Wine Blogs I Actually Read – and You Should, Too~

When I first started writing about wine, I was asked which wine blogs I follow.  At the time, I was busy reading so many of them in order to get a grip on content, writing style, and the person behind the words that I was unable to accurately answer the question!  Now that I am finding my own “voice” in this site, I still have time to read wine blogs, but there are only a few that I read on a consistent basis…for reasons you will discover in the description.  Each blog posts articles on a consistent basis and is different in style and content, but all of the writers are intelligent and informative and I always discover something unique and interesting~

***1WineDude –  Joe Roberts, the Wine Dude who writes this blog, doesn’t need any more props since he’s so big and all these days, but there is a reason that those at playboy.com picked him up as their new freelance wine writer (he’s still doing “research” so he hasn’t mentioned a start date yet).  Joe is funny, upbeat, quirky, and smart and doesn’t take himself seriously – just his wine.  I love his writing style and the blog has plenty of pictures, a video thrown in from time to time, and well placed links.  Joe’s mini reviews of wine are good, although some of the prices may be out of the average Joe’s (haha) price range, but hey, the guy tastes alotta wine and his audience is broad.  Joe is always accessible which means that he responds to my messages sent to him on Facebook or Twitter and just seems like a really nice guy who I look forward to meeting soon.  Be sure to check out his blog described as a “serious wine blog for the not-so-serious wine drinker”.  Yep, that’s it~

***Now and Zin – Randy Fuller, writer of the Now and Zin wine blog, has a resume like no other and he is a master of multi media sharing and networking.   Frankly, I don’t think there is anything he hasn’t done save arm wrestle a lion while on Safari, but he may have done that, too.   Currently, he’s attempting (and succeeding by all accounts) to taste wines from all fifty states, the most recent of which is Iowa, and reporting back about all of these tastings in his blog’s Wine Country Series.  Randy shares wine news, tasting notes which are geared towards wine newbies, and wine events.  I also subscribe to his wine related PodCasts which are accessible on iTunes – interesting content and it’s nice to hear his voice (did I mention that he has voiceover experience, too?)  I’m giving you the link to his website and you can access the blog from the home page.

***Wall Street Journal Wine Blog – I read the Wall Street Journal every day and especially like the wine articles (pictures, too).  A bonus is that there is an online blog written by Lettie Teague, Jay McInerney, and Will Lyons, all three outstanding wine writers.  Teague and McInerney pen the “On Wine” column each Saturday in the Weekend Journal and Lyons is responsible for the weekly wine column for the European edition.  The blog includes criticisms (always nice to hear), wine news, and interesting spins such as an article about the wine inspired dress designed by Narcisso Rodriguez, and opinions such as the article about which wine may be the “new Malbec”.  I feel that this blog is global in appeal and has something wine related for everyone – especially those who don’t want to constantly read tasting notes.

***The Wine Curmudgeon – This name says it all.  Jeff Siegal, the curmudgeon himself, wants “Americans to see wine as Europeans do… as something to do everyday”.  OK!  He is not pretentious, delivers information in a common sense format, offers information about wines in every price range, and even has a $10.00 Wine Hall of Fame.  Check this out because curmudgeons are cool.

***Wines of Croatia – Last but not least is Cliff Rames’ project.  His father was Croatian and Cliff’s passion for his country and their wines is expressed in beautiful photographs, interesting news, tasting notes, and event alerts.  When I read the blog as well as his posts on the Facebook page, I honestly feel as if I now have a vehicle to understand the people, country, and of course, the wines.  Cliff is a Sommelier in New York City so we’re definitely getting some good stuff from someone who knows his wines.    His premise is to promote awareness and appreciation of the country of Croatia as well as educate readers along the way.  I think you are succeeding, Cliff – well done.

Reading information written by a variety of people each of whom gives their own perspective is a fantastic way to understand wine.  Put these wine blogs on your list, but don’t forget to keep my site on it, too!!

Cheers~  Cindy