Wine Blogging 101

Portmann’s First Law: As I approach work deadlines, I am more readily distracted. 

So I end up surfing wine blog sites.  My favorite search begins with “wino,” but for some reason, this time I ended up at a site for Food and Wine.  In the latest issue, Mickey Butts lists his top seven wine blogs that range from the professional wine importer to a travel columnist from Time magazine.

While I believe that Mr. Butts’ list has its merits, I tend to favor a less structured approach to wine than many of his favorite blogs use.  His choices are so professional and polished that they seem almost inaccessible to the average viewer.

If I were to submit my own list to parallel Mr. Butts’, the first would be the Caveman’s Wine Blog.  It’s comprehensive, and examines not only wines but also the production of wine and does not seem to be affiliated with any winemakers.

The next would be Wine Dreams.  The author does not stay focused on tasting wine, but chooses to analyze the industry (which I find intriguing—especially when she takes on Robert Parker’s Wine Spectator).

My third is a kind of a bibliography of wine blogs aptly named Vinolin.  The beauty of this site is that it redirects to other blogs via the actual category of interest, rather than giving random notes that are dependent on an obscure writer’s whims.  This “blog” is one of the most comprehensive lists connecting wine information that I’ve seen to date.

The fourth is called Vino Keeno, and takes outside reviews as well as submitting some of its own—there is input from a number of sources, rather than one self-appointed expert.

The last on my delicious list is Basic Juice.  It’s easy to navigate, extraneous information is entertaining and there are insider tips on how and where to visit wineries in Oregon and Washington, as well as the usual californication. 

Woven in between those “professional” blogsites are those that began (sometimes months ago) and then were never revisited.  What’s the purpose? 

Then there are people who buy wine as an investment.  Okay, I can see why, but don’t they want to drink the wine?  Doesn’t the fact that it’s more valuable make it more attractive?  Maybe that’s why I’ve found myself giving away bottles and drinking bottles that later get raves and climb in value and wanting to kick myself. 

And what about the big scandal with the wine auctions over the past year?  It’s been implied that some sneaky little oenophile misled a buyer into believing they were buying wine that belonged to “Thomas Jefferson” in the 1800s. The supposed scam was uncovered when some label irregularities were discovered.  Fortunately, this is not an issue that affects the majority of us (I believe the buyer paid over $500,000 for the bottles).

I think I’ll stick with my simple bottles like the Hop Kiln 1,000 Flowers white table wine, maybe a solid merlot out of Washington State, or one of Rosenblum or Cline’s zinfandels.  The way I look at it, wine is meant to accent a night of friends and food.  As always, enjoy and be safe.