Review:

Microsoft Wine Guide -
When wine becomes a hobby.

By Peter Schmidt

© Copyright 1997 by Peter Schmidt. All rights reserved.

Oz Clarke, one of the world's best wine connoisseurs, has in coorporation with Microsoft developed a Encyclopedia for all of us, who like a glass of wine now and then. One cannot avoid being marked by Oz Clarke's enthusiasm, when you examine this WineGuide. you immediately want to have your own wine cellar, or at least want to invest in a couple of bottles. And with the help of Oz Clarke, every one can join in.

With Microsoft WineGuide you're well off in the world of wines. In it you can see which glass belongs with which wine, how to use the different corkscrews on the market and how to taste the wine. Most of this is shown in the accompanying video clips.

You can see the different wine districts, the different farms and castles and you can for each wine see what grapes it consists of, what vintage is best and when to drink it. If you're having dinner guests one day, Oz Clarke even help you with picking the wine for the meal.

Another positive thing about the WineGuide is that if you are having difficulty pronouncing a word, you can listen to a soundfile in which Oz Clarke pronounces the word in correct French.

The program is built around hyperlinks, so that youcan "click" your way around the information. If you find a wine for example a "Gran Cru" you can click on the word "Gran Cru" and up pops a box, telling you what "Gran Cru" means. It also shows how to pronounce the word, and tells you what other classifications there is for instance "Gran Cru classé," you can of course "click" on this word, and see what it means and what wines that carries -- let us all agree, that its not the cheap wine from the supermarket youfind in this guide.

There is one drawback though, you cannot take the guide down to the wineshop to get information on the wine on sale this week. You can however print out the name of the wine you want to buy for example, and take it with you down to the wine shop only to find that he hasn't got it.

I have to say that this program should be under every wine connoisseur's Christmas tree.

Jes Peter Schmidt Hansen is a computer whiz and wine lover who lives in Aalborg, Denmark.

A Word About 'Words About Wine'

If your love of wine inspires you to want to write an article or essay about the subject, or if you've had a wine-related article published in print that you'd like to share with wine lovers on the Web, I'll be happy to consider placing it on the Web in this new feature of my Wine Lovers' Page.

Although I can't offer to pay for submissions at this time, I'd like to see this feature become a showcase for serious wine journalism and essays in a format longer, more thoughtful, and less transient than message board discussions.

I'll be happy to consider both previously published work (as long as you retain copyright rights) and unpublished work, and while I reserve the right to reject submissions on the basis of content or style, I'll make every effort to be generous in those judgements and err on the side of inclusiveness, in order -- I hope -- to build a good collection of quality Words About Wine. If you'd like to propose an article now or show me one that you've already written, please feel free to send me E-Mail.

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Review:

Microsoft Wine Guide - When wine becomes a hobby.

© Copyright 1997 by Peter Schmidt. All rights reserved.

A Word About 'Words About Wine'

Talk about wine | Ask wine question | Wine Lovers' Page

Microsoft Wine Guide -
When wine becomes a hobby.