Fine Wine Geek Links

Other Geeky Wine Sites

Note that the word geek on FineWineGeek.com is used with great affection and admiration.

Alessandro Masnaghetti's Enogea.

This is THE source for detailed maps of vineyards. Covering most of the important regions in Piedmont and Tuscany, and a growing list of other wine regions.
For US residents, he recommends purchasing these from Rare Wine Company.
Enogea has also teamed with Antonio Galloni's Vinous to produce a superb set of maps of every section of Napa Valley which can be found here.

Rick Thompson Wine.

Known to his fellow wine geeks as Rico, Rick has an excellent palate and a lot of experience.
Rick is also one of the top authors on Rock Climbing. For example, his book Shelf Road Rock is in its 3rd edition.

Keith Edwards' Wine -- Mise en abyme.

Keith gets into the details of any subject he tackles. It's even in the subtitle to his blog, A quest for knowledge. A mandate to share. He's especially good on the geology of vineyards.

Historic Vineyard Society.

While there is nothing geeky about the mission of this society (the preservation of California’s historic vineyards.), one of the main features of their website is an informative listing of every old-vine vineyard in California, which is very much in the wine geek spirit.

Groups, Forums, and Bulletin Boards

The Barbaresco and Barolo on Facebook.

A very civilized place for tasting notes and discussion on the wines of the the Piedmont region of Italy.
The FWG is one of the two admins for this group.

Antonio Galloni's Vinous has an excellent forum, especially for Italy and Burgundy. [Subscription required.]

Since the merger with Steve Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, this is also the best publication for authoritative reveiws of most of the world's major wine regions.
In addition to Antonio and Steve, their reviewers include Eric Guido, Neal Martin, Josh Raynolds, and David Schildknecht who participate regularly in discussions in the forum, which is called Your Say here.

Wine Berserkers.

A good place to hang out on the Internet when looking for lively discussions about wine and everything else.
The philosophy here is to minimize restrictions on what can be posted, so it may not be for the squeamish, but it is a place for hedonists of all stripes.

Mark Squires' Bulletin Board on RobertParker.com. [now defunct.]

As the name says, this BB was hosted by RobertParker.com.
As of April 26, 2010, you must subscribe to eRP in order to participate on the Mark Squires' BB, so it's a much quieter place than it used to be.
In the summer of 2019, this bulletin board closed for good.
While Parker himself doesn't review as much as he used to, I think Monica Larner's coverage of Italy is very good.

Wine Inventory Systems and Tasting Note Repository

Eric LeVine's CellarTracker!. Hands down, the best way to keep track of your cellar, plus lots of useful information about each wine including over two million tasting notes.

Geeky Wine Books

Native Wine Grapes of Italy by Ian D'Agata, 2014. The bible of Italian wine grapes. A must-have book to fully appreciate the incredible diversity of Italian wines.
Italy's Native Wine Grape Terroirs by Ian D'Agata, 2019. The companian to Ian's first book (above). The focus this time is on the vineyards. Another must-have book to fully appreciate the incredible diversity of Italian wines.
Italy's Noble Red Wines by Sheldon Wasserman and Pauline Wasserman, 1991. A classic book with deep coverage of the most famous red wines of Italy. Dated, but still very useful.
Barolo and Barbaresco: The King and Queen of Italian Wine by Kerin O'Keefe, 2014. The best recent book on these wines. There are a few curious choices (like the omision of Vietti), but a very good book overall. Detailed producer profiles. Her palate leans traditional.
Inside Burgundy by Jasper Morris, 2010. Amazingly thorough and detailed book on the vineyards and wineries of Burgundy.
Labor of Love: Wine Family Women of Piemonte by Suzanne Hoffman, 2017. A gorgeous coffee table book on the wineries in southern Piedmont, focusing in particular on the role of women in these wine families. Lots of useful information about winemaking and history as well. Many wonderful photos.
Reading between the Wines by Terry Theise, 2011. A joyful and poetic book by one of the very best US wine importers. My tag line, Don't be meek, embrace the geek. is from this book.
The Original Grands Crus of Burgundy by Charles Curtis MW, 2014. A history of the great vineyards of Burgundy before the official classification, including translations from classic books on the subject.

Wine-Related Blogs and Other Writings

Do Bianchi by Jeremy Parzen. Jeremy brings a unique, humanist perspective into the world of Italian wine and food. And occassionally life, family, politics, or whatever else is on his mind.
Simply Better Wines by Greg dal Piaz. Greg brings a lifetimes love of wines to his reviews and tasting notes.
On the Wine Trail in Italy by Alfonso Cevola. A distinctive and poetic look at Italy and Italian wines.
John Gilman's View from the Cellar
Richard Jennings's RJ on Wine.
Eric Guido's The V.I.P. Table. Note that in 2020 Eric replaced Ian d'Agata at Vinous.
I'll Drink to That! by Levi Dalton. Amazing in-dept interviews with a wide range of people in the wine business.
Tyler Colman as Dr. Vino. A wide range of topics. Tyler has a PhD in political science focussing on the political economy of the wine industry in France and the United States.
Gang of Pour.
The Cork Report focussing on East Coast wine regions. And now featuring the photography of my friend Mikhail Lipyanskiy.

Wine Stores

Chambers Street Wines, New York City. Specializing in new and old "naturally-made wine" especially from Italy, Burgundy, and Germany.
Rare Wine Company, Brisbane, California. Strong on Italy (new and old), Madeira, Rhone, Burgundy. Their well-written newsletter is a gem.
Benchmark Wine Group, Napa, California. New and old wines from the US and around the world.
Flickinger Wines, Chicago, Illinois. New and old wines from the US and around the world.
Hart Davis Hart Wine Co., Chicago, Illinois. Retail and auctions for new and old wines from the US and around the world.
Napa Valley Wine & Cigar, on the Silverado Trail in Napa, California. (Carrie and Randy Bowman.) Strong on California wines and affectionate customer abuse.
Barolo-Brunello, Siegen, Germany (Stefan Töpler aka Con Vino). Italian wine.