New to the world of wines (and this site)...

I'm 30 years old female from Lebanon PA and new to the wine world. I dated a guy this summer who's parents made wine and I loved it. That didn't work out so now I'm in search of wines. I like sweet and fruity types. So far the only I've tried is Red Cat and I do like it. So if you have an suggestions feel free!! I need a wine mentor!!

Let me be the first (!) to welcome you to the place Holly.

Lots of good chat and an abundance of opinions and experience.

Hey Holly.. don't know Red Cat.. so.. tell us what sorts of wines you have liked. What style? Do you like Cabs? Merlot? Sweeter whites?

With just a wee bit more info, you will be inundated with ideas from mentors-to-be.....

Welcome to the crazy, wonderful world of wine..

Welcome Holly. While there are "mentors" galore here, we won't all agree. There is some very useful information here. One good place to start is the Wine Lovers Home page, where there are several articles and links posted, including a wine lexicon and a winegrape glossary. Subscribe to Robin's "30-Second Wine Advisor" a 3x weekly wine newsletter that ususally involves a tasting note on at least one wine and appropriate food pairings. Then there's the Wine Focus, where a different type of wine is chosen each month and the members try various versions and post reports.

Lebanon PA

From what I understand, your biggest impediment will be the PALCB, which has a monopoly on wine in your state.

http://www.pawineandspirits.com

I've heard all kinds of horror stories about how they send PA State Police over to NJ to scout the NJ liquor stores and then arrest you when you cross back over the border into PA.

And if you want to BYO [bring your own] to a restaurant in PA, then you have to bring a receipt with you proving that you purchased the wine from the PALCB.

sweet and fruity types

Having said that, if you like "sweet and fruity types", then, on the red side of things, you will have the most luck with Australian Shiraz, and maybe some inexpensive wines from Spain [although you'll discover soon enough whether you like Spanish Garnacha, aka Grenache]:

PALCB, Australia

PALCB, Spain

In particular, the fellow who reviews both Australia & Spain for the Wine Advocate ["WA" on the PALCB website], Jay Miller, likes "sweet and fruity" wines, and I am confident that you will enjoy the wines which he has given high scores.

You might also like Pinot Noir from the Central Coast of California [where the WA reviewer is Robert Parker], but the entry point for California Pinot is about $40-$45, which, in general, is substantially more money than the entry point for Australian Shiraz or Spanish reds [where excellent wines can often be found for less than $20]:

PALCB, Other California

Note that the Central Coast Pinot Noirs are the wines which were featured in the movie Sideways.

On the white side of things, if you really like "sweet and fruity", then at some point you owe it to yourself to try some German Riesling:

PALCB, Germany & Austria

Note that, as a general rule of thumb, the German Rieslings will be very sweet, but the Austrian Rieslings will be very dry.

Finally, if you stick with wine, then, over time, your tastes will probably expand beyond "sweet and fruity", and into into leaner, drier, crisper, more "minerally" styles, but you've got plenty of time to make that transition.

Goodness me, even I am learning something!!
Holly, try to go to some in-store wine tastings. Better still ring around a few wine stores and enquire when they are doing some tastings. One of the best ways to learn, find out which wines appeal to you.
Any wine bars in your area? Take a looksie there too.

in store tastings? in PA? or MI? are you out of your mind? what are these 'in store tastings' of which you speak? (at least not the last time i was to a philly store) and certainly not in Michigan.

Welcome, Holly!

I love love love Lebanon bologna. One of my very few vices.

Not sure how much the place has grown since I stomped around down there, but you might have better luck finding good wine stores in Harrisburg, which must be about twice as big as Lebanon?

in store tastings? in PA? or MI? are you out of your mind? what are these 'in store tastings' of which you speak? (at least not the last time i was to a philly store) and certainly not in Michigan.

Laugh, I dont know!! Is it that bad and old-fashioned over on the east side!!
Thank goodness for Alberta, yippee. Can you go birding in PA/MI?

Laugh, I dont know!! Is it that bad and old-fashioned over on the east side!!Thank goodness for Alberta, yippee. Can you go birding in PA/MI?

Bob, do you do much birding from horseback? Seems a nice way to spend a day.

Bob H, only when I am close to the mountains south of Pincher Creek, towards Waterton. There are restrictions in some areas.
When butterflying up in de hills, a horse is very useful. No need to slog up all those meadows to get to where I wanna be!
How things going with you? Still no ESJ here, no Marsanne either!

Bob P

Red Cat is a Catawba blend made by Hazlitt 1852 in the Finger Lakes.

The PLCB admittedly has a lot of faults, particularly from the perspective of serious wine drinkers, though my understanding is that the organized efforts to catch folks bringing wine in from out of state have been curtailed (I still wouldn't recommend going to a big wine store across the state border at holiday time and bring back a trunk full of wine, though). Further, I've never had the local BYO place check to see that wine I brought had been bought from the PLCB. Prices of low-end wines tend to be more expensive in Pennsylvania than elsewhere because of the state's pricing formula, but given the price of gas, it probably doesn't make sense to drive all the way to New Jersey from Lebanon to save a couple bucks.

For someone starting out, the PLCB has a reasonable selection. The selection at specialty stores and superstores can be quite wide-ranging, and even confusing to someone new to wine. I don't know what sorts of stores are near Lebanon, though there are superstores not all that far away, e.g. in Lemoyne near Harrisburg.

And welcome, Holly! The best way to branch out and find more wines you like is to talk to friends who like wines you like. Most PLCB stores have someone who can make recommendations based on what you tell them you like, though it can be hit-or-miss. And if you like sweet, fruity wines, you might want to try a semi-sweet Riesling. The state carries the Dr. Frank wines from the Finger Lakes, though they will be more expensive than the Red Cat.