Internet-Enabled Wine Appreciation
6/24/2011by Lee Cichanowicz
For many of us, wine appreciation is the primary reason for attending PWS events: that synergy of wine education and exposure to new wines. I actually discovered the PWS through the Web four years ago, and I have been using the Internet to greatly enhance my wine appreciation ever since. The ‘Net offers far more than typical “wine Web sites”, and all of the numerous offerings can be enjoyed on any Internet-enabled computer or smartphone—without spending a cent. Using just your existing I.T., in virtually no time, you will be listening to GrapeRadio, watching WineLibrary TV, querying your wine collection, and seeing PWS events magically appear on your calendar!
As with wines, you will like and value some of these technologies, and my specific examples, more than others. Like wines, it is all about trying them and judging for yourself.
Blogs
Blog is a blended word from the full term Web log. In other words, a blog is a log that is kept/published on the Web. A log of what? Well, most anything and everything, though individual blogs usually have a primary focus. The frequency of logging, or blogging, varies from multiple daily logs to once in a while (whenever the otherwise busy blogger gets a chance). Few bloggers make any money from their blogs, so they are donating their time for your reading enjoyment.
"Self publishing" sums up how the Internet has changed the world. Just think how tremendously difficult it would have been to share your thoughts with the entire world 15 years ago. Initially, this Internet-enabled self-publishing meant creating your own Web site, which is too involved and/or difficult for most people, so blogs are now the single biggest form of self publishing. Think about it: you can share your thoughts with the world—with ease—by starting your own blog (in mere minutes), or you can consume the publishing of others by reading their blogs.
Here are a couple of wine-related blogs that I like.
You can find more wine blogs here: www.WineBlogAwards.org and here: www.AlaWine.com
iCalendar
iCalendar is a computer file format (with a .ics file extension), which allows calendar information (events, meeting requests, etc.) to be shared easily on the Internet. It does require software, which supports iCalendar, which most of us already have. There are two distinct uses of iCalendar. One is to put calendar items on your calendar. The other is to show you a calendar "beside" your calendar. If you are definitely attending our next PWS event, you probably want it on your calendar. However, if you want to see our upcoming events calendar (in your calendar software), you don't necessarily want them on your calendar. Perhaps you have other plans on one of our upcoming event dates (a family reunion perhaps); therefore, you don't want our event on your calendar, since you won't be attending.
iCalendar was originally designed to work with "desktop" software (installed on your computer, like Microsoft Outlook). If you use a Web-based e-mail account and calendar like Hotmail, Yahoo, or gmail, you can still make use of iCalendar. You'll either need a special hyperlink (like the ones provided here on the PWS Web site), or you'll have to manually import the .ics file.
Try out the "Add to Calendar" links here on the PWS Web site.
language translators
Language translators are very helpful in the world of wine, which is international by nature. Just today I looked up a French winery (www.monmousseau.com) only to find that their Web site is only available in French. I speak a little French, but my English is great, so I'd love to see their site in English. No problem. I go to the Microsoft Translator and enter the Web address (URL) of the French Winery's Web site. Click 'Translate'. Give it a minute to process it, and I can view and navigate the site in English.
You could also paste in words or lots of text for translation.
podcasts
This is a very poorly named concept that simply entails listening to prerecorded audio files. This is another blended "word" from the full term iPod broadcast. You do not need an iPod, or even an MP3 player, and they are not broadcast. ...Again, very poorly named. It is typical for these audio recordings to be part of series (much like blog postings). You can go straight to the one that interests you and start listening right on your computer.
You can also "subscribe" if you have software that supports managing the "podcast" subscriptions and files. I use Zune, which is free and excellent.
Here are a couple of "podcasts" that I like.
You may notice that some of the above podcasts have video and audio. Wine Library TV is a very popular example of a "video blog".
RSS (Really Simple Syndication) is a "feed" technology to make it possible to subscribe to Web-based syndications. With it, you can subscribe to blogs, podcasts, etc. This eliminates the need for you to visit their Web sites to check for new content. Instead of you "pulling" the content, it is "pushed" to you. (It is not as magical as it may sound. Your software will actually go check for new content, so that you don't have to.) The easiest way to identify the availability of an RSS feed is to look for the icon: 
. You will need software with RSS support to make use of RSS feeds. Most modern Web browsers (Internet Explorer), and some rich mail clients (Microsoft Outlook), have RSS feed functionality.
geographic mapping
Coming soon. Check back in a few days.
wine cellar/collection tracking/management
Coming soon. Check back in a few days.
