Will blog for wine

I remember when cell phones were as big as a suitcase and could only be used in cars. I remember when faxes were the new new thing. I was dumbfounded by the Internet and e-mailing, and now look at us … Twitter, Facebook and blogging. What’s next?
My impression of a blog was that it was only for egotistical blowhards who loved to rant and rave and, in the end, would bore you stiff.
I am an avid reader of wine magazines as well as news magazines (oh, and hate to say it, but Oprah Magazine, too). Throw in a comfy sofa, and I’m good. Just the idea of putting more face time at my computer caused my sciatica to flare up. But when asked to write an article about wine blogs, I took on the challenge, believing it meant finding cool sites with fun and informative information about my favorite beverage.
When I went searching for wine blogs, I thought, oh this should be easy since the wine world is filled with its share of pretentious yakity yaks, who love to give opinions and carry on about all things grape. Just take a look at the back labels on wine bottles.
So in my search for wine blogs, I put together some lofty parameters. 1) The blog has to hold my interest. I don’t care about wine from Uzbekistan, wines that cost $2,000 or anything made from a grape that can be found in supermarket produce isles. 2) The blogger has to be funny and irreverent. 3) I wanted to learn something that would be relevant to my daily wine-drinking life.
The first blog I was aware of is called “Fermentation – The Daily Wine Blog” (http://fermentation.typepad.com) by Tom Wark, an old colleague of mine. The blog is focused mostly on California wines and life because that’s where he’s based. This is not a site for the faint of heart because there is a plethora of four-letter words tossed around. But for me, his opinions on wine and the state of the wine industry are quite interesting. He also recommends some great books about wine and food.
Another site that is informative and easy to navigate is Wine Enthusiast contributor Steve Heimoff’s blog (http://steveheimoff.com). In his role at Wine Enthusiast Magazine, he writes columns, feature stories, Web pieces and reviews about 5,000 wines per year. He turns his blog into entertaining reading with an inside perspective on wine, wine personalities and the business of wine.
I found 2daysperbottle.blogspot.com through “Fermentation’s” links. This clever site reviews wines that have been opened and then vacuum sealed for two days. A little stick figure bent in various positions of “thumbs up/thumbs down” shows the results. I like that he addresses the two-day issue – some wines need that extra day to open up, where others fall flat even after vacuum sealing. I run into this all the time, so that’s why I try to drink the entire bottle in one sitting.
Snooth at (http://www.snooth.com/) bids itself as the world’s largest and most comprehensive wine site. There is a an area on the site similar to Facebook where you become a “Snooth Friend.” Once “friendly,” you can post photos and chat away with other wine geeks. The site’s review system seems a little complicated, and the site isn’t as viewer friendly, but I think it pretty much covers all the wine bases.
For those who dream of traveling the wine roads in Italy, this site (http://acevola.blogspot.com/ ) is for you with beautiful photos and great talk about Italian wines. The guy lives in the U.S. and in Italy. He sometimes goes off on political and family tangents, but his recaps of his Italian wine and food experiences are quite charming.
I also asked a local wine purveyor, Paul Vernon of Top Ten Wines, to share his thoughts on wine blogging. He believes wine blogs can be beneficial to businesses only when they don’t try to sell too much and focus more on newsworthy subjects that people find helpful. He recently hired someone to be his “technical guy,” whose job it is to maintain the Web site and blog. Paul thinks the blog will help draw more people to the Web site, where he can in turn sell them wine. Paul personally doesn’t blog but will check out Robert Parker’s site (http://www.erobertparker.com) and The New York Times blog (http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com).
Lastly, I hate to admit it, but I actually did find a blog that I will continue to check out (http://www.everydaywine.net). Its tag line is quoted from Benjamin Franklin and reads, “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried with fewer tensions and more tolerance.” It believes in wines less than $20 and has tons of reviews that run the gamut from roses to rhones to ice wines. Some great topics are “Which party wines to buy that won’t embarrass you” and “Please, let’s sack the super bowl wine pairings.” There is good information for people like me, who are constantly looking for value-priced wines that won’t be thrown into the beef stew.
You can also go to your favorite winery’s Web site, and you will most likely find a winemaker or owner blogging about the current releases or special bottlings.
After surfing my way around the world of blogs, I’m now convinced that it’s a good way to learn about your favorite subjects as well as be a part of dialogue that interests you and educates. Pour a glass of wine and blog on. And rather than cracking a good book, try clicking on a good blog. V
Blogs
Able Grape
www.ablegrape.com
American Winery
www.americanwinery.com
Appellation America
www.wine.appellationamerica.com
Cellar Tracker!
www.cellartracker.com
Cellarnotes
www.cellarnotes.net
Chowhound Wine Board
www.chowhound.com/boards/34
Chronicle Wine Cellar
www.cwcellar.com
Classic Wines
www.classicwines.com
Community Wally’s
http://community.wallywine.com
Divas Uncorked
www.divasuncorked.com
Domaine 547
www.domaine547.com
French Duck
http://frenchduck.co.uk/wordpress/
Grape Radio
www.graperadio.com
Jancis Robinson
www.jancisrobinson.com
K & L Wine Merchants
www.klwines.com
Ken’s Wine Guide
www.kenswineguide.com
Koeppel On Wine
www.koeppelonwine.com
MoreThanOrganic
www.morethanorganic.com