Many have declared that the web will re-shape the wine industry by providing access to exquisite bottles that normally would take years to find.

The wine industry still faces this problem. Mainly the following elements characterize the lag:

• Bad user experience
• Web 1.0′ish (repository of data)
• Too salesy (feels like a spammy hotmail account)
• Horrible delivery
• When you try purchasing something, many sites say they’ve sold out

Yet, in the past year, certain sites have emerged that have begun countering this poor stigma:

Snooth: By far, my favorite wine site in the past year is snooth. It’s got a light, crisp environment that focuses on uncovering new wines. The layout is great, the user experience is friendly and it’s easy to get set up.

According to the site, “Snooth doesn’t sell wine. Instead, we offer users an engaging and unique shopping experience that lets them interact with wineries, merchants, fellow wine lovers, and wine professionals from all over the globe. When users are ready to make a purchase, we let them compare prices and shop from over 10,000 wine merchants worldwide and offer them opportunities to review the wine and their buying experience to help others in the future.”

I believe with sites like snooth, the online wine movement will evolve at a higher rate than ever before. I’m really looking forward to the value snooth brings to the table. They’ve proven themselves to think ahead and innovate in the sector. They even have an iPhone-focused site, which I’ll be testing out this week.

Wine is only one industry that faces an online lag, perhaps we’ll see more snooth-like sites pop up in the future.

From time to time, I’ll be reviewing some sites and restaurants. Most of them will be in Orange County, CA.

If you’re ever traveling to Orange County, you’ll find that there are a wealth of restaurants that propose to be elegant by simply listing food items with high-end prices. You want to avoid these places. They are dramatically overpriced and the food is overrated.

There are a wealth of underground hot spots in Orange County that have wonderful food, and they have modest prices. These places are authentic, high-end spots that have a special feel to them. They’re timeless.

Pizza e Vino is one of them. Located in the heart of Santa Margarita, CA on the rural, gorgeous lake, Pizza e Vino brings authentic, neopolatan Italian pizza to the heart of South Orange County.

The menu is filled predominantly with pizza and wine. They focus on quality, not quantity, which is refreshing. Their pizza is baked at 900 degrees in a wood burning oven imported from Italy. The crust is hand-formed from dough, which is made daily from Italian flour. The sauce is made from tomatoes grown only in the San Marzano valley of Italy. Toppings include Mozzarella di Bufala and a variety of meats & vegetables.

For the non-pizza people, the wine alone is worth a trip. Additionally, they have handcrafted salads & appetizers including Artichoke Arugula Salad and Caprese Made with Fresh Local and Organic Produce.

They have a quaint wine bar, where you can sip Italian & California wines and select beer from Italy and American Microbrews.

Here’s a quote from the OC Register that puts the environment together very nicely:

Pizza e Vino, tucked into a shopping center anchored by a Ralphs, isn’t only a shining star for the city, it’s a shining star in Orange County where finding a crispy-thin Neapolitan pizza – baked in an imported, wood-burning oven – is a nearly impossible feat.

And oh what a pizza it is . . . .

Maybe it’s something they put in their pizzas, well duh, it totally is (great ingredients, but you got the joke right?), but I was seriously craving a return visit the night after we went.

I’ll also give credit to the setting – a dim wine bar (there’s wine, I didn’t drink any) with classical Italian music – as another reason to return for more.

Thoughts from locals:

Finally, RSM has a delicious restaurant with all the fixins! I checked it out after a friend told me how yummy it is. I had family in town and decided this would be a great place to take them. It was better than I ever imagined. The garlic bread is to die for, the pizza toppings are so fresh and the crust is perfect. I loved it so much I took my husband the following week and keep in mind he is picky about his pizza. He loved it and as soon as we picked up his mom from the airport the following week, we headed straight to PIzza E Vino. Of course she fell in love too. The atmosphere is cozy, the service is great and the food is simply delicious and perfect.

- OC Community Member

Authenic Naples-style pizza, wood-fired, thin crust with delectable toppings, fresh mozzerella and herbs. My favorite pizza is the Stefano, which is a white pizza with olive oil, wild shrimp, toasted garlic, and fresh basil. The antipasto salad is excellent too – light and refreshing! The atmosphere is relaxing and there is a charming lilttle area to dine on the outside patio – great for a date.

- OC Community Member

My wife just back from Italy and this place is authentic. The Napoletana style pizza is great, perfect crust, yummy sauce, just the right amount of toppings. They cook the pizza in a real wood burning oven and it cooks fast. I like to bring my own wine and the corkage is reasonable. Friendly staff.
If you like American style pizza with too much cheese and heavy crust this place is not for you.

