Since it is the holiday, I'll make this one short and sweet. Plus, I had the 'rents in town for Thanksgiving an it was more of a tour-day for them. However, that did not deter from a wonderful day out and about some places that I was already familiar with and people that I currently do business with.
Anyway, a full day of tasting and dining in the valley...
We started at O'Brien Estate and met with my friend Bart O'Brien the proprietor there. They are a super-friendly comfortable picnic style tasting in the heart of Oak Knoll district where you are right in the vineyards. They are known for their 'Seduction' wine that is a Bordeaux style red that is ultra-delicious.
We moved on to Auberge du Soleil Hotel on the east side of Rutherford for a quick lunch. If you've never been to Auberge, it is a must visit if for nothing else the views. But, the food is always amazing and I had one of the best mushroom soups I have ever had...and I do not love mushrooms! I recommend the "bar side" for convenient and easy fare.
Then on to ZD Winery for a quick stop before our 3p appointment. ZD does a great job with their base Chardonnay and they are also know for their super high-end solera-style red called Abacus ($450) that they have pioneered and been making for 12 years mixing previous vintages with current vintage productions.
Our 3pm appointment was at Paraduxx, a sister property of Duckhorn that does almost exclusively Zinfandel blends. It is unique in both presentation and style of tasting. It is a very contemporary designed facility that serves you in an outdoor lounge setting under giant oak tree amongst the property. My favorite was the Howell Mt. blend of 65% Zin and 35% Cab...super juicy and delicious.
After taking a few pictures at the French Laundry for the folks, we ventured over to the newest property in Yountville, the Bardessono Hotel for the best coffee in town. This is one of the most talked about places in town as it positioned itself as the ultra-green enviro stamp benchmark for hotels in the future. Fully sustainable and taking in to account everything "green" from top to bottom.
We ended up the day the Rutherford Grill as toted our wines in with the "no corkage" policy and enjoyed a always consistent dinner with our own wines from the day.
I wish a Happy Thanksgivng to all and may you enjoy the true meaning of what this holiday represents.
Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!
James
Chief Wino
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Thursday, November 19, 2009
HIt the Mark Right Out of the Gate
Today is the first in what I hope will be an insightful series of weekly reports back on my ventures in wine country here in Napa and Sonoma. Let me state my goals here and then I will go on to report on my day.
I want to accomplish three primary things in doing these weekly outings on Wednesdays to have my followers tune in on Thursdays to see what transpired - 1) Showcase a new wine or winemaker that I discovered making something special that you will want to try, 2) Present real-time events, conversations or observations of what a day in touring wine country provides, 3) Give readers an "insiders" view of some anecdotal perspectives of what life in Napa Valley and beyond looks and feels like.
My first (reporting) day out yesterday did not disappoint in the least....
As with most 'tasting' days, you need a good meal in you to get started. My favorite spot (as is with most in the industry) is Rutherford Grill off Hwy 29 right next to BV Winery. I've made more connections and done more business there than anywhere else outside my office. There is always just such a buzz there and is the true melting pot for anyone in and around wine. As usual, I sat at the bar in between two people and just waited for conversations to flow as they most inevitably do. Without a corkage fee there, you always have someone that has brought something to the bar and it is always easy to solicit a quick sip or three.
I tried two wines there, '07 Silverado Zinfandel from a couple a guys who brought it in as part of their stop-over there and an '07 Anaba Carneros Pinot Noir. With my seared Ahi tuna salad, they actually both went quite well. I struck up a conversation with the girl next me, she was from Boston visiting her sister in Yountville, and she knew the valley decently along with some people in the industry. Our discussion was interesting from a consumer standpoint as we delved in to why people try new wines or are loyal to certain wines. Her view was that she liked to know or follow certain winemakers and when wineries changed winemakers. Since this has been fairly prolific as of late with winemakers doing so many alternative or personal projects, the movement has been more than ever and very tough to keep up with. I, of course, disclosed to her that in the Access Wine Club (AWC) catalog and website, we do a very good job of giving the winemaker their voice along with a link online to 'About the Winemaker' for each wine. She liked this feature a lot. After giving her and the other guys a copy of my catalog, I was ready to be on my way to venture out up-valley. Quick bit of business once again at "The Grill".
