Oeno-File

by Sommelier Dan Fijolek

When all young palates first fall in love with wine the desire for knowledge is never far behind.  Fortunately for today’s emerging connoisseurs the Internet serves to teach us all we are willing to learn.  But like all information on the web the question becomes what wine info on the web can we actually trust?  Below are three websites that come to mind whenever I am asked this question.

• robertparker.com ~  Robert Parker is probably the most influential wine critic in the world.  And unlike Wine Spectator or Wine Enthusiast which has biased opinions based on advertising that is done in their magazines, Parker’s magazine Wine Advocate has no advertisements therefore no bias.  Although his site is only partially free, he has reviews for most of the modern world’s wines which makes it a valuable resource.

• wine-maker.net ~  When people ask me who my favorite wine maker is, the name Sean Thackrey inevitably comes to mind.  He has achieved true cult star status as a modern wine alchemist and insists on using traditional wine making techniques that date back to the Middle Ages.  He breaks all the modern rules of wine making which gives him huge street cred from hedonists like myself.  His site is fantastic because he includes a good portion of his very extensive and very old personal library for free on the site to nourish our minds.

• wineaccess.com ~  This site is a great online wine shop that pays special attention to more obscure wines that require seeking out.

Fortunately for today’s emerging connoisseurs the Internet serves to teach us all we are willing to learn. You don’t even need to leave your house to get great wine anymore.  Oh mighty Internet, is there anything you can’t do?