Vinfolio Blog

We’re excited by all of your positive feedback in response to our recent VinCellar enhancements. Many users have uploaded photos and updated their public profiles. It's fun to finally put names with faces. We've seen an increase in the daily tasting notes count as well as prolific reviewers such as Conrad K, JMC22, MJM, Adriel L and dougwilder. Hopefully you're finding notes on your favorite wines or have found some new wines to explore.

Also check out tasting notes written by members of the Vinfolio team.

We're very excited to announce the general availability of an iPhone version of VinCellar. This is an iPhone-optimized web site and we've worked very hard to incorporate all the most important features that you've requested.

Here is a brief tour of what you can do on the go: 

• Search and browse wine within the community and your cellar

• Search for tasting notes

• Add tasting notes (and update Twitter if you have it linked to your VinCellar account)

• Add wine to your cellar

• Consume wine

• View public profiles of other users

Due to the space constraints of an iPhone screen we've had to analyze the layout of each page to expose only essential data and features. On the technical side we've also looked closely at performance and have optimized network access for mobile networks. The result is that the site should be accessible and responsive no matter where you are.

How to start using the site now

You can access the new version of the site using your iPhone by going to the regular VinCellar URL: http://vincellar.vinfolio.com

You can find more details and add  your feedback in the following forum post.

Adding label images to your VinCellar is a quick way to make your virtual cellar a little more complete. Use the “Upload Label Image” link on the wine detail page below the missing label image to enter your own shot. A few tips for getting your image quickly approved by the VF Content Team:

1.    Make sure just the label shows – no total bottle shots or other "props."
2.    Make sure everything on the label is legible, not blurry or cut off.
3.    Add the label image only for the vintage specified.

Once your label is submitted, it might take a day to get approved. When it is, you’ll immediately see it in your VinCellar.

TROUBLESHOOTING

An “Upload Label Image” link might not appear for a couple reasons. The most obvious is that Vinfolio already has an image in the database. (Note that for some imported wines, different labels may exist and we can only have one in the database.)

A less obvious reason would be that your wine entry hasn’t yet been verified, which just means that you manually entered the wine and it hasn’t been either matched to an existing database item or added as a new entry. 

Adding label images not only enriches your VinCellar experience, but adds to the total community. Other users appreciate your input, and photography skills, when they see labels appearing in their cellars too. Thanks for participating in our wine community!

Featured here are some frequently asked questions about how I got into the wine industry and my personal interests.

What attracted you to the wine industry?

As a college student when I studied abroad in Nancy, France my host family prepared many multi-coursed meals in which they paired wines with the various courses. It was at this point that I first realized the power of wine to enhance a meal and its versatility as a beverage. After visiting the wine country in the Bay Area I was later convinced that I had to take part in the industry on some level.

Are you a sommelier?

I would not call myself a sommelier although I have comparable knowledge and have worked as a wine steward. True sommeliers have typically passed the intermediary Certified Sommelier Exam from the Court of Master Sommeliers and are pursing the ultimate certification, Master Sommelier (MS).  Personally I have been studying towards the Master of Wine (MW) exam and am currently completing the prerequisite diploma from the London-based Wine and Spirits Education Trust (WSET).

What are your favorite books about food and wine?

I love all the books written by Peter Mayle including A Year in Provence, Encore Provence, and A Good Year. Mayle has a great sense of humor and is terrific at recreating the local atmosphere of Provence. Under the Tuscan Sun and Bella Tuscany by Frances Mayes and Mediterranean Summer: A Season on France's Cote d'Azur and Italy's Costa Bella by David Shalleck are also good. Most recently I enjoyed Julia Child’s memoir, My Life in France (penned by Alex Prud'homme), in which she recalls her inspiration to study French cuisine.

What are your favorite restaurants?

Some of my favorite restaurants in San Francisco include Chez Spencer, Frascati, Sociale, Spruce, Piperade and the Foreign Cinema. In Sonoma wine country I like Cyrus and The Farm House Inn. My husband and I both love Radius in Boston where we held our rehearsal dinner for our wedding.

Who are some of your favorite wine producers?

