Get to know your grapes

Few people out there love wine as much as I do. And as a single woman I own, in my collection, around 100 bottles. Some might deem this excessive, but purchasing, and of course, drinking wine has become a passion of mine. But I did not stumble into this hobby on my own. I had help from some great websites which steered me on the path to grape perfection. Here are a few to help you get started. Now put down that cheap Chardonnay!

WineFolly.com  – Learn by drinking*

This could be the greatest tag line ever. But then again, I’m an oenophile. If you don’t know what that means, then this site is for you. It’s basically a fun and interactive site dedicated to teaching you all about wine. From blind taste test videos to wine courses, cooking with wine, whether to decant, etc., WineFolly makes drinking wine fun. (Ok, it’s always fun, but this way you’ll actually know what you’re drinking.) And if you sign up for their newsletter, you get access to a mobile Wine Buying Cheat Sheet. So the next time you walk into a wine store you’ll actually have a clue what to ask for and buy. There’s certainly no folly in that. Sign us up!

Wine Library TV – Changing the wine world

Gary Vaynerchuk, or “Gary Vee” as he’s known on Twitter and the Blogosphere, set out to “break down the barriers, stereotypes, and misperceptions that otherwise prevent people from exploring and enjoying the exciting and rewarding world of wine.” How does he do it? With videos explaining anything and everything you need to know to buy and drink wine. An author and passionate wine lover, Gary’s outgoing and no-nonsense style are the perfect counterbalance to all these “professional wine raters.” The bottom line is to drink what you love. Gary just makes finding it that much easier. Oh, and his site also includes a wine store, so after you learn what you like, you can buy it. One stop shopping.

Snooth – Drink better wines

Snooth is an online community determined to help you find better wine. Featuring emails, newsletters and reviews, they break down basics like when to decant, what the vintage years mean, common wine drinking mistakes and more. You can search by story, reviews, regions, even find great wine locations to travel to. Their newsletters give you options so you don’t get inundated and they even have an ongoing contest allowing you to create a virtual wine rack and win based on your knowledge. It’s completely free and completely fun.

*Look for more content from Wine Folly on The Momiverse, as they are a featured contributor and video partner. Cheers!

Tell us if you try one of these sites and how you like it!

Danielle Hughes

Danielle Hughes has been writing since the womb. Always one with a flair for the written word, she made her stamp at the age of 12 winning a stuffed E.T. doll from a local writing competition. She has written for too many companies to name but you can check out her site if you really care (daniellezhughes.com). Currently, she's proud to be the Contributing Editor and Chief Word Navigator for the Momiverse. A mom of a 6 year old boy, Danielle resides in New York City, where she plays tennis and posts on Facebook about her hilarious dating trials and tribulations.

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