Strat's Place
This multifaceted site by Art and Betsy Stratermeyer expresses the authors', love of wine, gardening and the arts. The Wine section is the most extensive, built principally from thousands of contributions from wine lovers around the world. It is without doubt one of the largest wine sites on the web, but because it is really a large repository of contributions from a multitude of different sources, the standard does vary. Overall, however, it is extremely good. The sheer volume of data here means there are often second or third opinions available on any given topic.
The homepage introduces each of the site's Main Topics (The World of Wine, Gardening and The Arts). Once inside The World of Wine you will find a What's New section for regular readers, and below that a grid which has links to the main sub-sections. At the bottom of every pagge a navigation panel provides links to home and each of the site's Main Topic sections.
Index pages load quickly, bu the large size of some lower-level pages can make downloads a bit ponderous. The same goes for searches on the site's larger databases.
The audio Pronunciation Guide section requires sound capability for simple '.wav' files. This should come as standard with your computer.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The Wine Cellar Picture Album Several dozen visitors have sent photos and details of how they store their wines, from elaborate, high-tech and money-no-object mini-palaces, to basic under-stair solutions. If you have a particular problem in storing wines, you're almost certain to find some neat solutions here.
Wine Label Library Presented by country of origin, this is a collection of over 1,000 wine labels. The quality of the images is highly variable, but it is a fairly comprehensive collection.
The Wine 'How To' Section Useful topics like 'How to hold a wine tasting', 'Removing labels from bottles', 'Removing wine stains' and 'Selecting and cleaning glassware'.
You Know You're a Wine Nut if ... A collection of witty, and occasionally too close to home, definitions: 'You sniff the cork notice board at work', 'You give the communion wine a numerical rating', 'You find yourself swirling a glass of water.'
OTHER FEATURES
The Glossary of Wine Tasting Terms and Glossary of Grape Varieties are extensive and useful resources.
Wine and Food Pairings lists scores of foods/recipes and gives wine-matching suggestions from numerous contributors.
The Living Wine Dictionary explains many wine-related terms, with an audio pronunciation guide to many.
The homepage introduces each of the site's Main Topics (The World of Wine, Gardening and The Arts). Once inside The World of Wine you will find a What's New section for regular readers, and below that a grid which has links to the main sub-sections. At the bottom of every pagge a navigation panel provides links to home and each of the site's Main Topic sections.
Index pages load quickly, bu the large size of some lower-level pages can make downloads a bit ponderous. The same goes for searches on the site's larger databases.
The audio Pronunciation Guide section requires sound capability for simple '.wav' files. This should come as standard with your computer.
SPECIAL FEATURES
The Wine Cellar Picture Album Several dozen visitors have sent photos and details of how they store their wines, from elaborate, high-tech and money-no-object mini-palaces, to basic under-stair solutions. If you have a particular problem in storing wines, you're almost certain to find some neat solutions here.
Wine Label Library Presented by country of origin, this is a collection of over 1,000 wine labels. The quality of the images is highly variable, but it is a fairly comprehensive collection.
The Wine 'How To' Section Useful topics like 'How to hold a wine tasting', 'Removing labels from bottles', 'Removing wine stains' and 'Selecting and cleaning glassware'.
You Know You're a Wine Nut if ... A collection of witty, and occasionally too close to home, definitions: 'You sniff the cork notice board at work', 'You give the communion wine a numerical rating', 'You find yourself swirling a glass of water.'
OTHER FEATURES
The Glossary of Wine Tasting Terms and Glossary of Grape Varieties are extensive and useful resources.
Wine and Food Pairings lists scores of foods/recipes and gives wine-matching suggestions from numerous contributors.
The Living Wine Dictionary explains many wine-related terms, with an audio pronunciation guide to many.
COMMENTS
login to add a comment...There is a folksy and very welcoming feel to this lovely site. Art and Betsy's visitors are treated as an extended family and the authors' love of wine and obvious joy in sharing it with an online community set this site apart from many. You may find it a little unwieldy to use, and the standard is a little variable, but it is charming and down to earth as well as being packed with information.
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