The Blog Wine Cellar

The Blog Wine Cellar is located at: http://blogcellar.blogspot.com/

I'm not a big fan of wine. I drink it on occasion but can't usually manage more than a glass of the stuff without getting stupidly drunk. "The Blog Wine Cellar" is therefore not something I would ordinarily read. However in doing so for this review I was particualrly taken by some of the descriptions it uses for various different wines:

"The aromas are very Champagne-like and show notes of a faint strawberry, yeast and bread dough, candy fruits, and a slight hint of watermelon."

"The flavors burst with sour cherry, licorice, and a hint of pencil shaving."

Such descriptions are easy to poke fun at and, to the untrained reader, inherently amusing . However, if you allow them to work on you, they've got a great visceral quality. I can particularly feel the "pencil shaving" description. It's a unique smell.

This blog is updated nearly everyday and scores highly as a consequence. I'm of the opinion that a good blog needs to be posting at least once a week if it is to be a success. The Blog Wine Cellar has been keeping this pace for over a year now. As a consequence it has quite a store of reviews available for you to search through.

Furthermore this blog manages to give the impression that it is right in the middle of the community it reports upon. There's approximately 30 or so wine related links placed in a nice orderly fashion on the right hand side of the blog. There are occasional comments posted in the entries regarding the wine which is being reviewed and there are lots of opportunities to buy the wines which are being reviewed.

The only criticism I would make of this blog is that it does not welcome in the casual reader as much as I would have liked. For example, one of the reviews concerns "a nice little Merlot [...which would...] pair well with many foods". I'd like to know which foods it would pair well with? I'm guessing that anyone who knows their stuff would already know but as a layperson I'm in the dark. I still remember the time I had fish with wine. It was horrible! Apparently it's a classic mistake. And here's the problem; should a blog as clearly targetted as this one make concessions to an outsider like myself? There's a risk that the already wine literate audience may feel their time is being wasted as a consequence. It's a tough call to make and one that I'll leave up to the blogger.

In summary: my favourite part of this blog was the eccentric descriptions but I'm convinced enough of the blogger's credentials that if I were to go and buy wine I'd know where on the net to look for advice.

The Blog Wine Cellar: http://blogcellar.blogspot.com/