INTERNET BOOZE! A SITE FOR SORE HEADS

So you think you know about beer or wine? Once you've looked at the Net you'll realise there's a lot to learn about turning hops or grapes into the headiest of booze. The Internet contains thousands of quirky facts on drink as well as how and where to find the best bottles around. Some sites are created by masters of wine, others by amateur but enthusiastic imbibers. All have a high alcohol content and one even reveals how to sink as much as you want without suffering a hangover. We will now to on a virtual pub crawl to enjoy a few pints! Teetotallers may wish to look away from the screen now.....

http://www.beerhunters.com/ This is the site run by Michael Jackson - not the one who has had more facelifts than a mine shaft - but the Michael Jackson whose books and TV series prove his knowledge of beer is second to none. "I'm in the pursuit of exceptional beer, that's why they call me the Beerhunter," he writes. The site is full of facts, figures, opinions and notes on beer from all round the world. Every month he posts notes from his tasting room. March, for instance, takes in the Millennium Ale from Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. "It's not intended to be consumed until next year but I couldn't wait" he says. He describes it as soft, smooth, a malthy palate with the faintest image of rum. The same notes feature beers from China, America, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, Luxembourg and France. A fantastic search engine allows you to enter any beer term or ale and an entire library will be scoured to deliver relevant articles. Try Pete's Wicked Ale and you will be inundated with information.

http://www.camra.org.uk/ No look at beer would be complete without a visit to the site for Camra - the Campaign for Real Ale. Some people are convinced that all the groups' members have bushy beards and wear woolly jumpers with holes in it. It doesn't mention this, but the site is a good one, full of handy information for anyone wishing to swill the odd pint or three of old-fashioned beer. There is a comprehensive list of beer festivals around the Country, no matter how small. Find out about the Beer Festival at Londons' Olympia from August 3-7th. The site lists all of its favourite things such as Best Pub of the Year - the Fat Cat in Norwich and even the Best Pub Design which goes to the Wharf in Walsall. There's a section called "cider and perry" which introduces Apple - the group within the group which aims to protect traditional cider making.

http://www.allabout/This provides everything you could possibly want to know about American micro breweries which haven taken off in a big way over the past decade. Click on to any of their 50 states and you'll find a list of every brewery around. There's a good news section from around the world including a nice little gem about Pele's Balti Pub in Coventry. In order to save the locals trooping off to the curry house at chucking-out time, they're serving them on the spot. Medical advice insists that a drink a day in middle age improves your health by 20 per cent. "Beer Talk" includes the best beers in Germany plus experts views on "dopplebock" as created by a Bavarian monk called Father Barnabas Still.  "Beer and Food" insists that mustard makes a perfect partner for beer. Try it at your own risk! Updated facts and figures about the world brewing industry include the Top 10 best-selling beers in the world, which are: 1.Budweiser; 2.Bud Light; 3.Brahma Chopp Brahm; 4.Asahi Super Dry; 5.Corona; 6.Skol; 7.Antarctica Paulisla; 8.Miller Lite;9.Heineken; 10.Coors Lite.

http://www.winevin.com/ Welcome to the World Wine Web which even allows you to proceed in English or French. A wonderfully comprehensive encyclopedia is the highlight of this site giving information about wines from all round the world. It covers everywhere, from France and Italy to the Lebanon, Turkey, Israel and Uruguay. If you click on, for instance, Zimbabwe you will be shown a detailed map highlighting wine regions and what they produce and when it should be drunk. The site tells you what you need to know to become a true connoisseur of the grape. A tasting chart allows you to grade by sight, smell and taste. A vintage chart is there to guide you through the best years. A massive array of web links take you to other sites including some of the smaller vineyards across Europe and America. Finally there's a quiz to test your skills.

http://www.wines.com/   This is Wines on the Internet which promises to produce the goods for consumers, collectors, professionals and wine lovers. It is a good site which takes you through many of the basics. The main fault is its bias towards California. Click on to Virtual Wineries and you arer taken to a dozen or so vineyards around the US (plus one from Italy) to find out what they produce. See the Creston Vineyards in Paso Robles, California, which supplied the wines served at the inauguration dinners for presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton. A virtual tasting room allows you to click red, white, dessert, or mixed to "sample" a few bottles. Their own panel is not afraid to hand our its opinion. The best part of the site is the Wine Wizards Resourcery. There is an introduction to popular wines which allows you to click on the merlot, riesling, chardonnay etc. to find out what makes them different. For instance, click champagne or sparkling wine and learn how the bubbles get in there and why the French get so sniffy about us using the word champagne when they want it to apply only to the bottles made in the French region of Champagne. The Wine Wizard concludes by saying:"Celebrate life in every way, add sparkling wine to your day."

