What's in the Bottle?

What's in the Bottle? is a new wine blog from Knoxville writer Roger Killen, a former retailer and reviewer for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He has been nominated for two awards in the Wine Blog Awards: Best New Wine Blog and Best Original Photography or Video on a Wine Blog. Glad to have another Tennessean on the list, and be sure to check out his beautiful photography and in-depth wine reviews!

Florida: The Frugal Wine Snob

Carolyn writes from Florida about the world of bottles under $20 at her brand new site The Frugal Wine Snob. As we all know, frugal doesn't mean cheap, but rather implies making the most of your hard earned money. The sub-$20 field can be frustrating, because there's a lot of boring wine out there in that price range, but there are utter gems and delights if you know where to look. So check out her blog and save a few greenbacks when you hit the wine shop.

I typically don't link sites until they've got a few months' worth of posts up, but she's been practicing on Facebook for a while before going public with the blog. I think that's a great strategy for any starting blogger in any field. Write for a while and get a feel for your personal style, and then take the best of and use those as your first posts.

Arkansas Wine Blog

Ladies and Gentlemen, we've found an Arkansas wine blog. Not one focused on the wines of Arkansas, but the musings of a wine lover in Fayetteville, way out in Northwest Arkansas. Welcome, Lousy Grapes!

On the Wine Trail in Italy

So what's going on with Texas? Just a big state or is it the future of the nation's winebloggers?

Check out Alfonso Cevola's site On the Wine Trail in Italy. Alfonso splits his time between the US and Italy, working in the wine business and writing about his experiences. I'm particularly interested in his exploration of the islands. Lord knows I'll do anything to get my hands on those rare bottles of Sardinian wine that occasionally grace our shelves here.

Also included are family stories, insights on Italian food and language, and much more.

Vinously Speaking

Check out Vinously Speaking, a wine blog written by Veronique who is from San Antonio, Texas. But she's currently studying for her Masters in Wine Business in Dijon, France. Happy to have her aboard, because the sons and daughters of our fair states have traveled the world and written many great things outside of the lands of their birth. She requested to be here, so I'm going to look forward to future posts on introducing beef brisket, salsa, and guacamole to the fine folks of Dijon. And yes, good mustard is an integral ingredient to a good BBQ rub.

Stop by and visit her site, and enjoy the vicarious experience of being a young wine fanatic in France.

Wine & King of the Hill

Though set in Texas, most Southerners I know find some way to connect with the setting and characters in Mike Judge's brilliant animated series King of the Hill. Obviously beer was the drink of choice in the show (and must have appeared at least once every episode), but wine showed up from time to time. Typically consumed by the female characters, but the guys get into it once in a while. Hank once demonstrates a bad yet common misconception about wine, referring to half a bottle of his wedding wine that he's been holding onto. An opened bottle of wine, left in a cabinet for nearly 20 years.

In this 12th season episode, Ted Wassonasong says to Kahn Souphanousinphone, "And this 97 Pinot has its own story... It's the au pair who slaps you after you chase her into the kitchen." Which would be a hilarious parody of poetic wine reviewing if I hadn't heard things exactly like that in dozens of tastings. Or occasionally written something like that myself.

Unfortunately, I think King of the Hill tends to reinforce some attitudes that stand in the way of a real American wine culture: the idea that it's a women's beverage, or only for the wealthy, or only for special occasions. But there is another show set in the South that displays wine in a better fashion... Stay tuned!

Wine for Normal People

Elizabeth Schneider writes about wine from the burgeoning Southern wineblog center of Atlanta, Georgia with Wine for Normal People, a great name for blog. Because wine isn't a beverage of the elite or effete, it's something that can and should be enjoyed by everyone.

Elizabeth posts about once a week, but when she does it's chock full of photos, maps, and detailed information. It's a scholarly but not snooty approach to the subject that I really admire.

Also, I'm going to take this opportunity to issue a challenge: Texas, Virginia, and Georgia are going strong so far in WITS. I know Florida has to have some more winebloggers, and I'm still looking for folks out there in Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana. Readers and bloggers, send me your links!