After making notes of a few wineries I passed to possibly hit on the way home (you always seem to pass a few that you say to yourself "ahh, I need to check them out...") I decided my first stop would be a winery "collective" tasting room just north of St. Helena called - A Dozen Vintners - where you get to try several wines from various 'artisan' style winemakers or smaller production wineries that do not have formal tasting rooms. The utilize these type of co-ops to be able to display their wines without the cost of running a tasting room themselves...there a few of these that have cropped up in the valley and are quite popular.
I spent quite a while there with the manager, Jack Wall, and we tasted through probably 12 wines while chatting about the state of the 'industry'. I was very fortunate in that no other customers came in this window and was able to spend quality time exploring some new exciting wines. The two standouts of the entire day were wines I had never heard about before; 2005 WaterMark Cabernet and 2004 Adams Ridge Cabernet. Both of these had what I refer to as the "WOW!" factor right off the bat.
2005 WaterMark is made by a pretty well-known winemaker, Phil Steinschriber, who is the winemaker for famed Diamond Creek Vineyards. No surprise here that I loved this wine. It is a Bordeaux style blend of Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petite Verdot with rich black fruit properties and very approachable now but surely even better with time. And, at ~ $50, a real gem of wine that would be hard to beat at this price (only 434 cases made). I spoke to Phil briefly later that afternoon and if you want to get this wine, contact me directly at - james@accesswineclub.com - and I might be able to make a good deal for you directly...wink, wink.
2004 Adams Ridge Cabernet was also a superb wine that initially caught my eye with the beautiful drawing of their wine cave on the front of the label. As this is AWC's front catalog cover icon, I was immediately drawn to this bottle. Little did I know that what was inside was even more compelling. Primarily Cabernet with a little Merlot (5%) thrown in, it was richly Stag's Leap District style Cab that comes from two distinct vineyards, Stelzner and Rutherford Bench that have always produced great wine. Ronald & Susan Adams are the proprietors and the winemakers themselves and have done a tremendous job right out the gate. This is definitely one to watch and I cannot wait to meet them and explore their cave...maybe the cover for the next catalog...?
I then ventured further up-valley making a few quick business pit-stops and finally ending up at the Wine Garage in Calistoga. This is an interesting little shop where almost all the wines are at $25 or below. they also make their own wine label called - Garage Wine - that includes several varietals and blends from whites to reds all reasonably priced $10 and up. I actually picked up a couple of fun zin/petite sirah/tempranillo blend wines - '06 Fortitude ($20, by Etude wines) and '07 John Robert Eppler wine ($13).
All in all a very productive and revealing day with a couple of great discoveries. That is about all I could fit in to one day as I got a bit of a late start. It was time to start heading home, pick up a pizza at Tra Vigne Pizzaria, and enjoy the fruits of my labor when I got home wines in hand.
Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!
James
Chief Wino
twitter - Chief_Wino
I want to accomplish three primary things in doing these weekly outings on Wednesdays to have my followers tune in on Thursdays to see what transpired - 1) Showcase a new wine or winemaker that I discovered making something special that you will want to try, 2) Present real-time events, conversations or observations of what a day in touring wine country provides, 3) Give readers an "insiders" view of some anecdotal perspectives of what life in Napa Valley and beyond looks and feels like.
My first (reporting) day out yesterday did not disappoint in the least....
As with most 'tasting' days, you need a good meal in you to get started. My favorite spot (as is with most in the industry) is Rutherford Grill off Hwy 29 right next to BV Winery. I've made more connections and done more business there than anywhere else outside my office. There is always just such a buzz there and is the true melting pot for anyone in and around wine. As usual, I sat at the bar in between two people and just waited for conversations to flow as they most inevitably do. Without a corkage fee there, you always have someone that has brought something to the bar and it is always easy to solicit a quick sip or three.
