Wine Online
Despite years of shopping for wine on the internet, most people still find it hard to get used to the idea. Wine, after all, isn’t like a book or CD. Holding a bottle, inspecting its label—you just can’t replicate that experience inside a browser window. Yet we do most of my wine buying online. Why?
For starters, the comparison shopping is unbeatable. With search engines like Wine-searcher.com and Google (which most retailers love), you no longer have to go to the Montrachet; the Montrachet will come to you. Cross-referencing the latest scores and top recommendations is blissfully easy, and especially pleasurable when you can do it at home in your bathrobe on a Saturday morning.
Despite years of shopping for wine on the internet, most people still find it hard to get used to the idea. Wine, after all, isn’t like a book or CD. Holding a bottle, inspecting its label—you just can’t replicate that experience inside a browser window. Yet we do most of my wine buying online. Why?
For starters, the comparison shopping is unbeatable. With search engines like Wine-searcher.com and Google (which most retailers love), you no longer have to go to the Montrachet; the Montrachet will come to you. Cross-referencing the latest scores and top recommendations is blissfully easy, and especially pleasurable when you can do it at home in your bathrobe on a Saturday morning.
Selecting a wine site
Certain things separate the top Web sites from the also-rans. Ease of use and good customer service matter, for a start; so does price. But ultimately, what really counts is selection. Perhaps that’s why so many of the 10 terrific sites are established retailers with online divisions: They have the best access to a wide range of wonderful wines.
Sites that sell rare and older wines should be clear about the source and condition of the bottles and offer some guarantee about condition. Vinfolio, for instance, will issue a credit or replace a flawed bottle within 90 days.
Auction and consignment sites often charge the winning bidder fees of up to 18 percent. Be sure to check before bidding. Handling charges may be added too, even for wines picked up in person.
Certain things separate the top Web sites from the also-rans. Ease of use and good customer service matter, for a start; so does price. But ultimately, what really counts is selection. Perhaps that’s why so many of the 10 terrific sites are established retailers with online divisions: They have the best access to a wide range of wonderful wines.
Sites that sell rare and older wines should be clear about the source and condition of the bottles and offer some guarantee about condition. Vinfolio, for instance, will issue a credit or replace a flawed bottle within 90 days.
Auction and consignment sites often charge the winning bidder fees of up to 18 percent. Be sure to check before bidding. Handling charges may be added too, even for wines picked up in person.
Coming upon the long wall of wines at your local grocery store can be an intimidating experience. With so many different choices within so many different wine categories, how can you possibly choose the perfect wine to serve with your meal? Perhaps more importantly, without knowing what all these wine terms mean, how do you choose a wine that you and possibly others will enjoy? To be quite frank, unless you sit down with every bottle and taste it with the meal (not recommended), you will never know exactly what wines will go perfectly with that meal.
Wine and food pairing is not a perfect science that you can learn. Instead, Recipe4Living would like to offer some general guidelines for success in pairing wine with food and several do's and don't for the beginner's enjoyment of wine. This article will outline the most popular wine varieties and how they differ. In no time, you'll feel comfortable schmoozing with the biggest wine snobs.
Wine and food pairing is not a perfect science that you can learn. Instead, Recipe4Living would like to offer some general guidelines for success in pairing wine with food and several do's and don't for the beginner's enjoyment of wine. This article will outline the most popular wine varieties and how they differ. In no time, you'll feel comfortable schmoozing with the biggest wine snobs.
Enjoying Wine
Let go of your wine assumptions, especially the belief that wine is expensive. You can easily get a great bottle of wine for under $10. As with cooking, the key to good wine is all about balance and not necessarily the rarest grapes. Have fun! Experiment! Enjoying wine is about what you like, not about what you are supposed to like according to the experts. When you find a wine you really like, simply note the winery and the variety. As you gain more experience with wine, you can include descriptions of different elements in the wine. Better yet, act the sophisticate and host wine tasting parties with friends and discuss different wines. |
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