What Is Your Source For Wine Information ?


img_0774.jpgWhere do you get and trust your wine information from?  Magazines?  Internet? Wine Blogs?  Books? Pocket Guides?  Your Local Wine Merchant?
I have been “into” wine for the past, well I do not want to tell you how many years.  But let’s put it this way, long before the internet became the tool it is today.  When I started getting serious about wine, I was very lucky to have a friend who was in the wine business.  I could not have asked for a better teacher.  But, she and I only would see each other now and then and I had many hours on my own.  Therefore, I turned to Wine Spectator.  It was the only periodical of wine information that I could readily get my hands on at that time.  So I would pick up an edition, circle the items that I found interesting and could afford, then head to my local wine merchant.  He and I would go over my selections and given his advice, I would make my purchases.  Never was I steered wrong. 

So I must say, “in those days,” I depended upon the magazines and my wine merchant to guide me along down the path of grapes.

Now “in these days,” I am not so sure about the wine magazines.  They do not seem as instructional as they were then.  First of all, there are too many advertisements.  If I wanted to buy a car, I would refer to a car magazine or dealer.  If I wanted a new handbag or diamond ring, I would head to the shopping mall.  The publications are not cheap to buy nowadays, so I am not sure I am getting my money’s worth of wine information from them.  To me, they are the “same ol, same ol” information.  And where are the women reporters for these publications?  OK, I will not get into this discussion at this time.  But Dr. Debs at Good Wines Under $20 had a post up on Tuesday that is well worth reading.

Where do I turn to “these days” for wine advice? (And yes, even after sipping that wonderful gold and purple liquid for many years, I still find myself being educated).  I still have faith in the small wine shops.  The owner, Christopher, of our local wine shop here in Oxford, Ohio, Main Street Gourmet, is extremely knowledgeable about all the wines he sells.  What makes it amusing is that he is so excited and willing to share his information.  He has made some wonderful selections for me when I go to him with my lists and, he has earned my trust.  But…

In my opinion, today, I trust, get educated, and have tons of fun on the Internet, especially with Wine Blogs.  No other place in the world can you find a group of folks that share their passion for wine in one place.  It is amazing that someone in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Scotland, England, Australia, I am talking “worldwide”, can chat together in the same day about a wine or grape that has sparked their interest.  Each blogger researches, purchases, tastes and writes their findings for all to share. These folks successfully complete a great amount of homework before they present it in a post on their blog site.  To me, this is the best wine information resource yet to be found!

I am curious to hear your opinion regarding our wine information resources.  Come on, drop me a comment!

Cheers!

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June 13th, 2007
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Reader Comments

Comment Number:
1
Written by:
Golly
Posted on:
June 13, 2007 at 11:54 am

I tend to read Wine & Spirit and Decanter in the bath. Both take a more European perspective, so they’re a nice balance to Spectator for me.

Comment Number:
2
Written by:
MJC
Posted on:
June 13, 2007 at 12:35 pm

Hey Deb,
Are there any good schools that offer “formal” courses on wines that are worth checking out? Seems like a class I’d like to take!
MJC

Comment Number:
3
Written by:
Nate
Posted on:
June 13, 2007 at 2:09 pm

Being a wine blogger myself, I obviously tend to get a lot of my wine information from other wine blogs. But I also subscribe to Wine Enthusiast, and I don’t really understand why more wine bloggers don’t think this is a nifty publication. (For example, I noticed WE was not in your picture of wine mags, so presumably you don’t read it either). I like Wine Enthusiast because it seems to balance out the snobbery of Wine Spectator, and also includes some fun food, travel, and other related articles.

Just my 2 cents!

Comment Number:
4
Written by:
Deb
Posted on:
June 13, 2007 at 3:30 pm

Golly - taking a magazine into the bath for relaxing reading is much smarter than taking your laptop! So magazines are still pretty useful!

MJC - I personally cannot recommend a “formal” course. I do self-teaching. There are many good books by Jancis Robinson, Hugh Johnson, Andrea Robinson, Kevin Zraly that will guide you through the wines of the world. Another good way to learn about how wine is made is to take a tour of a local winery. In most cases, the folks at the winery are more than happy to share their knowledge of wine with you. If you are set on taking a “formal” class, I would suggest going to the internet and searching for a class in your area. Hope this was helpful for you!

Comment Number:
5
Written by:
Fabio
Posted on:
June 13, 2007 at 3:42 pm

Personally I prefer internet and blogosphere. If you note, many of wine news coming first from blogosphere finish on the most important wine magazines, but later. Not only: I prefer internet because of the possibility to start discussions and to get in touch with others. And, last but not least, you learn more about wine ;)

Comment Number:
6
Written by:
Wilf Krutzmann
Posted on:
June 13, 2007 at 4:48 pm

Hi Deb,
You are so right. I too have been tasting and drinking wines for a while. I write a column,a newsletter and have my blog. While I have a book-shelf full of wine books, including Jancis Robinson’s latest edition of the Oxford Companion, I tend to look for wine info on the internet.

Comment Number:
7
Written by:
Deb
Posted on:
June 14, 2007 at 11:47 am

Nate - Thanks for your 2 cents! I will pick up a copy of WE and check it out, as it is not one of the ones I usually pick up!

Fabio - I agree with you on the news on the blogs. Just look what happened with the Rose’ wines lately!

Wilf - Thanks for leaving a comment. I think the majority of us are all on the “same page”!

Comment Number:
8
Written by:
farley
Posted on:
June 17, 2007 at 7:21 am

I love how these ideas make their way around the online wine community. Dr. Debs wrote her Wine Spectator post, in part, as a response to my women & wine rant. But I also wrote about the benefits of wine blogging over more traditional (i.e. print) sources:

Here’s a link

Comment Number:
9
Written by:
Kati
Posted on:
July 16, 2007 at 11:06 am

As with Wikipedia, there are good sources of information on wine, bad sources and urban legends. It depends on what I am looking for. News is best in its original language as are tasting notes (regardless of where the wine is from). Magazines run the gamut. And winery websites are getting less and less informative and more and more flash. Don’t they realize that if I can’t copy the tasting note or the name of the new release or their address, I don’t buy the wine or visit?
I agree with Nate that Wine Enthusiast is a good source of what seems to be reliable information and credible tasting notes. Wine critics are like film critics, love em or hate em but as long as they are consistent you can quickly know that if critic X says he loves the wine, you won’t. And you might be in sync with one critic on Merlot but not on Bordeaux blend. The key, to me, is to get to know your own tastes.
The same holds true with a retailer. If you are “sympa” as the French say, great.
And take it all with a grain of salt (which actually enhances a wine flavor…salt on the food, of course!).
Kati