Five Reasons To Pay Attention To These Seven Wine Sites

We took some time to review our favorite sources for the best wine writing, tools, tasting notes and more.


1) winespectator.com

What makes this site great:

  • Very comprehensive site – contain great info for both the casual wino and the serious collector.
  • Expert tips for those interested in wine travel and tourism – regions to visit, wineries to check out, places to stay and eat.
  • Up-to-date industry news for everyone involved in the wine and spirits trade (retailers, restaurants, wine-makers, etc).
  • Offers courses and schooling for site members (pricing starts at $7.95/mo).
  • You can test your wine knowledge with the addictive “Name That Wine” game.

2) nataliemaclean.com

What makes this site great:

  • Natalie MacLean ensures excellent wine-related content is updated daily.
  • Natalie is actively engaged with her readers and she herself is very accessible.
  • Offers great food/wine pairing information via the Wine & Food Matcher application which is available as web widget and/or ipad / ipod app.
  • Great newsletter, sign up!
  • Stay on top of LCBO vintages releases.

3) snooth.com

What makes this site great:

  • Connects wine lovers to wineries, merchants, fellow wine lovers, and wine professionals.
  • Provides wine pairings for your favourite recipe sites like epicurious.com (I LOVE epicurious!) and myrecipes.com.
  • Offers a great list of wine varietal profiles for quick learning and recommendations on each to take that learning from your mind to your mouth.
  • Virtual. Wine. Tastings. Need we say more? (next one, Frei Brothers Reserve on April 20th)
  • Overall just a really nice site to experience – nice design, easy to navigate, good use of social media technologies and understanding of how they’re used.

4) finewinemag.com

(led by Hugh Johnson)

What makes this site great:

  • Web site supports the quarterly wine journal, “The World of Fine Wine” which bills itself as the first cultural journal of the wine world, i.e. more intellect, less taste bud.
  • Offers an online index for back issues with opportunity to buy back issues.
  • Access sample features, e.g. ” A Smuggler’s Tale: Clones, Cops and Cabernet : Jonathan Swinchatt tells a gripping story of chicanery”.
  • Very simple site, really focused on quality content as opposed to quantity.
  • Hugh Johnson is widely admired in the world of wine; his “World Atlas of Wine” is in its sixth edition.

5) jancisrobinson.com

(most areas require a subscription)

What makes this site great:

  • Jancis Robinson has been writing about wine since 1975. Enough said.
  • She has an extremely active and engaged audience.
  • For site subscribers, fun section, “Don’t Quote Me” is not to be missed.
  • Free and easy access to Nick Lander, regular writer about food and restaurants for the Financial Times (and Jancis’ hubby).
  • Offers a great directory of wine resources, definitely *not* the usual suspects.

St. Patrick’s Day wine roundup

St. Patty’s isn’t just about green beer or Irish whiskey! Here’s a round up of what’s good in wine for this special day!

Murphys rings in St. Patrick’s Day with green wine
The small town’s annual Irish Day bash displays the quirky fun and local wines that make the Calaveras County hamlet stand out.
Read more.

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Saint Patrick’s Day: Irish Food & Wine Pairing Suggestions by Paula Barker
“Irish” Cuisine Paired with Winning Wines and Festive Films
http://www.intowine.com/saint-patricks-day-irish-food-wine-pairing-suggestions

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For St. Patrick’s Day, wine with Irish spirit
St. Patrick’s Day arrives shortly, time to toast the luck of the Irish and the joys of Celtic heritage with a glass of … wine.
http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/11838031/ns/today-food/

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Top 10 Canadian wines for St. Patrick’s Day
Need the luck of the Irish to pick the right wine? Read these expert tips on pairing wine with ‘green food’ and the fresh vegetables of spring.

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Three wine pairings from http://agoodtimewithwine.com:

HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S DAY FROM ROSEHILL WINE CELLARS!

Win one of five copies of Natalie MacLean’s book Red, White and Drunk All Over!

Prize: In celebration of Wine Wednesday, Rosehill Wine Cellars is giving away five copies of Natalie MacLeans’s Red, White and Drunk All Over!

HOW TO ENTER

  • Follow @rosehillwcellar on Twitter.
  • Send this tweet: “Tweet to win @NatalieMaclean’s “Red, White & Drunk All Over” from Rosehill! Follow @rosehillwcellar & retweet to enter. #rosehillcontest

IMPORTANT CONTEST DETAILS
This contest is valid on Twitter only. Entries will be accepted from Wednesday September 29th, 2010 until Friday October 1st, 2010 (11:59pm). Five (5) winners will be selected randomly from all tweet entries received. Each winner will receive one (1) copy of Natalie MacLean’s book Red, White and Drunk All Over, valued at $24.95, shipping included. Winners will be revealed on Monday October 4th, 2010. Contest open to all residents of USA and Canada.

Natalie MacLean can be found on Twitter @NatalieMaclean