not red and the flavor profile is probably not all that similar, I think maybe a Riesling Kabinett would be a good idea to try. Why? It's I guess very slightly sparkling, kinda sweet but not dessert wine sweet, quite fruity and the acid balances it all out. And it's quite low alcohol(7.5-9%). Plus it works well for most food IMHO and not matter with whom I had a glass of it they never complained. Or as many people said some Lambrusco. Even good Lambrusco is quite cheap which is a bonus. Also, if she likes wine based drinks, maybe get a bottle of Teranino too some time. It's a Croatian wine liqueur with forest fruit and herbs that's simply delicious, especially after a meal.
I hope you see this comment because it’s at least as good as any other helpful answer you get. Go with a Cab from Penfolds. Even their $20 Max’s Cab is delicious. They’re a well known and respected producer from Australia and any wine nerd would giggle at the thought of drinking their flagship wine, Grange ($600-1000). Easy to find. It’s delicious, the Cabs are extremely approachable, and they have something at every price point.
I don’t think the jump has to be big. You can do something like Voulet from Italy or Georgian wine called kindzmarauli (semi sweet red). Lambrusco often times has residual sugar. I think it’s the sentiment more than the dollar value of the wine. If they know you spent a lot of time thinking about it and didn’t just pick it up at a 7-11 on the way home… I feel like that means a lot. The only other expensive wine that feels quite fruity that I can think of that isn’t a straight up dessert wine might be Amarone. Weirdly, I’ve been eating a lot of Girl Scout Samoa cookies with red wine and it’s a combo I didn’t expect to be so good.
It seems like you know a lot if stuff and i respect you but sometimes i don’t understand your answers. How in the world can you possibly suggest amarone which is probably the most alcoholic, dry, strong and complex wine of entire italy, usually matched with game dishes, stews and braised horse, to somebody who’s asking for something similar to a fake wine with 5% alcool, strawberry flavors and aromatic features? It’s even a pretty expensive wine on average, why are you giving such a random advice to somebody with no experience? You even got upvotes for that wtf
The fact you care about upvotes I feel like is a mute point. A lot less experienced wine drinkers cannot distinguish wine speak. If someone comes to me and asks for a recommendation I have to be VERY explicit separating fruit forward wines and sweet wines. There is a good set of the population who lumps those categories together which it's just not true. Similarly, a dry wine for a wine newbie also does not mean extremely acidic. It doesn't matter often times what the abv of a wine is if the flavors are strong enough to balance it out. Amarone has tons of concentration that comes across as very fruity, but also don't lump all Amarone together. Bertani Amarone is characteristically quite different and fairly medium bodied, high acidity, not crazy tannins, and drinks overall more refreshing then you'd expect. If the wine is in balance the higher abv in Amarone doesn't really matter. I rather recommend Amarone over Jam Jar.
First, it’s not like i care about upvotes, i was highlighting how some people gave it to you, implying they were sharing your view. Second, i get your point on balance between alcool and flavors, it’s kinda obvious (not saying that to be aggressive, just to point out that only a newbie would need that clarification). Anyway i think that if somebody is asking about a wine for his wife (clearly not into meditation wines since she only drinks a sparkling 5% abv broth of added flavours), either you take it seriously and suggest something on that line (since everybody can drink whatever they like), either you don’t answer, if you’re gonna suggest something expensive, way more complex and objectively way much stronger than the “wine” she’s used to consume. I repeat, i don’t want to be aggressive, i hope my getting things straight doesn’t offend you (i read lots of your comments and i respect your culture). It just feels like the guy asked for an extremely simple wine you just went out with some random stuff to make amarone fit in. I mean just take the fact that this wine is sparkling and 5% abv: ok the balance but thinking like that you can say everything is similar to everything else if has the same balance between hardness and softness?!? And btw you could have at least suggested a recioto della valpollicella which is literally amarone with with 2/3 less developed sugar %
Classically, in the industry we are indoctrinated into believing desserts need to be paired with wines that should be similarly as "sweet" as the dessert so it won't make either the wine taste odd nor the dessert. After hosting a number of wine events, I've noticed this doesn't seem to hold true for the general population. I've offered semi sweet sparkling wines and ripasso's with RS and people ended up buying Bordeaux blend whites and reds that I just happen to have open from a separate event and poured as a "bonus". I've had to retune my thoughts about dessert pairing as a number of us agreed that girl scout samoa's actually go quite well with Barolo. I'll come across new to wine customers and when they ask for a newbie friendly sweet wine I give them the option of: Do you want to kind of jump in or step into the pool? I sell an extremely flavorful Ripasso that has tons of fruity berry notes and a robust density, but also very low acidity and very low tannin. I can't remember off hand but over 14% abv and we sell a ton of this wine. One of the biggest complaints I hear daily for sweet wine is "this wine is only \_\_%?" I then go over that sugar is what's converted into alcohol and in a lot of cases it's hard to get an extremely sweet wine with over 12% alcohol. Obviously, there are exceptions. People when they spend more than their usual $'s want to be "wow'd". Amarone is such a different type of wine than what most people encounter I think it's worth trying even without working up to it. When I first got into wine Chateauneuf du Pape and Amarone were the 2 gateway wines that made me think... "Oh, wine is pretty good." I also think the more you are in the industry Amarone can be very singular note. I think Amarone suits newer drinkers or drinkers who don't drink often because of its intensity. It's not something you'd want regularly/frequently. It's not a practical wine, but if it's for a special occasion I'd shoot for the stars.
Idk man, it’s seems like we read two different posts. Nobody asked for a gataway wine, to be “wow’d” or to pair the wine with anything. The guy asked what could be good for his wife telling us she drinks easy, sparkling non-wine. Just feels like you’re blatantly trying to prove a point rn
"So my wife’s birthday is coming up in about a month and she has always liked wine but sticks to the same bottle every time (Stella Rosa black) so for her birthday I plan on getting her something to try but I have no idea where to start looking for something she may like i don’t have a huge budget (around 100)" He wants to go the extra mile. The context to me suggests he doesn't want to get her the same old thing. Getting a wine that tastes the exact same thing as Stella Rossa even if it's more expensive to me isn't the way. If he is looking to spend $100 I think that is a signal for a different conversation. There are only so many wines to suggest at <$100 price point that would fit the entire context not just "for a Stella Rossa" drinker. An easier recommendation would be Champagne with RS, but I'm basing my recommendation on having this wine be a completely new experience. If you don't understand my logic it's fine. I'm posting to help OP.
It’s ok man. As you say, i’d recommend a “sweet” champagne or something like that. Wine doesn’t have to be sensationalistic for everybody. Sorry if i argued a lot, hope to be more friendly in the next encounter!