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Comment by stcredzero | Hacker News Reader

When I lived in Cincinnati, the "Everybody's Cooking" radio talk show was like my "Car Talk" for foodies. One of their soapbox things was wine ratings. They thought it was way too complicated. "C'mon, are you really going to taste the difference between an 88 and an 89!?"

Those two chefs proposed the "Siskel and Ebert" system. Thumbs up/thumbs down. "Do you like it? Do you not like it? It's only fermented grape juice!" They advocated ditching the mysticism and just enjoying it with dinner.

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The style / grape type is probably more important than some number. "I like really crisp whites", "I like really thick, fruity (but not too tart) reds", etc. will narrow down a search better than just looking for high ratings.

If you really like steak, you're probably better off with a cabernet sauvignon than a riesling, rating nonwithstanding.

Probably the biggest problem is the packaging. With produce, you can go to the store, and feel and sniff the wares. If you don't like it, you go to a different store. With wine, you have to wait until you get home with the bottle. And even if you find a good wine, you have no idea if it will be the same year to year, or even a few months later. You have no idea when marketdroids are going to convince the executives to cash in on the name. (Same happens to beer.)

Whole Foods does right by its customers by handing out samples of chosen wines. I like being able to taste before I buy!

Well, with beer, it's much cheaper to get a variety of singles. After my wife and I did that a couple times, we had a very clear idea what styles we like. (And that we prefer beer to wine.)

Incidentally, West Michigan is one of the best places in the US for craft ales. There's Founders (http://www.foundersbrewing.com/founders/), Bell's (http://www.bellsbeer.com/), and the Hopcat (http://hopcatgr.com/main/About.aspx), for starters. :)

The Pacific Northwest was marvelous for great, innovative microbrew when I lived there in the early 90's.

Cool, those guys are still around! http://maritimebrewery.ypguides.net/

I agree with the excellence of Founders. Many truly unique beers. I'm waiting for their wares to become available in Canada. Until then, I always search them out when visiting within their distribution area. Last found a some in St. Louis.

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