In vinum ebriositas

January 21, 2007 10:13 PM

Know thy wine labels. Know where your Clos-de-Bieze is from, and the difference between the Garganega and Grignolino grapes. Do you go with the 2000 or the 2001 d'Yquem? Just remember that brut is drier than dry and trockenbeerenauslese ist nicht trocken.
Buy your wine en primeur or from the Froogle of wines. But beware of the worst website in winedom.
posted by noble_rot (15 comments total)

Wow you weren't kidding about that last link - made all the hair on the back of my neck stand up!
posted by gomichild at 10:37 PM on January 21, 2007

I believe they used to have an even more hideous color scheme, but have since replaced it with the relatively more soothing underexposed shot of their winery.
posted by noble_rot at 10:45 PM on January 21, 2007

Yes, brought to you by pourriture noble.
posted by Wolof at 11:09 PM on January 21, 2007

Nice post. Cogito ergo imbibo.
posted by sixacross at 12:30 AM on January 22, 2007

eponysterical
posted by Eekacat at 12:54 AM on January 22, 2007

Worthy of Bud Uglly, without a doubt.
posted by rhodri at 1:44 AM on January 22, 2007

for italian wines (mostly), try iconoclast tasting-theorist Luca Maroni's free and statistic-rich note&score database (simplified english page here).
posted by progosk at 4:10 AM on January 22, 2007

brief supplement regarding luca maroni:
- an article by michelle shah which includes a summary of his approach, as well as relative opinions from a number of figures in the italian wine world .
- an outline of his tasting theory/method.

he's viewed with suspicion by the wine-writing establishment, but secretly revered by many a wineshop owner for his recognition of what people actually like to drink.
posted by progosk at 4:42 AM on January 22, 2007

That's Clos de Bèze.
/Burgundy geek

And if you can afford Chateau d'Yquem, you're not getting your vintage information from some website.
posted by languagehat at 5:29 AM on January 22, 2007

noble_rot: "I believe they used to have an even more hideous color scheme, but have since replaced it with the relatively more soothing underexposed shot of their winery."

Well, no. The background image just takes a couple of years to load, so the first time you look at the page, you end up seeing bright-yellow-on-salmon-pink for about fifteen seconds.
posted by koeselitz at 8:44 AM on January 22, 2007

What about Cork'd and wine.woot.com
posted by empath at 9:56 AM on January 22, 2007

Ive been drinking wine for a long time, but just the other day I learned that the study of wine is called oenology.
posted by jaronson at 11:17 AM on January 22, 2007

The only wine site you need.
posted by craven_morhead at 11:22 AM on January 22, 2007

They may have a lousy website, but Lamothe-Pujols is a darn tasty sauternes at a very reasonable price in many vintages. Nice FPP -- thanks!
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:49 PM on January 22, 2007

Empath: Thanks! For some reason I didn't know about either of those sites. Nothing like posting to learn even more about what you're posting.

Languagehat: This is what I get for not knowing what I'm posting about, eh? If only Kobrand had wine maps of fine Pinot Noir producing regions that happen to be in my price range. (Willamette Valley, perhaps?)

Eekacat: Nah. No irony involved. I love Sauternes, ergo I posted about wine. I'm glad you got a kick, though.
posted by noble_rot at 12:32 PM on January 23, 2007