- OC Community Member

This place has great ambiance and great attention to detail by the chef/owner/employees. From the cozy decor to the music this quaint Italian eatery has it all. Great pizza, wine, appetizers, desserts! If you have visited Italy it will make you nostalgic. If you are from NY it will make you think you are home. This place is as authentic as it gets. This is not Pizza Hut kind of pizza. This place lives and breaths Italy. The attention to quality food and ingredients is obvious in every dish.

Great for dates, families, everyday type of food, a night out on the town. It fits the bill for every mood. Thank you for bringing a bit of the Italy to RSM!!!

- OC Community Member

If you’re looking for a smooth, authentic experience, then a wine of Sicily’s Nero d’avola must be on your to-taste list.

Nero d’avola is a late-ripening grape that thrives in hot, dry climates, making it a near-perfect match for the almost desertlike conditions found in much of Sicily. In fact, when most people think of Nero d’avola, they think of Sicily.

Nero d’avola is often likened to a cabernet, syrah or merlot. Yet, in my experience, it procures a rather spicy, dark, but ruthlessly smooth taste.

What’s funny, though, is that when most people think of Sicily, they don’t automatically think of Nero d’avola. Two-thirds of Sicily is covered with  white grapes. Still, the sheer exclusivity of Nero d’avola’s harvest makes Sicily the first thought when the selection comes to mind.

The price/bottle of Nero d’avola is not exlusivlely set in the $50+ range; rather, you can find a bottle for as low as $13. Traditionally, the higher the price, the richer the flavor; however, you’ll be fine with even a lower-end bottle. You’ll notice a unique, exciting difference than the traditional cab.

]]> http://venturedig.com/wine/nero-davola-rich-deep-spicy-red/feed/ 0 http://venturedig.com/wine/edna-valley-baileyana-chardonnay-%e2%80%93-california-2005/ http://venturedig.com/wine/edna-valley-baileyana-chardonnay-%e2%80%93-california-2005/#comments Thu, 30 Oct 2008 01:46:12 +0000 laurascheper http://scottdig.wordpress.com/?p=109

There is nothing like a smooth glass of wine at the end of a busy day to sweep away all the stressful memories.

For me, nothing does that more than a glass (maybe two) of Edna Valley Baileyana Chardonnay. If you are like me and prefer a full body, buttery chardonnay then you’re in for a treat. This relatively inexpensive wine boasts the qualities of a $50 a bottle you would find flown in from the regions of Provence itself.

Having tasted wine in the area, it’s difficult to find something to canon the hints of soft fruits and lingering after taste so beautiful you crave the next glass. Of course the scenery in France itself makes the whole experience of wine tasting more enjoyable, this wine definitely comes close with its soft pear flavor – especially for a lower price.

My recommendation would be to pair it with a well defined, but not overpowering seafood dish. I especially enjoy the taste of this wine and want to enjoy each and every sip.

Brand: Napa River

Type: Chardonnay

Very nice wine. Perfect sweetness, yet fairly thick, as well.

Napa River is apparently bought at a discount from excess Napa Valley bulk wine that is not bought or bottled by other high-end competitors.

It almost has a classic feel. It’s suggested that one should pair this wine with fish; however, I feel it does best on its own.

Very nice choice for a California fall evening.

Best part: $4.99/bottle

Value buy. And in this economy, it’s a drink of choice.

Distributed exclusively from Trader Joes.

Brand: Callaway

Type: Chardonnay

Year: Vintage 2006

Cellar Selection

California

Wow. That’s all I can say. Wow. 

If you’re looking for a full-body, rich chardonnay Callaway is the one. Look no further. Seriously. What’s funny is that the brand orignated from Ely Callaway, inventor of the revolutionary “Big Bertha” golf clubs. It pains me to write that because I detest golf. Still, got to hand it to the man. He seems like a jack of all trades. 

The quality is superb, the style is there. As a taste of preference, I like that it’s not too fruity. I don’t like fruity wines. But, hey, you may. And if you do, don’t run away from this selection. It’s definitely worth a try.

If you’re a wine-fan, you may recognize the intollerable feeling of what I call the “after-burn.” Either the wine has the effect of burning the back of your throat after drinking, or you ate something bad that results in the “after-burn.” Either way, it sucks. 

Good news: No “after-burn.” No watered-down feeling. No generic taste.

This one could definitely end up in my top ten list.

Yay or nay? Yay.