Women & Wine - Tips for Researching Wine on the Web

I've
probably mentioned before that I'm one of the few people I know who
love wine who take a picture of the label of every bottle with my cell
phone that I'm interested in buying after I've tried a glass.

There's
just too much information out there that my brain can't remember every
detail - and sometimes, if it's been a special occasion or a more
formal tasting, it's just too difficult to write notes and enjoy the
experience.

The picture or visual image triggers the memory - and
also helps me to have the exact spelling of the wine, the year and the
importer or distributor.

I use this information in a number of
ways and so I thought (since you've become so savvy) that I would share
with you where to look for wine when you're in the mood to buy.

First,
I go to http://wine-searcher.com. The pros and sophisticated consumers
know this site well. Based in New Zealand, the site collects inventory
information from wine retail establishments across the U.S. and
sometimes worldwide to bring you a snapshot of who's carrying what
bottles, a view of the pricing and also the contact information on
where to buy. You don't actually pay for or buy anything from the site
- retailers advertise their inventory (also some auction houses and
places that might not actually have the bottles in stock but claim they
can get them for you on short notice).

You have to have the exact
spelling of the wine correct - this is true on most sites  - and
sometimes you won't find any info if you put in too much of a
descriptor (or not enough) so be patient with it the first few times
around.

You can enroll in their "Pro" version for $29.95 annually
which broadens the search but don't forget to define your parameters -
i.e. if you want to buy it locally then just put in your state -
otherwise it will locate the wine anywhere that it's in stock - which
means shipping, etc.

It lists the wine from least expensive to
most and you should also take note that if the price seems too good on
the lower end it is probably for a .375 bottle size - although their
can be wild swings in pricing too.

If you're looking for older
vintages, you can also just put in the year - let's say 1949 - and it
will bring up a list of every bottle on the site that was produced in
that year. Pretty great if you're looking for a gift for someone's big
bday.

If you find that there are companies that are saying that
they have the wine and then they don't, report it to Wine Searcher as
they do want the most accurate info available and want to police the
site to make sure that consumers are receiving the most up-to-date info
possible.

www.cellartracker.com - this is an amazing collection
of reviews from both pros and novices about the wines that they have
tasted or own. There's also a free cellar management tool that you can
use. The site asks for voluntary contributions to use it which is also
probably one of the cooler things going. What I love about this site is
that you can sort the reviews of a particular wine by vintage year and
side by side compare them - great if you're trying to decide between
bottles of differing vintages to purchase. It also links to the
wine-searcher.com data base and so you can read the reviews and then
find the wine.

www.vinfolio.com - I like the tools on this site
that tell you whether the average price of the bottle you're interested
in is going up or down in the market - perfect if you are considering
investing or want to know if that wine you've been waiting to drink may
have peaked in the marketplace. Also great to help you negotiate with a
private seller who might think that their wine is worth 2007 prices.
They are reliable for purchases too and if you have wine to sell have
created a marketplace where you can list your collection - check the
site for fees, etc.

www.erobertparker.com - You may think that
this site is too upscale for you - too elite - but I like to use this
site for a number of things - especially to see the range on prices of
wine from the release price to the current date. It's also great for
year over year comparision of different vintages - especially if you're
looking to lay down some wine and want to know if it will hold. There's
lots of other info as well for hard core and beginning wine lovers.
Regardless of whether you agree with rankings, scores, etc. the site is
well done and has a ton of information.

There's a lot of
information out there so there's no need