Write-Up Revision Ideas
3Alright, so we had a poll recently asking if there were any parts of the front-page write-up that folks wanted to see changes with. Making this thread for people to post ideas.
Things like what information is missing, what parts are stale, what parts need greater or lesser focus, etc.
Top sections folks mentioned were the Tasting Notes, the Drink From, and the Joke Option.
Have at it.
- 13 comments, 20 replies
- Comment
yea, what he said!
You don’t seem to have had any response, which is a shame.
One thing that I’d really like to see is the type of closure. I have been disappointed to receive wines that had the metal twist off cap, instead of a cork, and would prefer that the type be ALWAYS mentioned in the write-up.
I haven’t seen anything of late that I couldn’t resist, but if something shows up, and I don’t see the type of closure in the description of the wine, I’m probably not going to buy it.
A couple of times the bottles have been without the foil enclosing the top, and the date was stamped directly on the cork. I’d like to know if that was the case as well. There are plenty of perfectly good reasons why it might not have the foil, but I want to know about it.
I’d also like a bottle of Leonetti Red Blend, preferably 2012, in lieu of a pony. I’ll take the 2014 if the 2012 is not available.
https://www.winemag.com/buying-guide/leonetti-cellar-2014-reserve-red-walla-walla-valley-wa/
@Shrdlu I’ll see what we can do, already feeling the pain of some wineries not including details beyond AbV though.
I think this has been mentioned, but a progress bar showing how much inventory is left would be appreciated.
@hscottk @shawn
States that can be shipped to should be on the front page.
@mtb002 Noted
Number of Lab Rat bottles sent out. Thanks!
@foxrunner Unfortunately the front page has no bearing on that.
I’d like to see back labels, either on the front page or in the forum writeup.
Oh, lordy, lordy, lordy. Me Too! Back labels have a ton of real information, including a bar code which would make it simple to find on Cellar Tracker (for example).
@ThomasF, please add this to your list. Thank you.
:-}
Standardized tech sheet info:
, pH, titratable acidity, barrel selection and parameters, winery-estimated drinking window.
harvest dates, brix at harvest, clonal selections, grape variety breakdown, grape sources, alcohol, residual sugar (either g/l or
And when a winery doesn’t provide that information, make it clear with n/a or something of the sort.
This could be on the front page or on the first post in the comments, either way.
@klezman Been adding bits of those to parts of the front page over time and will try to add more, but space becomes an issue.
Think the first post on the forum has all info provided by the winery, though, usually including info on the brix, harvest, clone, barrel selection and regiment, etc. If it isn’t there, then the winery likely did not provide it rather than us unintentionally omitting it.
@klezman @ThomasF And many don’t/won’t provide it unless asked, even pushed for the lab notes some refuse.
I’m thinking either/or Larry from Tercero or El Jefe from Twisted. If not either of them, there was a producer that made a pointed comment some time ago specs, other than AbV, would no longer be released.
@rjquillin @ThomasF But the point here isn’t to ask the winery to provide whatever they want and just put it there. The idea is to have a standard template for all offers. If the winery refuses to provide the information then it should show up as such. The point is that there’s a template and all wineries should be told up front that this is what shows up and they should fill in as much as they can.
I’d be more than happy if that was part of the first post rather than the front page.
Since we’re asking for anything and everything I want to know if a wine has been manipulated, micro-ox/ alcohol spun back and oak chips used/ mega purple Minor acid or sugar addition I can live with.
@ScottW58 Seconded.
@ScottW58 Thought sugar was illegal in the US, the addition of that is.
@rjquillin only in some areas not that that would stop anybody. I heard in 2011 you could not find a 5 pound sack of C&H anywhere in Northern California around harvest.
@rjquillin @ScottW58 that’s funny!
@ScottW58
Haha, not to mention any names afa the micro-ox & wood chips. Have you actually tried his wines, though? I would not trust any other winemaker to do what he does but the proof of his prowess is in the bottle. I am a huge fan.
@chipgreen I have tried them, I’m not calling out against anyone for their choices. I just want to know.
I know some wineries put this in their description, but I’d love to see a winery recommended drinking window in all the write-ups.
@snapster @dave @winedavid49
Front-page related… how about a faster/more reliable server to host the site? Or maybe some better IT peeps? Slowdowns, cgi script errors… no other site that I regularly visit has these technical maladies. There was a shit-ton of extra Kickstarter money donated to get this site launched but there has been very little in the way of site tools, development or performance enhancements.
When prompted, the response seems to be a generic/cryptic “working on it”. But apparently the front-page writeup takes precedence. The deals have been mostly very good but the website itself and the user unfriendly message boards, along with the lack of site development despite all the startup money is disappointing.
@chipgreen This thread is less the write up taking precedence and more that I personally wanted to ask if there was information that should be added or changed with regard to the front page.
Although if there are site changes you want, definitely share.
@ThomasF
Thank you for the clarification and props for seeking input on the part of this that pertains to your position. This is not an affront to you or to WD who has been killing it with the deals (over 200 now!) but I would like to see that extra Kickstarter money put to good use.
The pages on this site often load slowly and sometimes not at all. I would like to see a faster, more reliable website. I would like message boards that are more user friendly, so that you can tell what people are replying to and not wonder if posts you have not read yet are being hidden as if you had. Among many other little annoyances which have been discussed in earlier threads mostly last year.
I would like site tools to facilitate the “Casemate” aspect. Thankfully, we have a nice little group here in NE Ohio that share cases on the regular but others are not as fortunate. We need some kind of “matchmaker” type tool and/or app. Speaking of apps, why is there not a Casemates app?
This is on @snapster and @dave to provide @winedavid49 and the Casemates community with the reliable, efficient and robust website we deserve to faciltate both the sharing of cases and camaraderie that always set wine.woot apart from those “other” flash sites.
@chipgreen @dave @snapster @ThomasF @Winedavid49
Sorry this has devolved to issues other than the front page, and kudos for asking. Good suggestions have been provided, however, other issues remain…
Capability to globally suppress the giphy images would go a long way to load speed and tighten up the pages; they’re cute, but I have no use for them. Posted images are a different thing.
We were promised, or at least it was heavily suggested, we would be provided with tools to assist in splits; not happened. We need the capability to easily track exchanges and contact information, as well as dates, times, locations for them.
Whispers, while an improvement over nothing, are not a robust solution to messaging that is clearly missing. Old and creaky as WW was, the messaging was and remains far superior, with an icon at the top of the page notifying if you had messages.
Lastly, the ability to edit existing posts, not the ridicules 5 minute window we now have.
@chipgreen @dave @rjquillin @snapster @ThomasF @Winedavid49
What he said!
@ThomasF
Currently, only the posts to the thread or an explicit callout (@ userid) generate an email notification. It would be great to not only receive notifications of posts, but replies to posts. If I subscribe to the thread and want notifications, I want it all.
Main page is too busy. Needs a leaner and cleaner look. I usually don’t care for the wineries description. Maybe keep it but create a “read more” tab for those that want more info. Would save tons of space.
I also feel the drink from glass to be useless and repetitive. I think most people drink from whatever glass they are used to.
My two cents
@losthighwayz Yeah, I’m going to drop the “Drink From” line going forward. I will likely change it to Pairing Options, winery provided or n/a, then keep the OR at the bottom. Will see if we can use a Read More on the front page too.
@Casemates i love the service you bring to us and was hoping to leave some friendly feedback. it would be handy to have the size of bottle in the description or possibly a picture of the bottle next to a banana for scale maybe even both. thanks and keep up the good work
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