Anthony Dias Blue - Wines On Disk Copyright 1989 David Batterson Many of us have difficulty choosing an appropriate wine, either to go with food or by itself. As a non-drinker, I particularly need help when it's time to make a selection for guests. Wines On Disk, with about 600 different American varietals and vintages selected by noted wine authority Anthony Dias Blue, is an expert system that will help you "make the right choice every time." Running the program is simple and straightforward. You initially have two choices: searching for a wine to go with meals, or for drinking alone. You also choose whether to print the results or not. Let's say you are serving duck, and you don't know what wine to serve, other than red. First of all you have to select the type of sauce: none, spicy, medium, cream or tomato. Then you choose the price ranges. Price ranges can be more than one, for example, $10-$14.99 as your lowest range, and $30-$39.99 for the upper range. You still have two more selections to help narrow the search. The program now provides a list of possible red wines, such as Gamay Beaujolais, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, etc. Then it lists the dryness/sweetness level of each, and whether they are light or heavy. Now you make your choice, such as "dry" and "average." The search begins, and soon comes up with your choices. Based on my test input, Wines On Disk recommended Sequoia Grove Cabernet Sauvignon, 1983, $10-$15, dry, average sweetness, 3 stars. You may also select a bottle of a wine varietal, when food is not included. It works about the same, except this time you choose based on price or winery. I don't know wineries from gas stations, so I searched for an inexpensive Chenin Blanc. One of the choices was Bogle Vineyards Chenin Blanc, 1984, average dryness, average lightness, 2 stars. "Crisp, soft, fruity and clean...very good value." Wines On Disk is helpful for wine neophytes, and I can recommend it. The only drawback is that the commands are a bit awkward. For instance, to make choices you must move the lightbar cursor (such as to "Yes" or "No"). You cannot just type the initial cap of that choice, like "Y" or "N." Another annoyance is that even when you have only one choice, you still have to press , followed with the key. It isn't intuitive, and it slows you down. The software was published in 1986, and could use an fresh updating. Wines On Disk comes on a 5 1/4" disk only; it requires 256K RAM. List price is $39.95. Check with your software dealer or Paperback Software, 2830 Ninth Street, Berkeley, CA 94710; 800-255-3242; 415-644-2116; fax: 415-644-8241. # David Batterson reviews diverse "varietals" of PC applications.