World wine web

Looking online for words on wine

by Thor Iverson

It's one of the classic images: you, a glass of wine, a crackling fire, and the one you love. But in these technological days, the gentle glow that warms your face is probably coming from your computer monitor -- and if there's any love going on, it's with someone who goes by the nickname "LuvYrEyes23." Well, at least you can still enjoy that glass of wine.

The Internet has changed so many of our communication and commercial habits that it's no surprise wine has been affected. And although Massachusetts liquor law means you can't buy wine online the way people in other states can, the Net means that a huge amount of wine information -- the kind once available only to well-connected members of the trade -- is just a mouse click away.

The premier site for all things wine-related is Robin Garr's Wine Lovers' Page (www.wineloverspage.com). Garr is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, writer, and wine judge; what he doesn't provide himself here, he acquires from a growing stable of writers and hobbyists. Novices will appreciate features such as the "30 Second Wine Advisor" (which explains bits of wine terminology, lore, and myth) and a pronunciation guide with audio examples. And everyone can take advantage of powerful interactive features, including question-and-answer forums hosted by Garr, live chats, and the unmatched Wine Lovers' Discussion Group (www.wineloverspage.com/forum), which hosts an ever-growing number of wine writers, winemakers, retailers, importers, and enthusiastic drinkers. This group is also responsible for the Web's largest searchable repository of tasting notes.

For even more opportunities to discuss wine with fellow obsessives, other choices include the California-focused Harrington's West Coast Wine Network (www.westcoastwine.net), the Australian Wine Centre site (www.auswine.com.au), and Mark Squires's E-Zine on Wine (http://208.56.65.65/cgi-bin/Ultimate.cgi). Those who prefer a more passive experience shouldn't miss Wine Industry News (www.wineindustrynews.com), a fairly comprehensive compendium of wine content from online media sources around the globe, including the much-publicized but inconsistent New York Times-funded WineToday (www.winetoday.com).

The politically minded should visit the key players in the effort to remove monopolistic restrictions on the shipment of alcohol: the Wine Institute (www.wineinstitute.org) and Free the Grapes! (www.freethegrapes.org). When direct shipping does become legal, the big names in the online wine-commerce field are Wine.com (www.wine.com) for regular wines, Winebid.com (www.winebid.com) for auctionable wines (disclosure: I write occasional columns for Winebid), and Northampton's Table & Vine (www.tableandvine.com) for local liquids.

Sharp readers will have noticed the conspicuous absence of the print world's dominant wine magazine, the Wine Spectator (www.winespectator.com). This isn't maliciousness; their searchable tasting-note database is extremely powerful and useful. But as the print magazine has repositioned itself as an upscale lifestyle magazine, useful wine content has thinned. And anyone who follows the wine discussions recommended above will hear any "breaking news" in the wine world long before the Spectator gets around to reporting it.

Finally, there are sites that are just plain goofy. The primary offender is the entertainingly titled The Stupids.com (www.thestupids.com), with irreverent, joke-filled essays on wine bacchanals (these two guys put away a lot of wine) and the absolutely hysterical Three Stooges Rating System, the ultimate answer to wine bores who endlessly quote Robert Parker or Spectator ratings.

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No ratings, numerical or Stoogian, here. Just great wines: two whites and four reds.

1997 Luneau-Papin Muscadet Sèvre et Maine Sur Lie "Les Pierres Blanches Vieilles Vignes" ($9.99). Okay, the name is long. But it's Muscadet, from old vines, and one of the most flavorful examples you're likely to encounter. Great balance, but even greater intensity. Oysters are the classic match, but any bivalve will do.

1993 Jordan & Jordan Scharzhofberger Riesling Spätlese ($17.50). No equivocation: I have never had a German spätlese-level wine as awe-inspiring as this one. Racy spices compete with raw and sensual earthy minerality, delicate sweetness softens vividly acidic green fruit, and the finish is nearly endless. Great now, excellent in eight years, beyond belief in 15.

1996 C & C Maréchal Bourgogne "Cuvée Gravel" ($11.99). Sharply floral and fruity, but the structure of this wine quickly overwhelms the up-front fruit. That's okay, because in a few years this is going to be one killer $12 red Burgundy. If you open it now, try it with richly flavored beef stew.

1994 Vega Sauco Toro Reserva Tinto ($14.99). When first opened, this wine smells pretty dirty. But pour it into another container, and it quickly blossoms into something complex and delicious. A mélange of red fruit with intriguing hints of roses, anise, and fig. Drink now through 2005, with sage-dusted pork chops.

1998 Elisabeth Chambellan Châteauneuf-du-Pape "Vieilles Vignes" ($25). By most accounts, 1998 was a pretty great year in the Rhône Valley. Here's at least one success. Herbs and raw nuts right now, extremely tight, but fantastic nonetheless, with great potential. Great with any sort of game, or roasted peppers.

NV Fox Creek Sparkling Shiraz Cabernets "Vixen" ($28.99). There are more and more sparkling red wines from Australia on our shelves these days, but because this one is $10 more than all the others, it had better be great. It is. The usual explosive fruitiness of shiraz is tamed and given impressive structure by the addition of cabernet sauvignon and cabernet franc. Serve with toasts topped with black-olive tapénade.

Thor Iverson can be reached at wine@phx.com.

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