Welcome to Shark's Cellar

My intent for this blog is to share the notes I periodically take as I taste the wines in my cellar.  My thought is that since I am keeping notes for my own purposes anyway, I would make them available to whoever may be interested in them via this blog.  When it comes to tasting, I am strictly an amateur.  My notes follow a standard format that includes: basic details about the wine, a brief tasting note, and a broader reaction to the wine.  Although I philosophically have issues with tasting notes in general (i.e., what does it really mean to say one thing tastes like another?) and I generally have difficulty articulating everything I taste in a wine, I record the tasting note so that I have some frame of reference for remembering and comparing the wines I taste.  Personally, I think the broader reaction note is more useful in identifying the impact the wine has had on me and how it relates to my growing experience of the breadth and depth that the world of wine has to offer.

In the interest of integrity, I will share a few details about my interests in wine, but prefer to keep my anonymity intact (although a few of you may know who I am).  I have been seriously drinking wine for about six years now, although I only manage about 30-40 bottles a year.  My taste in reds runs to Burgundy, Zinfandel, and Gran Reserva Riojas.  I enjoy a broad range of white wines, but especially German Rieslings (Auslesen) wines.  I also enjoy Champagne and, occasionally, port.  Of course I prefer to drink the finest wines available, but in the interests of practicality, my notes tend to focus on the relative value of the wines I drink.

I do not intend for this blog to serve as a source of recommendations (although you may find it useful, if you share my tastes).  I may occasionally endorse importers or merchants, but this is strictly based on my experience with them and not any financial compensation.  I do not intend to seek sponsorship for this blog and will disclose any relationship that may be perceived to influence my notes.

I hope you enjoy my ramblings.  Please feel free to comment.

Shark