I am particularly drawn towards French wines although I am more and more interested in German Rieslings and Italian wines. Champagne: Bollinger, Gosset, Krug, Pol Roger, Ruinart, Taittinger. Burgundy: Comte de Vogue, Dujac, Faiveley, Leflaive, Leroy, Ramonet, Raveneau. Germany: Donnhoff, Muller-Catoir, Von Simmern. Italy: Antinori, Castello Banfi, Conterno, Giacosa, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, Pio Cesare, Vietti.

What do you do in your free time?

I love to play with my seven-month-old daughter Sophia and listen to classical music. I enjoy taking long runs, watching foreign films, and learning more about wine.

White

Albariño

Alvarinho (Portugal)

Chardonnay

Morillon (Austria)
Pinot Chardonnay

Pineau de la Loire
Pineau d'Anjou
Steen (South Africa)

Viura (Rioja, Spain)

Muscat Frontignan
Moscato Bianco
Muscat de Frontignan
Muscat d'Alsace
Muskateller

Moscatel (Spain)
Hanepoot (South Africa)

Tokay
Sauvignon Vert

Grauburgunder (Austria)
Pinot Grigio (Italy)
Ruländer (Germany)
Tokay d’Alsace
Pinot Auxerrois or Auxerrois Blanc (Alsace)

Weissburgunder or Klevner (Austria)
Pinot Bianco (Spain and Italy)

White Riesling
Johannisberg Riesling (named after Schloss Johannisberg)
Rhine Riesling

Ugni Blanc

Gouveio

Red

Garnacha (Spain)

Cot (Cahors, France)
Auxerrois Rouge

Monastrell (Spain)
Mataro (California and Australia)

Chiavennasca (Lombardy)
Spanna (Gattinara, Piedmont)

Petit Syrah
Durif (California, Australia, France, and Israel)

Pinot Nero (Italy)
Blauburgunder (Austria)
Spatburgunder (Germany)

Sangiovese – has many clones in the Sangiovese Grosso or Sangiovese Piccolo categories. It is the primary component in Chianti, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and Morellino di Scansanco as well as the star of Brunello di Montalcino and Rosso di Montalcino.

Brunello
Morellino
Prugnolo Gentile

Syrah

Hermitage                
Shiraz

Aragonez
Cencibel
Tinto di Toro
Tinto Fino
Tinto Pais
Tinto Roriz (Portugal)
Ojo de Liebre or Ull de Llebre (Catalan for "Eye of the Hare")
Valdepeñas (also used in California)

Common misunderstandings

1. Muscadet is not a grape, but rather a region in the Loire Valley. Muscadet is also a dry white wine made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape.
2. Muscadelle is not Muscat. These are two different grapes.
3. Montepulciano d’Abruzzo is made from Montepulciano grapes whereas Vino Nobile di Montepulciano is made from Sangiovese (known locally as Prugnolo gentile).
4. Many grapes that incorporate the word Riesling into their names are not indeed true Riesling. These “false friends” include Welschriesling, Schwarzriesling (Black Riesling), Cape Riesling, and Gray Riesling.

Helpful References

Launched this week you can now enter your tasting notes in your preferred scoring scale. Choose to enter scores based on 100 point, 20 point, 10 point, 5 star or 3 star scales. Scores entered in your preferred scale will be displayed in that system. Community scores are calculated and displayed in the 100 point scale. For the purpose of deriving a VinCellar community score, individual scores are normalized to the 100 point scale.

The default VinCellar scoring scale is the 100 point scale. To override this default with your preferred scoring scale go to My Account -> Preferences. Choose your default scale under ‘Scoring Preferences’. Your default will display in all places with your tasting note. This default can be overridden for an individual note at any time. 

Last night we launched some exciting new features.  Check out the details below.

CELLAR SHARING
Share your cellar with Everyone, VinCellar users, Facebook friends (friends who have added the My VinCellar application) or choose to keep it private. 

FRIENDING
Bring Facebook friending into VinCellar.  Share your profile, cellar and recent activity with  Facebook friends who have added the My VinCellar application.

INDIVIDUAL RSS FEEDS
Subscribe to a VinCellar user’s RSS feed of their public tasting notes. 

PUBLIC PROFILE PAGE
Upload a profile picture, designate yourself as a blogger, winery designate, member of the trade or Master of Wine.  Your profile picture and designation will display everywhere your public tasting notes do as well as on your public profile page. 

Easily access the enhanced VinCellar public profile via the VinCellar Home page.  View your own or search for others using their VinCellar nickname. 

