I'm going to ask for some trouble

Also, does anyone have any good recommendations for free wine software for the palm?

If you are looking for winetasting note taking software have a look at http://www.tastingbuddy.com

So buy a mixed case of stuff you can't pronounce and never heard of before and try them, over dinner, one bottle a night. Repeat.

I like that idea!

Not quite, Ellen. Read for information about what you've never heard of. For pronunciation, that's another issue...

My take on it, forget about the reviewers. If you want to read something, pick up a copy of <B><I>Adventures On The Wine Route</i></b> by Kermit Lynch. Read about some of the underappreciated French regions, and try some wines from those regions. Most of what he talks about in the book is delicious and inexpensive. Forget about points and enjoy!

But, as sure as I am breathing, there is only one rule; drink what you like. Parker knows what he likes, Tanzer knows what he likes; they don't follow anybody else's taste, they follow their own.

Very well said, and so true. Nothing can supplant your own tastes and knowing what you like and what you dislike. I think the success of the big-name critics has been their ability to sell their opinions/tastes to others.

That said, it all comes back to charting your own vinous territory and knowing where the so-called sweet spots are. And, rest assured, just as people are diverse in this world, so are tastes in wine!