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She didn’t know what brand to get, what region to get it from or what year was best. All she knew was that some were red and some were white. But someone, somewhere was listening when a frustrated lesbian panicked after being asked to pick up a bottle of wine for a housewarming party.
Like they fell from the sky, glossy, cute and pocket-size, Chris Geymont and Todd Johnson’s Wine Vintage Cards offer up every essential detail that the neophyte wine consumer needs to know to make a splash at any social or romantic function.
The cards, devoted to wine regions in European and the other to the New World, are convenient and unpretentious; a range of five emoticons demonstrate which wines are excellent and which should be labeled “buyer beware.” They span a decade (from 1998 to 2007) and cover regions such as the Napa Valley, Southern and Eastern Oregon, Alsace and Tuscany, to name a few.
Born over a glass or two of wine, the cards were meant to be something fun, easy-to-use and helpful in making wine buying a less daunting task for the average person. More specifically, co-creator Chris Geymont says of the lesbian market, “Anyone who takes one of their New World cards to Russian River for the women’s weekend is going to know her way around the area’s best vintages like a pro.”
Hardly word-of-mouth or personal opinion, the data gathered on the cards comes from media reports, publicly available wine ratings, reviews from a variety of sources and firsthand reports from wine regions.
As a side note, all the regions on the cards produce red and white wines; some put out more of one type than the other. For example, contrary to popular belief, there are some delicious white burgundies. Also, a little homework on the part of most amateur wine drinkers can’t hurt. Once you figure out whether you want a red or a white, something crisp or fruity, the wine cards will help you pick out the best vintage and the best year for your hard-earned dollar. (winevintagecards.com)
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Reader Comments:
wow, cool concept.
what happened to just trying wines and if you like them, great, and if not, then you dont? myself and most girls I know like wines that your so-called experts dislike. And, if you are _that_ concerned about showing up to a party with a "bad" bottle of wine, then you are hanging out with the wrong people. Should I also buy a card to tell me what fruit to buy at the market? How embarrassing to show up with with some "bad" oranges.
As someone who works in the wine selling trade I understand just how confusing to a lot of people it is to find a bottle. Every month someone new is releasing something and then the old standbys are being bought out and most done away with. So any thing that makes a shoppers life a little easier is good. No it will not put people like me out of work and it makes unsure people look less so. When buying for others it is a safe bet to buy what you like as they may not ahve even considered that wine or when you come by again they will have what you like available so if what they drink is not to your liking. It is not that we are worried about showing up with the wrong wine but wether they drink red or white, for first time visits. We all know what our friends will drink,right???? There are also classes offered at your local/area community colleges now as well that will help and are fun when you go with someone. Most of all when you feel that you are not sure what to get and you know the sales-person at your local well then Never Hesitate to ask for help. The person may also shop there and they will then know what that other likes.
"janice" you are in the wine selling trade, or the wine-card selling trade?
Hi, I'm going to be up front and tell you I am one of the people involved in producing this card and having read the comments I just wanted to clarify its intended purpose.
First off, both I and my partner whole heartedly encourage trying wines and experimenting. The card is designed as a reference tool to help steer people down their personal wine discovery road. Anyone, including wine makers, will tell you there are stellar vintages and not so stellar vintages. It's not a matter of personal opinion that 2005 was an outstanding year in Burgundy and Bordeaux. It's fact. It's also fact that 2003 was a lousy year in Alsace. This has nothing to do with personal likes or dislikes and everything to do with growing conditions and weather patterns. Hence, if you're at a wine shop and you've got a bottle of 2005 Burgundy in your hand and a bottle of 2003 Alsace and aren't sure which one to go with, having a point of reference (i.e., our wine vintage card) is going to ensure you leave with the best bottle. Not because we like it but because it is, based on very real conditions in its respective region, going to be the best choice.
That said, I, as well as my partner would encourage everyone to put it to the test. There are always going to be exceptions to the rule and a tiny little producer in a region that didn't do so hot in a particular vintage might have managed to bottle something amazing. The idea is and always has been to explore and determine for yourself what you enjoy. This card is not built from personal opinion and I think that may be where some of the misunderstanding is coming from. It is merely a handy reference tool highlighting vintage information to help you on your own personal journey.
And for the record, I have no idea who Janice is. She doesn't work for us.
Oh, and just a P.S., we appreciate the feedback and genuinely want to provide something useful so all comments, positive and negative are welcome.
Thanks! And most of all, happy drinking!
I completely disagree. This has everything to do with personal likes and dislikes. I've had great bottles of 2003 Alsace. Just because it's not supposed to be a great year doesnt mean the wine isnt good. I think you are steering people away from choices that they could be very happy with. Chance are that if you dont know wine, that you probably dont know what is going to taste good or not anyway, and you might like it. You are just trying to keep people from not embarrassing themselves at parties? Tell them not to drink at all.
chrisg - no one ever said that you knew Janice.
where can I get one of these? i dont have a credit card to buy online.
Karen, if you read what I wrote in trying to clarify what the wine cards are intended for I think it's clear we have not built these from our personal opinions. As stated, they are generated from numerous reports from regions and producers. If you'd like to read tasting notes you have merely to plug Robert Parker into google for detailed opinions on virtually every wine under the sun.
As I also stated, we encourage anyone to put our cards to the test and fully agree that there are exceptions to every rule which is half the fun of exploring wine to begin with. The card is designed as a helpful tool, not as a rigid be all and end all and anyone who enjoys exploring wine - as it seems you do - would benefit from it as a guide. We've simply designed something to help people make more informed choices. To that end, I would encourage anyone to ask their local shop, restaurant sommelier or anyone at all involved in wine about wines from vintages with poorer ratings. Do side by side tastings and decide for yourself. Again, this is supposed to be fun and help you learn something along the way. It has never been intended to keep you inside a box. Get out there, fill your glass up and explore!
As for my comment on Janice... someone commented on Oct. 27 suggesting she was in "the wine card selling trade." I simply wanted to clarify she was not. I appreciate her comments but she doesn't work for me. This is all I meant to say.
Finally, to the commenter who inquires about getting a card... go to our site www.winevintagecard.com and send us a message. We can work out a method of payment for you.
Again, thanks for the feedback!