TastingRoom Helps You Pick Wines Better

A new website lets you sample wine before you buy

When it comes to wine, all the reviews and ratings in the world can't replace an old-fashioned taste test as the measuring stick for purchases. But trekking to a Napa vineyard to chew on the tannins of a particular Pinot isn't quite realistic, so we often end up disappointed by things we've purchased on faith.

Until now. Thanks to a new website, TastingRoom.com, you can swirl and sip samples of top wines from the comfort of your home.

TastingRoom has partnered with premium wineries such as Patz & Hall and Grgich to create tasting packages–kits of four to six sample-size (50 ml) bottles from each vineyard's portfolio–that they sell for far less than the price of a standard bottle.

Each kit includes tasting notes from the winemakers, and the samples are bottled using a groundbreaking "zero-oxygen" method that insures the original quality of aroma and flavor.

So far, the list is limited to six of Napa's leading wineries, but the portfolio will continue to grow in the coming months; plans call for offerings from 14 states by the end of the summer.