I tried two wines there, '07 Silverado Zinfandel from a couple a guys who brought it in as part of their stop-over there and an '07 Anaba Carneros Pinot Noir. With my seared Ahi tuna salad, they actually both went quite well. I struck up a conversation with the girl next me, she was from Boston visiting her sister in Yountville, and she knew the valley decently along with some people in the industry. Our discussion was interesting from a consumer standpoint as we delved in to why people try new wines or are loyal to certain wines. Her view was that she liked to know or follow certain winemakers and when wineries changed winemakers. Since this has been fairly prolific as of late with winemakers doing so many alternative or personal projects, the movement has been more than ever and very tough to keep up with. I, of course, disclosed to her that in the Access Wine Club (AWC) catalog and website, we do a very good job of giving the winemaker their voice along with a link online to 'About the Winemaker' for each wine. She liked this feature a lot. After giving her and the other guys a copy of my catalog, I was ready to be on my way to venture out up-valley. Quick bit of business once again at "The Grill".
After making notes of a few wineries I passed to possibly hit on the way home (you always seem to pass a few that you say to yourself "ahh, I need to check them out...") I decided my first stop would be a winery "collective" tasting room just north of St. Helena called - A Dozen Vintners - where you get to try several wines from various 'artisan' style winemakers or smaller production wineries that do not have formal tasting rooms. The utilize these type of co-ops to be able to display their wines without the cost of running a tasting room themselves...there a few of these that have cropped up in the valley and are quite popular.
I spent quite a while there with the manager, Jack Wall, and we tasted through probably 12 wines while chatting about the state of the 'industry'. I was very fortunate in that no other customers came in this window and was able to spend quality time exploring some new exciting wines. The two standouts of the entire day were wines I had never heard about before; 2005 WaterMark Cabernet and 2004 Adams Ridge Cabernet. Both of these had what I refer to as the "WOW!" factor right off the bat.
2005 WaterMark is made by a pretty well-known winemaker, Phil Steinschriber, who is the winemaker for famed Diamond Creek Vineyards. No surprise here that I loved this wine. It is a Bordeaux style blend of Cab, Merlot, Cab Franc and Petite Verdot with rich black fruit properties and very approachable now but surely even better with time. And, at ~ $50, a real gem of wine that would be hard to beat at this price (only 434 cases made). I spoke to Phil briefly later that afternoon and if you want to get this wine, contact me directly at - james@accesswineclub.com - and I might be able to make a good deal for you directly...wink, wink.
2004 Adams Ridge Cabernet was also a superb wine that initially caught my eye with the beautiful drawing of their wine cave on the front of the label. As this is AWC's front catalog cover icon, I was immediately drawn to this bottle. Little did I know that what was inside was even more compelling. Primarily Cabernet with a little Merlot (5%) thrown in, it was richly Stag's Leap District style Cab that comes from two distinct vineyards, Stelzner and Rutherford Bench that have always produced great wine. Ronald & Susan Adams are the proprietors and the winemakers themselves and have done a tremendous job right out the gate. This is definitely one to watch and I cannot wait to meet them and explore their cave...maybe the cover for the next catalog...?
I then ventured further up-valley making a few quick business pit-stops and finally ending up at the Wine Garage in Calistoga. This is an interesting little shop where almost all the wines are at $25 or below. they also make their own wine label called - Garage Wine - that includes several varietals and blends from whites to reds all reasonably priced $10 and up. I actually picked up a couple of fun zin/petite sirah/tempranillo blend wines - '06 Fortitude ($20, by Etude wines) and '07 John Robert Eppler wine ($13).
All in all a very productive and revealing day with a couple of great discoveries. That is about all I could fit in to one day as I got a bit of a late start. It was time to start heading home, pick up a pizza at Tra Vigne Pizzaria, and enjoy the fruits of my labor when I got home wines in hand.
Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!
