The Real Jason Coleman » WineLog http://therealjasoncoleman.com Fri, 13 Apr 2012 14:49:40 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 Super Wine Search is Back Baby http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2012/02/super-wine-search-is-back-baby/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2012/02/super-wine-search-is-back-baby/#comments Fri, 03 Feb 2012 17:49:50 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2012/02/super-wine-search-is-back-baby/ Last Fall, Google retired their “Googlebase” product which we used to get results for our wine shop search engine Super Wine Search.

We had plenty of heads up, but due to lack of time and some uncertainty about which API was the true successor to the Googlebase one, we had to take the site down for a while.

Well, it turns out that Google’s “Search API for Products” is a good successor and I had a bit of spare time… so Super Wine Search is back! I’m excited to try a bunch of searches to see how well the database has expanded. (Be sure to flag search results that come back funny so we can tweak our processing to improve our algorithm.)

The new API is actually very easy to work. I was able to swap things out pretty seamlessly.

There are a couple of things we had to nix. The Search API doesn’t include “size” and “vintage” data as a separate field like the Googlebase API would sometimes. So we are only able to grab this data if it is passed in the product title. Also the new API doesn’t seem to allow us to limit searches to “wine products” like we could before. These features shouldn’t be missed too much though because many merchants (most actually) didn’t provide this information. So we couldn’t count on them anyway… and we didn’t.

Super Wine Search was also used to gather pricing information on wines in your log. You may notice updates to your wine prices and cellar values.

I hope you’ll give Super Wine Search another try. This very simple technology, which basically wraps a bit of WineLog data around the Google shopping search is very powerful and competes well with the more robust wine search engines out there.

]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2012/02/super-wine-search-is-back-baby/feed/ 0 WBC11 Rioja Crawl Checklist http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/07/wbc11-rioja-crawl-checklist/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/07/wbc11-rioja-crawl-checklist/#comments Sun, 24 Jul 2011 02:34:29 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/07/wbc11-rioja-crawl-checklist/ Hello, Wine Bloggers Conference. I hope you are going to enjoy the Rioja wines and look forward to a chance to win some Rioja wine or a trip to the region… with Pia!

This is a little hacked together, but I hope it helps you log the wines and keep track of where you are. Logging the wines here and marking of the paper Pia gave you should get you entered into the drawing twice. Here are the steps:

  1. Signup for WineLog. You may want to link up your Twitter account from the account page.
  2. Visit the Rioja Microsite or just search for riojacrawl. Check the wines off as you drink them.
  3. Visit your Wine Log. You will be awarded the Rioja Crawl badge.
  4. Click where prompted to share on Twitter and Facebook please.
]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/07/wbc11-rioja-crawl-checklist/feed/ 0 Live Blogging the 2011 Wine Bloggers Conference http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/07/live-blogging-the-2011-wine-bloggers-conference/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/07/live-blogging-the-2011-wine-bloggers-conference/#comments Fri, 22 Jul 2011 20:26:10 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/07/live-blogging-the-2011-wine-bloggers-conference/ So I’m going to do the full Wine Bloggers Conference experience here with a live blogging of some White and Rose Wines.

We’re getting an update on the weekend’s schedule. I should be getting started in a moment…

First up is Andy Hicks from CalNaturale with an interesting wine in a tetrapack.

So I’ve actually decided to log the wines instead of writing in the blog. I’ll paste a wine list short code here, which should update with the wines as I taste them. Refresh every 5-10 minutes if you’re reading this in real time.

]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/07/live-blogging-the-2011-wine-bloggers-conference/feed/ 0 The Wineries of Master Chef’s Joe Bastianich http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/the-wineries-of-master-chef%e2%80%99s-joe-bastianich/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/the-wineries-of-master-chef%e2%80%99s-joe-bastianich/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 13:00:18 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/the-wineries-of-master-chef%e2%80%99s-joe-bastianich/ tritonoKim and I are catching up on back episodes of Master Chef. One of the judges, Joe Bastianich, remarks in the opening about his 24 restaurants and 3 Italian wineries. I decided to try to figure out what and where those wineries were and if any of the wine is available online.

The Wineries

The first was pretty easy to find. A quick Google search brings up Bastianich Winery,a 70 acre winery in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. (Joe’s mug is on the “People” page.) They make a 100% Friulano white wine and 7 other wines. The Friulano varietal, named for the region, is one I had never heard of. The Bastianich site says:

Friulano is the most typical white wine in Friuli, the northeastern region of Italy. it is an indigenous grape variety grown in Friuli for hundreds of years. Our Friulano is produced in the Colli Orientali area of Friuli, an area known for its unique terroir and where world-class white wines of Italy are produced.

