Twitter is a way for a large bunch of people to talk to one another online. And, just as in the real world, shared interests bring them together. So wine nerds, I mean enthusiasts, interact with others of like mind who want to know what wine matches certain foods and who’s got the best deal down Boston High Street. That’s Boston Lincolnshire as well as Boston Massachusetts.
Because Twitter users are world-wide. Which makes it easy for your 140 character message (that’s all your allowed) to get missed, or misinterpreted, by wine enthusiasts in different time zones who (nominally) speak English but use a whole host of different abbreviations and slang words.
So start by ‘following’ (that’s Twitter language for reading messages from the people you chose) UK wine writers, sellers, brand names, magazines and individuals who like their wine and nosh and just want to tell you about it, before going abroad.
And once you start following them, they start following you back (if you have something of interest to say that is). And that’s when the Twitter conversations start. About a week or two after you start if your experience matches mine.
It’s free and relatively easy to follow me at twitter.com/huxelrebe or Mature Times at twitter.com/maturetimes but you’ll need to create a Twitter account first. Just click on Sign Up on the Twitter homepage and fill in the online form.
PG Wine Reviews
Tesco Vin de France White Wine
£3.79 Tesco
Smells and tastes lightly of pear. Cheap and pleasant.
M&S Tapada de Villar Portuguese Vinho Verde 2013, 10.5% alc
£6.00 Marks and Spencers
It doesn’t matter that you’ve probably never heard of the three grape varieties that make up this modern-made Vinho Verde – Loureiro, Arinto and Trajadura – but that doesn’t matter because the result is refreshing and delicious. Apple and lemon flavours with a sweetness of bubblegum plus the usual light sparkling that you’d expect in a Vinho Verde.
Spar Italian Chianti
£7.19 Spar
Easy drinking cherry, choc and redcurrant flavours with a hint of Marmite.
Co-op Truly Irresistible French Viognier 2013
£8.99 Co-op
A wonderful wine with complex flavours of sweet, ripe pears, melon, lemon and gooseberry. Fab stuff.
Benguela Breeze South African Shiraz 2013
£8.99 Ocado
Juicy blackberry flavours with a background of cough drops.
Tweet me a wine question @huxelrebe
© Paula Goddard 2014 www.paulagoddard.com
