If you wanted to learn about wine 20 years ago, you’d have had to invest in a small library’s worth of books, spend hundreds of dollars on different bottles, and find a wine club that was actually a friendly and informative gathering place rather than a way for doctors and lawyers who just happen to drink wine to loudly proclaim the size of their bank accounts. Thankfully, nowadays you’re only a mouse click away from an obscene amount of vino info; anyone can educate themselves quickly and cheaply about everything from Italy’s main grape varieties to China’s wine revolution.
The following is a shortlist of my favourite wine websites. As with everything on the internet, there are plenty of sites spreading false and/or inaccurate information about wine. Caution must be exercised, and you should only take information from reputable sites that have been updated recently. You don’t want to pester liquor store clerks and embarrass yourself by insisting they show you their section of Canadian Beaujolais or red Sauvignon Blanc.
If you’re a fan of Wikipedia, this is the site for you. This wiki is a wonderful reference, with articles on all aspects of wine. Like the mother site, the articles are all interlinked, making for easy browsing. Whether you need to learn about an obscure grape varietal or define a puzzling wine term, you’ll find an answer here. Consider it the informal, online version of The Oxford Companion to Wine (though with admittedly less credibility).
Natalie MacLean’s site Nat Decants, while an overt advertisement for her memoir Red, White, and Drunk All Over, also contains lots of great information, presented in
MacLean’s approachable, down-to-earth style. The site’s features include a free monthly e-newsletter, archived wine articles, a food and wine pairing engine, a listing of wine and food jobs, and tasting notes. One of the site’s best features is a huge directory of links to other wine and food-related websites, complete with a brief synopsis of each. Nat Decants also has an “Ask Natalie” search engine, which has some decent information, despite first telling you to read her book for the answer.
www.winespectator.com /www.erobertparker.com
The sites for Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate must be included in any discussion of wine on the web due to the sheer power they wield in the oenological world. Both magazines have a cultlike following, and their reviews can either make or break a wine’s reputation. While you may not agree with their ratings (and I often don’t), you can’t deny their influence. However, both sites require you to purchase a membership before you can access the full site. Wine Spectator lets you access some tasting notes, articles, and a free e-newsletter without a subscription, but the majority of the information is under lock and key. Similarly, Robert Parker lets non-members access little more than a virtual tour of the site, and only your hard-earned dollars can release his precious laudations and condemnations.
Silly Tasting Note Generator
For all those who think that wine writing and tasting notes are taken far too seriously (and they are), www.gmon.com/tech/output.shtml is the site to visit. It randomly generates, well, silly tasting notes. An example: “Rude, almost meandering, Sauvingnon Blanc. Hits you with melted crayon, ripe orange jello, and forceful ganja. Drink now through May.” Maybe I’ve just had too many bad wines (or read too many ridiculous “genuine” tasting notes), but many of these descriptions have a ring of truth to them....
Winery Websites
A vast number of wineries all around the world have international websites, so you can check out their history, their lineup of wines, and other interesting facts. Some websites present only the bare bones, while others are very showy, often with annoyingly structured Flash presentations. Watch out for the cheesy elevator Muzak that may unexpectedly blare from your computer.
A note about online buying: unfortunately, Alberta’s liquor laws prevent the shipping of any alcoholic beverage into or out of the province, except by a licensed importer. As such, it is illegal for most, if not all, sites to ship you wine from outside Alberta. However, Edmonton does have a couple stores with online purchasing: check out www.devinewines.ca and www.kegncork.com .
