Virtually tasty: new twist on an old trend

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Snooth.com, self-proclaimed as the world's largest and most comprehensive wine site, is the latest in a string of online wine communities to add virtual tastings to its menu of products.

Snooth’s approach is to have a winemaker on live streaming video while a member of Snooth’s team shares live questions from "all those in snoothland," the site's community, to the winemaker about the wines, winery, business…

Other sites like Tastoria, mustloveWINE and Wine Spectator offer virtual tastings but the Snooth team hopes its experience is more in-depth than some online video wine reviews elsewhere. It has built in some interactive dimensions - members will be able to purchase a few bottles, taste and submit questions.

The virtual tasting video looks a bit like a live-streaming session of Skype, the free online communication program offering video calls. The virtualness does allow someone sitting at a computer to travel around the world and get information similar to that at a live tasting although it could be a more authentic experience if the video was filmed in the tasting room.

To learn more about Snooth and stay current with Snooth’s virtual tastings and video reviews, you can become a member (free) at Snooth.com.

Since the videos are in their infancy, Snooth is requesting feedback and to date doesn’t have a definitive 2010 calendar.

Snooth virtual tasting video: http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/4097689