A Wine Blog For Every Taste[bud]

Of the plethora of blogs out there, how do you decide where to spend your time? Here’s an unscientific listing of who to read and based on your sundry interests.

You’re a geek

WineAnorak, a scientifically oriented blog from the prolific Jamie Goode, a Brit with a Ph.D. in plant biology and author of several books looking at the science of wine (Wine Science, I Taste Red).

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theacademicwino. Created by a science major who also spent time working in tasting rooms, this blog dissects wine research in posts such as “The Effect of Micro-Vibrations on Wine Quality During Storage” and alcohol evaporation to more consumer-facing topics such as “The Effects of Wine Bottle Closure Type on Perceived Wine Quality.”

The tagline for drvino.com is “wine talk that goes down easy.” The creator, whose Ph.D. dissertation was on the political economy of the wine industry in France and the United States, also wrote tasting notes for Stanley Tucci’s, The Tucci Cookbook, and has taught widely in academic programs in New York City.

You’re just learning about wine

Wine Folly is rather jolly (bet I’m not the first to come up with that!) with its whimsical graphics and slightly irreverent tasting notes geared to the wine novice. Tons of content in various styles keeps this site engaging.

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GrapeFriend is that super likable girl in your sorority who genuinely wants to share her best tips with you, with no agenda, no strings attached and no stealing your boyfriend. Super friendly and straightforward with no small amount of sly humor weaved in.

WineTurtle has a well-populated “wine 1010” section breaks down grapes, regions and provides explainers on wine tasting and drinking.

You’re slightly sarcastic

Wine Snark is the self-described “wise-ass guide to wine appreciation,” created by a wine retailer whose employer shall remain anonymous. That allows him to push the envelope on snarkiness and not take the rather erudite business of sniffing and swirling too seriously.

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You want the low down

1WineDude. An early wine blogger, creator Joe Roberts calls his site “Serious Wine Talk for the Not So Serious Drinker.” He accomplishes that by melding solid wine recommendations with sassy (you could say wise ass, putting him in the above category) commentary. Tasting notes are definitely off the cuff and fun to read.

No surprise that master sommelier Tim Gaiser take a more erudite look at wine on his blog—he earned his master’s degree in classical music (trumpet) and played with the San Francisco Opera. His high-toned site covers food and wine pairing, but also arts, literature and personality profiles.

Straight-forward reviews are to be found on the no-nonsense Bigger Than Your Head, a “just the facts, ma’am” kind of site that delivers clear tasting notes, sometimes vignettes, and a running “wine of the day” feature.

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You want a bargain

Reverse Wine Snob thumbs his nose at pricy bottles and tells wine lovers how to find the good bottles without breaking the bank. His site includes helpful guides to Costco, Trader Joe’s and Aldi, tips on how to choose wine and his own top 10 tenets of Reverse Wine Snobbery.

You’ve got wanderlust

As its name suggests, On the Wine Trail in Italy delves into Italian wine—and with more than 400 indigenous grapes, there’s much to explore. The posts mix news, notes, travels and the author’s observations.

Wine Explorers comes from a small team of wine travelers who are also great photographers traveling the globe and reporting on regions, wineries, styles.

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A combination of tasting notes and travel notes enliven The Corkscrew Concierge, authored by a corporate tax attorney-turned wine lover. Based in Texas, the author devotes significant coverage to that state’s burgeoning wine scene, helping to put the Lone Star State on the wine map.

You’re oh natural / au naturel

Claiming the crown of the world’s first independent natural wine newsletter, the Feiring Line, has, indeed, focused this subset of the industry long before they came trendy. Author Alice Feiring’s newsletter/blog is an informed look at natural wines and those who make them. Subscription based.

The blog on Spanish wine distributors Red Thumb Natural Wines uses clean, fun graphics and friendly, straight-forward copy in a variety of explainers from wine flaws to wine labels with a bend toward natural wines.

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