James
Chief Wino
twitter - Chief_Wino
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Chief Wino Hits the Trail...Literally
In getting back to the roots of why I came to Napa in the first place and what I actually enjoy most about living in wine country, I am going to (re)dedicate this Local Wino Whines Blog to my travels, trials and tribulations of exploring the Napa/Sonoma and beyond.
Every Wednesday, I will be out and about wine country mixing it up with wineries, winemakers, various tastings, favorite wine lunch spots and the like, reporting back on my day to post my findings every Thursday by noon. I will concentrate on new wine discoveries, but will also be reporting back on the "day-in-the-life" of what goes on in Napa/Sonoma from a true 'local wino' perspective.
So, starting this Thursday, come back to my blog and see the first Chief Wino Explores (CWE) report on what the day presented and what I discovered along the way. This will be a weekly insightful and fun ride for all to enjoy!
Cheers,
James
Chief Wino
Every Wednesday, I will be out and about wine country mixing it up with wineries, winemakers, various tastings, favorite wine lunch spots and the like, reporting back on my day to post my findings every Thursday by noon. I will concentrate on new wine discoveries, but will also be reporting back on the "day-in-the-life" of what goes on in Napa/Sonoma from a true 'local wino' perspective.
So, starting this Thursday, come back to my blog and see the first Chief Wino Explores (CWE) report on what the day presented and what I discovered along the way. This will be a weekly insightful and fun ride for all to enjoy!
Cheers,
James
Chief Wino
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Return to Whining
One can only keep up so much theses days. Between tweeting, facebooking, blogging, spacing, and launching a new wine business - Access Wine Club - I have been very tardy on my own personal wine blog and my LocalWino.com site. That being said, I've decided to use my Local Wino Whines forum to express shorter, more concise consumer views about wine and link my observations from the wine business side with the consumer side. More of a view from inside out that may be of some interest.
My goal is to be very to the point and approach certain subjects more directly as they occur from my primary focus now which is the Access Wine Club catalog and website venture.
So here goes...subject #1 - Social Networks and Wine.
There is obviously a lot of interest in Social Networking across all channels these days and it has become the latest Internet darling. It is a broad term very loosely used now since there are so many of these portals that have been developed, but there is a more technical term being thrown around referred to as a "viral-expansion loop". This is a fancy way of saying friends telling friends that tell other friends and so on that revolve around a common interest of sorts whether it is where they went to school, family, social clubs, activities or key interests and the such. The expansion and growth has been exponential, literally. Now, people are trying to find out how to capitalize on this (i.e. monetize) with the huge numbers we're dealing with.
I've created a wine group on Facebook, I tweet as much as I can, and I have a portal, a forum and website all revolving around wine. And now, we sell wine through some exclusive partnerships here in Napa. Although interest is high and the numbers can be 'fruitful', the buyers are still tough to identify. Just because there is a wine "interest", it does not mean that they are buyers.
In summation, wine is a very social commodity and there are big numbers to reach. The next step is to find what compels people to go from sharing their interests about wine online to actually becoming a buyer. Access Wine Club attempts to do this through offering specialty wines through some exclusive partnerships along with giving the (potential) consumer more thorough information about the wine, the background, the winemaker and the winery itself to create interest beyond just a rating or a couple of sentences about the wine.
So far so good...we just need to continue to expand the pockets and do our best to inform the consumer well enough to make comfortable decisions about their purchase when trying something new.
More to come...
Cheers,
James
Chief Wino
My goal is to be very to the point and approach certain subjects more directly as they occur from my primary focus now which is the Access Wine Club catalog and website venture.
So here goes...subject #1 - Social Networks and Wine.
There is obviously a lot of interest in Social Networking across all channels these days and it has become the latest Internet darling. It is a broad term very loosely used now since there are so many of these portals that have been developed, but there is a more technical term being thrown around referred to as a "viral-expansion loop". This is a fancy way of saying friends telling friends that tell other friends and so on that revolve around a common interest of sorts whether it is where they went to school, family, social clubs, activities or key interests and the such. The expansion and growth has been exponential, literally. Now, people are trying to find out how to capitalize on this (i.e. monetize) with the huge numbers we're dealing with.