So to find the other “two” wineries, I checked Wikipedia, which says “Bastianich has established three wineries: Azienda Agricola Bastianich in Friuli; La Mozza s.r.l. in Maremma, Tuscany; and in Tritono Mendoza, Argentina.”

That first winery listed seems to be a longer name for Bastianich Winery. Must be an Italian thing.

La Mozza s.r.l. in Maremma, Tuscany, has their own website as well. The same picture of Joe is on the “People” page of this site… along with Mario Batali. Celebrity wineries! (Lidia Bastanich, a celebrity in her own right, is also listed on the La Mozza and Bastanich Winery sites.)

La Mozza has a red and a white wine listed on the site. Aragone is a red blend (40% Sangiovese, 25% Alicante, 25% Syrah, 10% Carignan). Perazzi is a Morellino (85% Morellino [the local name for Sangiovese in Maremma], 5% Syrah, 5% Alicante, 2% Colorino, 3% Ciliegiolo).

Tritono, the last winery, is in Mendoza, Argentina. Tritono makes a Malbec with a kick ass label (to the right). From the site:

In the glass, the intriguing dark scarlet hues foretell of depth and character Cinnamon and allspice dominate the nose with hints of plum skin and succulent prune. A first sip reveals a mélange of plum, prune, black cherry and hints of orange zest. Underlying flavors of fresh straw and wild mushrooms mingle with earthy, mineral nuances, nicely complementing the intense cherry and plum finish.

Get me a glass!

The Wines

To find the wines, I used what else but Super Wine Search to see if any of these were available online. And they are! Follow the links below to find some merchants offering Bastianich wines.

The Future

Wikipedia also says that Joe has “recently acquired the Brandini Estate in La Morra, Piedmont, Italy.” You can find some wine available under that brand/region. We’ll see what Joe does with it. In the meantime, we’ll be watching Joe school some noobs on Master Chef.

Let me know if you’ve tried any of these. Find them on WineLog and log them. Cheers!

]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/the-wineries-of-master-chef%e2%80%99s-joe-bastianich/feed/ 0 Great Wines at BacchusSelections.com http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/great-wines-at-bacchusselections-com/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/great-wines-at-bacchusselections-com/#comments Wed, 29 Jun 2011 20:23:36 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/great-wines-at-bacchusselections-com/ I wanted to give an update on Bacchus Selections, which is offering some great wines right now… at crazy low prices.

First up is the 2003 Chateau Moulinet Lasserre Cabernet Franc, which is selling for $29.99/bottle. DrXeNo gives it 4 stars and says…

Color: Medium to dark garnet with brick tones in the core, more brick garnet, medium dark edges.

Nose: Big red cherry note shere, but also some more dried cherry tobacco with a bit of earth and driest coffee, followed by drier leather.

Palate: Medium full, with an extremely smooth and sensual mouthfeel. Great balanced acidity that adds a touch of brightness to the cherry tobacco and dried cherry fruit, along with some definite flint in the mid-palate out to the cool finish, that touches on some more earth, leather and dried cassis. Very good, older style with this hint of age now: OldWorldWK.

I give it 5 stars. Probably because I haven’t been able to drink much wine lately, and this was a fine fine specimen. It’s the kind of wine you can really go to school on trying to figure out the complexity. Pick up a bottle now.Buy 3 and get free shipping.

Next up is the 2008 Chateau Pontet-Caillou Pessac-Leognan. This one is just $19.99 (about 37% off retail) and represents a good value. Ward says give it some time to age. So if you have fridge/cellar space. Pick up some of this. 4 bottles to get free shipping.

DrXeNo gives it 4 stars, and says

Color: Medium ruby, lighter ruby edges.

Nose: Toast and light Brett, breadiness to the toast, drier black fruit and black cherry, followed by a nice, flinty minerality.

Palate: Very smooth and chalky mouth, with fine, but still quite structured and slightly bitter tannins, but they add savory herbs to the mid-palate. Slight Brett also adds just a bit of interest to the all black, brighter fruit, alongside low level toast and charred tobacco with anise. Needs some time to continue to integrate, has good aging potential.

I haven’t had a chance to open my bottle yet, but am looking forward to it. I’ll follow up with my impressions once I get a taste.

Please take a look at Bacchus Selections. Sign up for the their free mailing list to be notified of future offers. I know that their wine selectors are top notch and prepped to find some nice deals in this market.

For disclosure purposes, you should know that Bill Loftus, CEO of WineLog is the primary owner of Bacchus Selections. And Stranger Studios, the developer behind WineLog, is the main developer of Bacchus Selections as well. We’re running ads for Bacchus Selections on the site. And we got these samples for free. DrXeNo and I are as unbiased as always, but take this all into consideration.

