Wine and Dine
The Vine Goes Virtual
by Holly Howell

I am not computer illiterate. Maybe I’m a little computer “challenged,” but I do know a thing or two. Sure, the technology is zipping along rather rapidly, but I am managing to keep afloat.

Everyone is allowed to be a geek at something. Alas, the wine world already owned me by the time I bought my first computer. For me, the corkscrew has always had priority over the keyboard.  Enough said.

So you can imagine my horror when a local newspaper asked me to be involved in their brand new website which included a virtual wine community. Well, I liked the word “wine,” but the rest of it gave me the heebie-jeebies. Words like “users,” “networking,” “links,” and “persona pages” started to creep into conversations. And—oh no!—did this mean I had to learn how to blog?

Happily, it has all come to fruition, and I am no longer the online phobic that I used to be.  As a matter of fact, I’ve discovered that the computer world has a nice parallel to the wine world. Just when you think it can’t get any harder to comprehend, a door (or a window or a cork) opens up, and the sun shines through. 

It is with great pleasure that I announce the birth of Wine and Vine, the new virtual wine community!

This will be a place where all wine lovers can connect—including wine group members, academics, enthusiasts, experts, winery owners, vintners, home winemakers, sommeliers, writers, and anyone and everyone in the wine country. And just in the nick of time. New York State, third among the states in wine production, is loaded with wine savvy, and now there is a place where it can all come together. And let’s not forget Pennsylvania with its wide variety of incredible wines.

This virtual wine network is mainly for you, the reader. You can start a network of friends, blog, post photos, communicate messages to each other, and comment on stories of interest to the group. This is especially helpful for wine groups that are seeking a tool to easily organize, share information, and make themselves known to a larger local audience.

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard about a great wine tasting or wine dinner event —two weeks after the fact!  Now, we have a spot to list everything. The forums on our site will highlight upcoming information about wine tastings, wine certifications, winery announcements, wine trail events, current releases, wine jobs, wine and food pairings, latest trends, along with every important wine event this side of the Mississippi (and probably the other side too)—all listed on one site and updated daily. Yippeee!

You can join our wine forum chats by going to www.democratandchronicle.com. Simply click on “Become a Member” on the left side of the page. You will be asked if you’d like to create a profile. It’s totally up to you, but we’d love to hear a little bit about you. Once you’re signed in, click on Finger Lakes Wine on the top of the page menu (or go directly to www.fingerlakeswine.com). Now you are on your way to wine gab.

Click on All About Wine: Our Wine Talk Forum. This is the place where we are constantly chatting. And believe me, this group loves to talk. There is something for everyone. You don’t have to be a wine expert to enjoy it. Two of the most popular forums on the site happen to be about cigars and popular cocktails. Who knew? We chat about restaurants and the best wine lists. There is an educational forum for anyone trying to learn more about wine. The wine geek question of the day will challenge your knowledge and sometimes make you laugh. In the Wine Group forum, beginners can find a wine club to join, and savvy collectors can boast about their most prized possessions in the Collectors forum. You’ll find everything from wine glass opinions to the debate on cork versus screw cap. What wine goes best with macaroni and cheese? Which Top Chef contestant is your favorite? What are New York State’s best wines? Where is your favorite restaurant on Keuka Lake? When is the next Home Winemakers meeting? And of course, the ever popular “What are you drinking tonight?” Anyone can start a discussion, ask questions, connect with the wineries, and just plain have fun.

From www.fingerlakeswine.com, you can also access the Wine and Vine blog. I and my good friend Sheila Livadas, wine and food writer extraordinaire, will be your hosts as you navigate the new blog. We are absolutely thrilled to have this venue where we can meet and chat with all of you.

Now, don’t ask me to get too technical about blogs because I’ll shut down like an oxidized wine. According to Wikipedia, a blog (an abridgment of the term web log) is a website where entries are commonly displayed in reverse chronological order. Good enough for me. The blog is where Sheila and I throw out some neat topics to educate and update. How to correctly open sparkling wine, recent wine laws, wine and food pairings, current competition results, new wineries, and more. All members are welcome to add posts to those topics as well. 

And, oh, did I tell you the best part? It’s completely free, a four-letter “F” word that I just happen to love. So no excuses. We will see you right there!

Certified sommelier Holly Howell teaches wine and food classes for Casa Larga Vineyards, Rochester Institute of Technology, and her parents’ cooking school in Mendon, New York. Contact her at wineanddine@mountainhomemag.com.