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TheRiddick · 09-16-2010, 01:17 PM

Can't say there is a forum that would be "similar" to cigar one. Parker just made his forum a private one for subscribers only since he had a revolt a little while ago and there was a large discontent with his arrogance and "lack of palate", many consumers and posters on his board said enough is enough. A number of people migrated, same as how CA happened 2 years ago, and formed anther board, but its that same small crowd that is convinced they know more about how to make wine than winemakers do.

What made Parker board relevant in late '90s is participation by a large group of winemakers. About 4 years ago that all changed (both due to Parker's arrogant and very erroneous views on wine and consumers' beating up on winemakers on subjects consumers had little comprehension of) and most winemakers stopped posting. The new board lacks that winemaker participation as well and it often devolves into political flame wars (mostly one way) making it even less attractive for ITB people.

There are wine threads on this board, have you taken a look at those?

What do you mean by "getting into wine" and how far are you along? As already pointed out above, wine slope is way steeper and deeper than cigars, I can assure you of that. As opposed to cigars, some wines are only available via mailing lists or through small allocations to retail outlets, which in turn dole them out to their best customers (read: those who spend the most)

Best advice I can give you if you are still inclined to proceed on your journey is to seek out a local tasting group, or rather as many as you can find. Taste with them, see which group is more to your liking (schedule, regions/varietals covered, cost, experience, etc.) and then figure out if someone with good wine knowledge/experience is willing to take you under his/her wing and assist you in your palate development. Buy a set of good wine glasses, no need to go overboard, but a set of Burgundy (Pinot) and Bordeaux (Cab/Merlot) glasses should cover the gamut for you. Storage is not as essential as many claim, as long as you do not "cook" your wine (over 70F on consistent basis) you should be fine for short to mid term storage (up to 4-5 years). Cooler temps are better for longer term.

Not sure what else to add, if you have more questions fire away, I'll see what I can do.

09-16-2010, 01:17 PM	#7
TheRiddick Non-believer Join Date: Jan 2009 First Name: Greg Location: Las Vegas Posts: 943 Trading: (7)	Re: wine forums? Can't say there is a forum that would be "similar" to cigar one. Parker just made his forum a private one for subscribers only since he had a revolt a little while ago and there was a large discontent with his arrogance and "lack of palate", many consumers and posters on his board said enough is enough. A number of people migrated, same as how CA happened 2 years ago, and formed anther board, but its that same small crowd that is convinced they know more about how to make wine than winemakers do. What made Parker board relevant in late '90s is participation by a large group of winemakers. About 4 years ago that all changed (both due to Parker's arrogant and very erroneous views on wine and consumers' beating up on winemakers on subjects consumers had little comprehension of) and most winemakers stopped posting. The new board lacks that winemaker participation as well and it often devolves into political flame wars (mostly one way) making it even less attractive for ITB people. There are wine threads on this board, have you taken a look at those? What do you mean by "getting into wine" and how far are you along? As already pointed out above, wine slope is way steeper and deeper than cigars, I can assure you of that. As opposed to cigars, some wines are only available via mailing lists or through small allocations to retail outlets, which in turn dole them out to their best customers (read: those who spend the most) Best advice I can give you if you are still inclined to proceed on your journey is to seek out a local tasting group, or rather as many as you can find. Taste with them, see which group is more to your liking (schedule, regions/varietals covered, cost, experience, etc.) and then figure out if someone with good wine knowledge/experience is willing to take you under his/her wing and assist you in your palate development. Buy a set of good wine glasses, no need to go overboard, but a set of Burgundy (Pinot) and Bordeaux (Cab/Merlot) glasses should cover the gamut for you. Storage is not as essential as many claim, as long as you do not "cook" your wine (over 70F on consistent basis) you should be fine for short to mid term storage (up to 4-5 years). Cooler temps are better for longer term. Not sure what else to add, if you have more questions fire away, I'll see what I can do.