]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/great-wines-at-bacchusselections-com/feed/ 0 Rewards for Logging Wines. Friends of Rutherford Hill. http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/rewards-for-logging-wines-friends-of-rutherford-hill/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/rewards-for-logging-wines-friends-of-rutherford-hill/#comments Thu, 23 Jun 2011 16:17:37 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/rewards-for-logging-wines-friends-of-rutherford-hill/ Friends of Rutherford HillHow do you like the sexy badges awarded on the site when you log wines? Did you know that they aren’t just eye candy? Many of the badges come with rewards.

Many badges will reward you with free shipping at the winery website or 10-30% off your order. Others will link to downloadable ringtones or tickets to wine events.

Log and wishlist some Rutherford Hill wines to earn the Friends of Rutherford Hills badge.

]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/rewards-for-logging-wines-friends-of-rutherford-hill/feed/ 0 VinPass Has Launched http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/vinpass-has-launched/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/vinpass-has-launched/#comments Fri, 03 Jun 2011 14:19:37 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/vinpass-has-launched/ VinPass

If you use this site at all, you’ve noticed the VinPass badges that are awarded to you when you rate or log certain wines. This feature has been in beta for a few months now, but is finally officially “launched”.

To view all the VinPass badges in play at WineLog, visit the badges page.

VinPass is a cross-site platform, working with the Drync and Hello Vino apps/sites. The launch has gotten some good press on ReadWriteWeb, 1WineDude, and other blogs.

We’re proud to be in such good company, and we look forward to what the future holds for this platform.

Let me know what you think of the feature. If you have suggestions. Which badges are you most excited about? (Some offer prizes)

]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2011/06/vinpass-has-launched/feed/ 0 Unfiltered #3 – HR5034 and Craig Wolf Puppet http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/11/unfiltered-3-%e2%80%93-hr5034-and-craig-wolf-puppet/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/11/unfiltered-3-%e2%80%93-hr5034-and-craig-wolf-puppet/#comments Mon, 22 Nov 2010 20:23:16 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/11/unfiltered-3-%e2%80%93-hr5034-and-craig-wolf-puppet/ Paul Maybray of VinTank gives a nice overview of HR5034. That’s a bill in Congress that would add even more restrictions on shipping wine, which we’ve covered before. Safe to say, it’s a bad bill for wine lovers (but a good bill for distributors with lots of lobbying money, so we’ll see how it turns out).

Paul chats with a puppet version of Craig Wolf, who is CEO of the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America (WSWA). Just watch. It will make sense, and you’ll have more insight into this mess.

Click here to view the embedded video.

More info, including sources for the Craig Wolf quotes, on the VinTank blog.

]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/11/unfiltered-3-%e2%80%93-hr5034-and-craig-wolf-puppet/feed/ 0 Use Coupon Code WINELOG for MyWinesDirect http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/11/use-coupon-code-winelog-for-mywinesdirect/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/11/use-coupon-code-winelog-for-mywinesdirect/#comments Mon, 01 Nov 2010 17:34:33 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/11/use-coupon-code-winelog-for-mywinesdirect/ MyWineDirect.comI’m happy to bring you this deal. Remember to use the coupon code WINELOG to get the promotion.

MyWinesDirect.com features the best wines for the value from undiscovered vineyards around the world.  With fall and holiday celebrations around the corner, it’s the perfect online wine store to find impressive wine gifts and wine gift baskets to celebrate any occasion.  For a limited time, they are offering 10% off all wine gifts plus FREE shipping to WineLog members.  Use coupon code WineLog at checkout to take advantage of this great offer.

]]> http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/11/use-coupon-code-winelog-for-mywinesdirect/feed/ 0 New Gary Vaynerchuk Interviews at VinTank Office are Great http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/10/new-gary-vaynerchuk-interviews-at-vintank-office-are-great/ http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/10/new-gary-vaynerchuk-interviews-at-vintank-office-are-great/#comments Tue, 26 Oct 2010 23:59:37 +0000 Jason http://therealjasoncoleman.com/2010/10/26/new-gary-vaynerchuk-interviews-at-vintank-office-are-great/ If you are a fan of Gary Vaynerchuk but haven’t noticed his “Into the Trenches” videos posted from the VinTank office, you should check them out on Gary’s Cork’d blog.

They are a nice change of pace compared to his WLTV videos. Gary is a great, engaging interviewer and gets some candid responses from his guests. (I haven’t had a chance to hear his SIRIUS radio show either, and wonder what the feel of that show is.)

Check out this interview with Sophia Montes from Marita’s Vineyard. The Montes family story, a version of the American Dream, connects with Gary who has a similar immigrant story.

maritas_garyv_video

I’m pretty late getting to these. I never said I was trendy. But take a look if you haven’t yet.

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