I've created a wine group on Facebook, I tweet as much as I can, and I have a portal, a forum and website all revolving around wine. And now, we sell wine through some exclusive partnerships here in Napa. Although interest is high and the numbers can be 'fruitful', the buyers are still tough to identify. Just because there is a wine "interest", it does not mean that they are buyers.
In summation, wine is a very social commodity and there are big numbers to reach. The next step is to find what compels people to go from sharing their interests about wine online to actually becoming a buyer. Access Wine Club attempts to do this through offering specialty wines through some exclusive partnerships along with giving the (potential) consumer more thorough information about the wine, the background, the winemaker and the winery itself to create interest beyond just a rating or a couple of sentences about the wine.
So far so good...we just need to continue to expand the pockets and do our best to inform the consumer well enough to make comfortable decisions about their purchase when trying something new.
More to come...
Cheers,
James
Chief Wino
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Corkage vs. bottle vs. half-bottle vs. by-the-glass
Amongst many of my wine drinking friends and family, when we decide to go out to dinner, I am often left with the ongoing dilemma...bring a bottle and suffer the corkage fee or rely on the random offerings on the 'by the glass' (BTG) list which I know will be a limited version of what I really want or like. There are several factors that play in to this scenario and I'd like to lay out a few things to consider when faced with this potential quandary.
1) First and foremost, what IS the corkage fee or the stipulations of bringing your own wine? Many places have policies in place that waive corkage for every bottle purchased or the fees are such that it just does not make sense for the bottle your bringing. Sometimes, you can even order just a 'split' of wine to start and the corkage is waived. Obviously, you do not want to pay $20-$25 for a $30 bottle of wine or the like or if they charge full price for half-bottles.
2) Who and/or how many are you dining with? When you have a larger group or more than 4-6, you know there will be various dining decisions being made that greatly affect what you may want to bring if any. If everyone will agree to absorb the corkage fee, then bring something nice everyone will want to at least try and then let the rest order as they wish. Trying to please a lot of palates is challenging to say the least.
3) Do you have a good idea of the menu or style of food? I'm not hard-line fan of exact wines wine and food pairings, but I think it is an important consideration to overlook. For instance, if you are going to traditional French, strictly seafood or steak, or say a northern Italian type restaurants, you will want to pair appropriately. When I know I am going for that big fat traditional rib-eye steak dinner, I know exactly what type of wine I want to enjoy and the price-point is usually such that it warrants bringing my own even with the corkage fee.
4) Is the wine list available to view online? Many times you can preview what the current BTG list offers and see if it is something you can live with. I recently brought a half-bottle to new restaurant and the BTG glass list was quite good and had no reason to open what I brought...saved me the $15 on the half and was quite pleased with the wine along with trying something new that I really enjoyed.
5) How much will you be drinking? When my wife and I go out, sometimes she'll only have one glass and prefers to just order off the list for convenience sake. In addition, her tastes are different and may want the flexibility to order per the tastes of the evening. Here in CA you can re-cork and take it with you, but again, is it worth a couple of glasses on yourself? Also, if you are going somewhere afterward, you don't want to be lugging a bottle around or have an open bottle in the car.
6) Do you want to explore and try some new wines? When ordering BTG, you are almost assured you will be getting the latest from the industry. I have discovered some great wines that I would have not otherwise know about or tried. By committing to BTG, you will have the opportunity to "wing it" and try something new. Don't go for the 'ol standby that you know and like...experiment with something new or what the server recommends.
I may be over-thinking this scenario for most, but here in wine country, it is an ongoing saga. Plus, these days, I am trying to drink more from my cellar to save money and it gives me an opportunity (OK, excuse...) to break out some gems that just need to be drunk by now.
Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!
