Can anybody recommend a nice red wine for beginners?

Merlot Peach Garden from M&S is the first red wine I've liked enough to buy more. Came 'free' with dine in for £10 the first time. Best opened a while before BUT my first taste was on an emergency opening where we needed more wine than we'd planned for and everyone liked it.

I love Italian wines & a particular favourite is the Primitivo from the glorious Puglia region - the "heel" of Italy's "boot". It used to be hard to find but is now available in all the major supermarkets

We were advised to drink Argentinian Malbec as it's good for DH's macular degeneration. So we do, knowing that it's purely medicinal of course ...... The fact that it's delicious is neither here nor there!!

Under no circumstances go for a South African wine - worked for a specialist SA Wine importer, who sent us wines which needed to be laid down for at least 3 years and couldn't undertand that we don't tend to have wine cellars here! A nouveau Beaujolais tends not to be too bad (they are intended to be drunk young, but it's almost impossible to buy supermarket reds that are fit for human consumption - they are all far too young. Recommend advice from a good wine merchant if you have one near you and be prepared to pay good money - we tend to drink a weekly bottle of absolute plonk with a Saturday meal (try to avoid paying under £6), but for a special occasion will drink a Gevry Chambourtin. Also do like Fleurie.

What an interesting task to set oneself!! "just doing my research, darling!"
I am very fond of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo which is also (I believe) the house red at Pizza Express!

Oops! Just seenLillie's post. So, I second what she says?

New Zealand Pinot noir is nice. A fairly light red.

I had never realised there was a training course for red wine drinkers. Probably why I have never liked the stuff. Hope your tasters prove helpful Kim!

Thank you for all of your recommendations, I have made a note and look forward to trying them out

Ooh yes, ffinnochio a nice Burgundy pinot noir is lovely, although a bit pricey maybe.
Kim 0612 try the New Zealand Oyster Bay pinot noir, they have it in Waitrose and Tesco. It is light and fruity.
If you're feeling inquisitive and brave, go along to your local Majestic and ask to have a taste from the open bottles they have under the counter. That will give you an idea of different flavours side by side. They also give you interesting and informatve tasting sheets on each
and every wine they sell. Our branch manager delivers ours for free.

The Bourgogne region of France makes some very light reds. Perfect for beginners.

there are some light Italian reds as well ,Italian is usually a favouite here so ask about those

Apologies, that should read elderberry and blackberry

We make a cracking blackberry and elderflower!! Seriously though Aldi do some lovely Spanish reds which my good friend serves.

Anything red and alcoholic - I have no taste so am a cheap date I'll get me coat!!

I suggest you look for a small, independent wine merchant, say how much you want to spend and ask for advice. If the staff are snooty and make you feel uncomfortable, go elsewhere. We have had some really good advice from our local shop, there are usually samples to try and sometimes guided wine tasting sessions which are fantastic for beginners.

The Torro Loco Tempranillo from Aldi is really very good for the price. (Around £4 ) Very easy to drink and award winning in its price range.

There is an excellent merlot that slips down far to easy from Morrisons called Head Honcho ( it has a cat on the label) and is excellent for £6- £6.50 ish.

Hmmm.....methinks if you have to try too hard to 'acquire' a taste then perhaps its just not for you. We all have different tastes - anything that we imbibe should be firstly because we really enjoy the flavour.
P.S. I am not a fan of the big name wineries that are often sold by supermarkets at what appear to be bargain prices.....such as £6 reduced from £9 when in fact you rarely see them at that price.

Teetime & Hilda obviously know their grapes.

But what grape is that Kim?

You need first to look at the different types of grape, e.g. Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir, etc...not necessarily who makes them, and decide which grape you prefer.

Some of these suggestions are GAAT.

When you say you are 'trying to get into' red wine it almost sounds as if its a chore. It should simply be about what you enjoy!
Any good supermarket own label is a good place to start - and going really cheap is always a waste of money as you will be paying more for the bottle than the wine.
Start with something middle of the road such as a light Merlot and work from there. If you are drinking it with food that can make a huge difference - if its a lighter wine strong flavoured foods can swamp it.

Its not a bad idea to trawl through any of the Supermarket websites for research - Morrisons has a taste test that can help you narrow it down. (I have found many of theirs to my taste). The Waitrose site is also very informative.....just for research of course!

I would definitely start with a Merlot and until you are into it avoid the Pinotage and Shiraz which are much heavier, delicious and probably best with dishes such as roasts and stews. Sainsbury and Waitrose do very good 'own brand' wine at a good price so you wont feel you have spent too much if you don't like it. I've trued the Morrisons range and ended up making gravy with it!! Happy drinking - I love red wine!!!

I am going to make a note of what you have all recommended and work our way through them, we have never 'uncorked' it, so maybe that is part of the problem, will do that next bottle. I have actually ordered a bottle of Oxford Landing Greyduster to be delivered with my shopping tomorrow because that is actually one we have tried once before that we did like. I know red wine is an acquired taste.

Blossom Hill Red, Soft and Fruity about £5. Hubbies favourite ??

I'll second both Fleurie, and the McGuigan range. Also Oxford Landing (luscious!), Wolf Blass red or yellow label, and Yellowtail. If you like French wines, Chinon and Bourgueil from the Loire Valley, but they are a bit heavy on tannin so maybe when you get a taste for reds.....