http://www.wine-lovers-page.com/ The good think about this is it is one individuals' opinion. Robin Garr (who seems to know what he's talking about) offers simple tasting notes on dozens of wines he has tried over the years. He even offers a QPR digest, which is his personally-devised Quality Price-Ratio which tells you whether something is worth that extra pound or two or whether it is a rip-off. One drawback is that he uses US dollars, but they can easily be converted (divide by 1.6 for a rough figure). Remember, certain wines may vary widely in price over here in the UK. You can even register to have free weekly wine bulletins e-mailed to you. Handy. The best part about this site is Robins' ability to tell you what you should eat with each wine. When sipping a 1997 Altesino, he insists, there is nothing in this world like scoffing a macaroni cheese. Very glam.

WORTH POPPING IN FOR A PINT

http://www.celebrator.com/ - this beer news magazine keeps you abreast of what's hot and not in the beer business.

http://www.guinness.com/ - discover the history of this Irish national treasure and play some silly games.

http://www.wsa.org.uk./ The Wine and Spirit Association of Great Britain and Ireland. Professional group for those in the trade.

http://www.webtender.com/ for top 20 cocktails and their recipes

     RED REVOLUTION

      WHITE SLIPS TO SECOND PLACE AS THE NATIONS FAVOURITE WINE!

RED wine has overtaken white as the nations favourite plonk. It now accounts for more than half of all bottles sold, following a dramatic change in drinking habits. Studies linking robust reds with good health are a major reason for its surge in popularity. TV food shows and improved supermarket selections have also boosted sales. Industry sources predict 52% of all wine drunk in 1999 will have been red. That compares with 30% in 1985, when Brits were much less adventurous. Back then sweet whites like Liebfraumilch and Blue Nun were best-sellers. Todays tipplers are more likely to pick a rich Rioja, Shiraz or Cabernet Sauvignon, according to the industry magazine Drink Forecast and off-licence chain First Quench.  Scientific claims that red wines contain anti-oxidants which help fight cancer, herat disease and strokes have hiked up sales. Imports of good, affordable reds from South Africa, South America and Australia have also soared.

Drink Forecast editor Mark Gately said: "Wine drinkers have become much more sophisticated over the past decade. They understand wine better and no longer se red as exotic or off limits. They can also buy very good ones at the supermarket."

Wine has also overtaken beer as our favourite tipple at home. Last year it accounted for 29.5% of off-licence trade, compared with 29.3% for ale. Britons spent £5.5billion on wine in 1998 - up 60% in five years. Best selling red is Casa Rural from Spain, followed by Albor Tinto Rioja and Jacobs Creek Shiraz.

                LOWDOWN ON THE TOP TEN BEST-SELLING REDS IN THE COUNTRY

1. CASA RURAL RED... Modern Spanish glugger at a bargain-basement price.

2. ALBOR TINTO RIOJA ... One step up - more for Sunday lunch than a party bottle.

3. JACOBS CREEK SHIRAZ CABERNET ... One of the big success stories of Australia. This is full of ripe berry flavours.

4. TORRES SANGREDETORRO ... A satisfying Spanish smoothie that's a cut above.

5. GALLO CABERNET SAUVIGNON ... California is back. This one's packed with soft ripe fruit.

6. COPA REAL PLATA ... Hard to beat for price - a good all rounder for parties and barbecues.

7. COTES DE VENTOUX LA MISSION ... Regional French red hits the spot.

8. IAMBOL VINTAGE PREMIER CABERNET ... Easy-drinking blackcurranty red from Bulgaria,  1980's cheapy source.    

9. LAS COLINAS RED ... Good-natured, well balanced all-rounder from Chile.

10.BEAUJOLAIS VILLAGES ... A well-structured French wine of the old school.

HOPE THERE IS SOMETHING OF INTEREST FOR YOU IN THIS LITTLE LOT!  I AM NOW OFF FOR A NICE GLASS OF ELDERFLOWER CHAMPAGNE! If you fancy trying some too, after all this talk about the hard stuff  please click here   CHEERS!

IF YOU FEEL THE NEED TO GET HEALTHY AFTER ALL THIS TALK ABOUT BOOZE PLEASE VISIT WHOLE HOUSE WATER FILTERS

If you fancy trying your hand at beer and wine making click here!

AN ABSOLUTE MUST!!!! Visit the brand new CIDERSPACE and order online!

IF YOU KNOW OF ANY OTHER BOOZE SITES AND I WILL ADD THEM.