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Tech help that's really helpful!

In wine the truth

Created: 03 May 2007 ::: Last updated: 04 May 2007
Applies to: _ Win95 _ Win98 _ WinMe _ Win 2000/NT _ WinXP _ WinVista _ MacOS

By Chris Ricci

When the World Wide Web started, relatively not so long ago, it was meant to become a community of communities. Everything was free, information in particular. Then, somebody figured out that here’s this untapped well of wealth, and people might be willing to pay for it. That created a bit of an uproar, but it died down a tad when those who wanted to make money said they wanted to cover their expenses, at least. The Web community, being the democratic animal that it is, agreed.

And so we have communities of communities now where people no longer blush when some kind of money does change hands. It is a free world, after all, and those who don’t want to, don’t have to join.

Anyhow, here’s a peek at one such community. This is not another top Web 2.0 list of the best this and that. How about the unusual, how about drinking (some prefer to call it tasting)? To cut to the chase, here’s a surprising list of wine-related web sites. Forget photo editing and sharing, or blogging sites. These sites are just so crazy they just might work! Wine connoisseurs, collectors, critics, can’t remember-ers, and the everyday wine-guzzlers will all find something here.

It’s web sites like these that make the Internet a little more personable and friendly.

In vino veritas, after all. Don’t know what it means? Look it up. For free. That’s what the Web is all about, right?

BuyersVine - Know your wine: Connects wine consumers directly with wineries. BuyersVine mission is simple: help consumers to a lower price, and higher margins to wineries. Find wines using the BuyersVine tags search, watch the best-of-the-web wine videos and more.

Cork’d - love the name! A simple way to review and share wine: Cork’d is a free service for wine aficionados. You can use Cork’d to catalog, rate and review wines you’ve tasted. You can also keep track of wines you’d like to try and buy as well as subscribe to what your buddies have reviewed. It’s a new way to discover and share wine.

Vinorati - Your wines and you: Describe the wines you taste with tags. -Store, search, sort and share your testing notes. Check out which wines your friends are enjoying. Create your own or join existing tasting groups.

Bottletalk - No, it’s not about being in a drunken stupor and trying to hold an intelligent conversation. Share wine with friends: a free online service for people who love wine. Store details of the wines you have drunk and what you thought of them in your own area. Share your wine experiences with friends, family and other wine lovers. Rate and tag wines for easy reference. Discover new wines you'd like to drink and store them in your own "Wanted" section. Buy wines easily from online retailers.

WineLog - This one is for those who drink a lot of wine but have trouble remembering it - not an unusual occurrence at all, come to think of it. This site helps you keep a record of wines that you have tried. When you venture to try a new type or variety of wine, you are taking the risk that you will either love it or hate it. WineLog provides you with a free way to track your preferences on new wines, including the specific information about the wine, as well as personal and public comments and one-to-five-star rating.

Last but not least, a restaurant food rating system

Menuism - Rate what you eat or ate: Can't find a romantic place for your next date? Tired of your usual watering holes for happy hour? Frustrated while finding the best rainbow roll in town? Problem solved - Menuism takes the pain and frustration out of deciding where and what to eat.