The public profile now displays your profile image, designation, recent tasting notes and recent cellar activity (if public).  From this page users can subscribe to your individual tasting note RSS feed and browse your public notes and cellar. 

WINE DETAIL PAGE
Other users who own this wine
People who own this wine also own
 
HOME PAGE
Access recent activity of you AND your Facebook friends.  Note: to see Facebook friend activity your Facebook friends must first update their privacy setting in VinCellar My Account.

Entering your wines into VinCellar is a completely rewarding experience, giving you instant access to reams of useful information from auction/retail prices to community/professional tasting notes and reviews, to label images, drink dates and more.

If you’re having trouble with step one: finding your wines in our database, then the process can be a little frustrating. Follow these simple tips to improve your searches and make adding your wines a breeze:

SEARCH TIPS

MANUAL ENTRIES

If, after following these suggestions, you’re still unable to find your wine, proceed to enter it manually. When doing so, remember that each entry is individually verified by a member of Vinfolio’s Content Team (usually me). Give me as much information as possible in your entry and your wine will be added to the database faster. Some tips for submitting complete manual entries:

1.    Include the full producer and wine name.
2.    Choose the correct variety from the pulldown. If it isn’t listed, choose “Other,” but make note of it in the “Notes” box in the manual entry.
3.    Choose the correct appellation. If you can’t find it, again include the information in the “Notes” section.
4.    Speaking of the “Notes” section, this is a great place to let me know if the wine is a new release, a club only wine, or any other special designation. Many of you have added urls for websites where I can find the wine – very helpful. This section is not, though, for your tasting notes. (Of course I will still read and enjoy them thoroughly!)

Always feel free to ask questions, either here in a reply, on the forums, or by contacting Customer Service. Look for more tips on making the most of your VinCellar experience, including label image uploads, coming soon!

As many of you know, the 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape campaign is in full swing. Robert Parker has written, “2007 is the greatest vintage I have tasted in my thirty years working in that region. Nearly every producer has attained largely unprecedented levels of quality. Moreover, the vintage is remarkably consistent from top to bottom…It is the vintage of my lifetime for this region, and I don’t say that lightly.”

As expected, there is tremendous demand for the “wines of the vintage” down to the “sleeper” values. You can sign up for Vinfolio Wine Alerts (either daily or weekly email notifications) to automatically be notified via email of new additions. You can also email wineoffers@vinfolio.com to be signed up specifically for a 2007 Chateauneuf du Pape wine alert (and other alerts) or just reply to your Wine Specialist.

James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator is currently in the Rhone tasting the 2007 Chateauneufs and has an excellent blog on his Domaine visits and tastings.  

I have to admit that I am a huge fan of Riesling - in all its many forms. Like many, I initially was held back by the preconceived notion that Rieslings are simply sweet, innocuous wines with little to hold my attention. However, after tasting some amazing versions from around the world, I soon discovered my view was shortsighted. Drinking Riesling can be a very satisfying way to both start and end an evening; Riesling’s natural acidity makes it a perfect aperitif in its racy, dry form (such as the German Kabinett) and also a luscious dessert wine in its sweeter forms (such as Late Harvest / Vendage Tardive and Eiswein).

 
There are many wine regions that produce Riesling such as the famed German Mosel Saar Ruwer, whose lean, water-white Rieslings are characterized by lower alcohol levels, and the French region of Alsace whose Rieslings are often much richer with a marked golden color. In addition to such traditional growing regions, the "New World" wine regions are producing Riesling in many cool climates such as Mendocino, California and Central Otago, New Zealand.

Here are a few of my favorite Rieslings in Vinfolio’s wine store:

Light and Dry
2007 Gunderloch - Jean Baptiste Riesling Kabinett (Germany, Rheinhessen)                  $17.95

2007 Maximin-Grunhauser - Abtsberg Riesling Kabinett (Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer)  $25.95

2007 Felton Road – Riesling (New Zealand, Central Otago)                                             $26.00

2006 Knoll, Emmerich - Riesling Kellerberg Smaragd (Austria, Wachau)                           $44.95

Full-bodied and Sweet
2007 Donnhoff - Niederhauser Hermannshohle Riesling Auslese (Germany, Nahe)   $61.95/375ml

2006 Zind-Humbrecht - Riesling Brand VT (France, Alsace)                                          $91.95

Click here to view Vinfolio's full selection of Riesling.