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day, I’ll see 15 to 20 offers, some customized and see how they evolve (Mendoza Malbecs,
based on my purchasing habits and clever Sonoma Chardonnay, mid-priced California
marketing algorithms. The challenge is to be Cabernet or Haut-Medoc from Bordeaux,
disciplined and consider needs (personal, fam- Bourgogne, Cotes du Rhone, Brunellos, Riojas
ily, friends, gifts, parties, gifts), estimated and more).
consumption over time, say six months, and Register with several DTC sites to get a
wines to save for years. feeling for style, array of wines, price ranges,
and strengths. What do you like from each, or
From Daily to Celebration Wines not? Make a few purchases to validate, start-
ing with three or four-bottle lots. Beware of
One approach is to think about categories,
such as daily wines, weekend wines, celebra- scoring inflation! Some wine critics are known
tion wines, and collectibles, including inter- for being generous in their ratings based on fi-
nancial or other considerations with wineries
esting wines at lower prices to taste over time
and distributors.
If you find something you like, check the
site for its history. Some offer the same wine
from a different vintage each year (e.g., a
Chenin Blanc from South Africa, Rioja Reserva
from Spain, Aussie Shiraz, and second label
Cabernet Sauvignon from California, a Rosso
from Italy).
For validation, go to CellarTracker. Eric
LeVine, the former Microsoft database expert,
created the program to manage the inventory
of his growing collection of wines and to add
tasting notes. He shared with friends who
loved the program. He launched it for free in
2004, and it has become the world's largest
database of public tasting notes. The crowd-
sourced reviews number in the millions and
correlate well with the rankings of the most
credible wine critics. The CT database is so ro-
bust you can start typing part of the pro-
ducer's name in the search field, and it begins
loading suggestions. This is incredibly valu-
able when looking for reviews. Using CT to
manage your wines, which I do, makes it easy
to add a wine to your cellar (or closet) and en-
sure that you have the correct name, vintage,
and other relevant designations (this is critical
with wines from France, Germany, Italy,
Spain, and Austria).
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