mnannie

We will be in Rome at the end of February, and I would like my husband to enjoy a bottle of wine with me. Any suggestions on a wine he might like? He likes to claim it all tastes like church wine!
Thanks!

ellenem

What would he prefer to drink instead?

My Italian favorites (right now) are Nebbiolo (red) and Gavi di Gavi (white).

travelhorizons

Ask the waiter to recommend his favorite Chianti ... and ask for an older bottle (perhaps 2003 or earlier). Red wines get mellow as they age. Not that I'm an expert on wines!

mnannie

Thanks for the advice.
He's a beer drinker, through and through, but I'm determined to convert him...

ira

Hi M,

>Honeymooning in Italy and husband hates wine!<

So? You drink the wine and let him drink beer.

Giovanna

Ira's suggestion sounds like a wise one! We went to a birthday party last night, and our neighbor, who has decided to try to drink red wine "because it's good for you," took a few sips of what we considered a nice cab and said it was absolutely awful, so sour! I suggested perhaps a better term would be dry. She was convinced it was an acquired taste, as it tasted like awful medicine.

Now, I have no idea if your husband feels this strongly, but the old saying, "You can lead a horse to water, etc., etc." might apply. Why try to convert him? Let him enjoy his beer and you do likewise with your wine.

Happy Honeymoon!

zootsi

Get a 1/4 or 1/2 liter carafe of house red, which will set you back about $4-$8 in Rome. Roman table wines are usually quite drinkable, and very inexpensive. That way, if he really does dislike it, you won't be out too much money.
Wine is an acquired taste, but a few glasses with some good pasta in Italy will convert nearly anyone!

degas

He's a beer drinker, through and through, but I'm determined to convert him...


Hope you said that in jest. Trying to convert people often dooms a marriage.

alanRow

<<< He's a beer drinker, through and through, but I'm determined to convert him... >>>

The three words that go through a bride's mind - Aisle, Altar, Hymn.

bobthenavigator

Of course, let him drink beer---I often do in Italy. One trip I counted 15 various brands of beer. However, if you want a good white wine that a beer drinker may like, try Vernaccia di San Gimignano or Orvieto Classico---not church wine.

MaureenB

I, too, would let him drink his beer and enjoy it. Maybe he'll agree to sip on your wine, and perhaps might find one he likes. Since he prefers effervescent beer, maybe he'd like a sparkling wine, like prosecco? I'm sure you were being facetious about "converting" him, non?
Enjoy your trip. Italy is for lovers!
>-

BellaVitaItalia

Let him drink a nice cold Peroni or Nastro Azzuro (that would be Italian beer) while YOU enjoy some local wine. I'm with Bob on the Vernaccia or a good Vermentino from Liguria or Sardegna...

tcreath

I agree with the above; either let him drink beer or split a carafe of the house table wine. Quite drinkable and inexpensive, so if he doesn't like it you aren't out a lot of money.

Tracy

NeoPatrick

Uh-oh, haven't started the honeymoon and already you're "trying to convert him"?
Like the others, I really hope you were kidding, but then if so, why are you asking advice as if you are serious about it?


We traveled through Italy with a female friend who really doesn't like wine. She loved drinking Italian beers with meals. Why would we have tried to convert her and not allow her to enjoy what she knows she likes?

J_Correa

My husband is a beer drinker as well. I enjoy beer and wine - and cocktails, and spirits, and liquers, and... But I digress.

My husband has a sip of my wine every once in awhile - maybe he will develop a taste for it some day. Who knows? I don't worry about it though. Sometimes I do think it would be fun to split a bottle of wine, but that is a fairly minor wish in the grand scheme of things.

I think for you guys, if your husband is going to be a convert, I think the best way to go about it is to just leave it be. As time goes on, he may develop a taste for wine, but let him initiate. I have certainly developed a taste for darker beers since I have been with my husband. He enjoys it so much that my curiosity got to me and I started trying more and more of the beers he likes.

LoveItaly

Hi mnannie, what is wrong with your husband drinking beer? My SIL who was born and raised in Rome and lived part of his adult life there mostly drank beer. He actually drank very little wine. A lot of male friends in Italy drink beer instead of wine also.

Think of it this way..would you want your husband to want you to switch to beer?

Anyway, there are lots of wonderful wines in Italy. You can order a different glass each time and ask him if he wants to take a small sip just to compare the various wines. But I wouldn't worry about it if he isn't interested. It wouldn't stop me from enjoying my wine. Best wishes and enjoy wonderful Rome!!

Luisah

"He's a beer drinker, through and through, but I'm determined to convert him..."

Like others, I hope you're joking. Let him drink his beer and offer a sip of your wine, maybe there will be one he likes well enough to go for a glass, if not, focus on enjoying your time in beautiful Italy.

kerouac

I agree with letting your husband drink beer. He will probably want to taste your wine regularly and may come to like it. Peer pressure will also have an influence on him -- if you go to a restaurant and he sees that 90% of the customers are drinking wine, he might think that he is missing something.

LucieV

goodgod, I am not a serious (or even regular) wine drinker, nor is my dh, and we've travelled in Italy many times, sometimes drinking, sometimes not, but always enjoying ourselves thoroughly. Son hates tomatoes, loves Italy.

I hate hot dogs, but I love going to baseball games.

The only thing I'd worry about is if he doesn't like great food!

kgh8m

Don't convert him - my DH isn't into wine either. More for me!

Order what you want, invite him to have a sip, and if he doesn't like it, so be it.