SA: Experts on tap with new internet site

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2000
SA: Experts on tap with new internet site

EXPERTS ON TAP



By Tim Dornin

ADELAIDE - Having experts almost on tap, available anytime you need a helping hand
or some advice is a comforting thought.

More and more people like to be better informed, make smarter choices or just increase
the options open to them, in all walks of life.

The same is true for wine buffs. Now, thanks to a new Internet site they no longer
have to study viticulture to gain a better appreciation of their favourite products.

The recent launch of the Winepros Internet site on the World Wide Web has provide the
wine community with one of its most significant information sources.

The site brings together 10,000 pages of information including more than 5,000 wine
reviews, profiles on 1,200 Australian wineries and access to an electronic version of
the Oxford Companion to Wine.

Managing director Sally Evans says Winepros has also assembled a collection of wine
experts to contribute to the site and has established relationships with other major information
sources.

"The result is a site with unrivalled independence of commentary and unsurpassed content
richness," she says.

"(It is) a site that will provide the wine community with information on virtually
every conceivable aspect of wine."

Already included on the site are more than 500 different wines for sale, 300 wine,
food and travel books and an online valuation service.

Winepros is also actively pursuing more commercial alliances in both Australia and
overseas to bring together information on wine storage, wine courses, wine accessories
and even cellar-door outlets.

But best of all for consumers is that the site is interactive, with features like a
wine forum and question-and-answer facility.

It also wants to encourage subscribers who will get special offers on products and
exclusive content.

"We are treating users of the site as members of a large, worldwide community," says Ms Evans.

"We want all those people to be able to interact with each other and with the Winepros
team of contributors."

The Winepros site can be found in cyberspace at www.winpros.com.au.



ANOTHER TOP SITE

When speaking of interesting wine sites on the Internet the one produced recently by
Stonehaven Vineyards is worth a look.

The Site offers visitors the chance to put their own expertise in wine to the test
by producing their own vintages, both red and white.

Using a series of icons those taking the challenge make decisions on what region their
grapes will be sourced from, when they will be harvested and they also take control of
the fermentation, storage and maturation processes.

At the end of the challenge they'll have a product which will either be a hit or miss
or perhaps something in between.

In my case the Shiraz I conjured was voted the best paint stripper of the year having
brought tears to the judges' eyes.

The secret to success, or at least something drinkable, is to follow the handy hints
at each step of the way.

Stonehaven manager and winemaker Tom Newton says tens of thousands of people have visited
the company's Internet site since its launch making it one of Australia's most popular
wine related pages.

In fact it debuted at number 12 in the top 100 Australian sites in the food and wine category.

AAP tjd/cjh

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