James
Chief Wino
1) First and foremost, what IS the corkage fee or the stipulations of bringing your own wine? Many places have policies in place that waive corkage for every bottle purchased or the fees are such that it just does not make sense for the bottle your bringing. Sometimes, you can even order just a 'split' of wine to start and the corkage is waived. Obviously, you do not want to pay $20-$25 for a $30 bottle of wine or the like or if they charge full price for half-bottles.
2) Who and/or how many are you dining with? When you have a larger group or more than 4-6, you know there will be various dining decisions being made that greatly affect what you may want to bring if any. If everyone will agree to absorb the corkage fee, then bring something nice everyone will want to at least try and then let the rest order as they wish. Trying to please a lot of palates is challenging to say the least.
3) Do you have a good idea of the menu or style of food? I'm not hard-line fan of exact wines wine and food pairings, but I think it is an important consideration to overlook. For instance, if you are going to traditional French, strictly seafood or steak, or say a northern Italian type restaurants, you will want to pair appropriately. When I know I am going for that big fat traditional rib-eye steak dinner, I know exactly what type of wine I want to enjoy and the price-point is usually such that it warrants bringing my own even with the corkage fee.
4) Is the wine list available to view online? Many times you can preview what the current BTG list offers and see if it is something you can live with. I recently brought a half-bottle to new restaurant and the BTG glass list was quite good and had no reason to open what I brought...saved me the $15 on the half and was quite pleased with the wine along with trying something new that I really enjoyed.
5) How much will you be drinking? When my wife and I go out, sometimes she'll only have one glass and prefers to just order off the list for convenience sake. In addition, her tastes are different and may want the flexibility to order per the tastes of the evening. Here in CA you can re-cork and take it with you, but again, is it worth a couple of glasses on yourself? Also, if you are going somewhere afterward, you don't want to be lugging a bottle around or have an open bottle in the car.
6) Do you want to explore and try some new wines? When ordering BTG, you are almost assured you will be getting the latest from the industry. I have discovered some great wines that I would have not otherwise know about or tried. By committing to BTG, you will have the opportunity to "wing it" and try something new. Don't go for the 'ol standby that you know and like...experiment with something new or what the server recommends.
I may be over-thinking this scenario for most, but here in wine country, it is an ongoing saga. Plus, these days, I am trying to drink more from my cellar to save money and it gives me an opportunity (OK, excuse...) to break out some gems that just need to be drunk by now.
Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!
James
Chief Wino
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wine and...Poker?
I've written about many things directly involving wine subjects and the wine industry. I've even dabbled around the fringes of wine and included subjects like golf, travel, cruises, equipment, and tools to enjoy the trade. So, am I REALLY reaching this time to include a subject such as poker?
I don't think so, and here's why...
1. Good wines while playing poker. Whether at someone's house or at the local poker room, I've been know to uncork a nice bottle during the game and have a more relaxed session of the 'sport'. Quite frankly, there is a lot of down-time during the game and it helps pass the time while you're observing when out of the hands.
2. Dom Perignon and poker. A couple of years ago, I'm watching a taped version of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and a couple of old friends that ended up at the same table were getting reacquainted sharing "war stories" about their travels having a grand old time down memory lane. Not five minutes in to their banter, they order up a vintage bottle of Dom and toast to their reuniting and then share it with the entire table. Fine champagne and WSOP poker...now THAT is what I call a perfect pairing.
3. 2005 Caymus pre-release. A while back, a friend and I decided to meet up for an evening of poker at the card room. It was the first time we were playing together and I decided to have each of us bring a bottle of wine to enjoy while playing. At the time, he happened to be working at Caymus here in Napa and low-and-behold he shows up with an '05 Special Selection Cab ($175) from the tasting room that opened for a pre-release tasting. So here I am playing cards drinking one of the best wines from Napa before the general public even sees the wine. Plus, I ended up winning a couple hundred bucks...lucky me.
4. Michael Mondavi and Oberon wines. Premiere Napa Valley during February is one of the area's biggest overall weeks. It brings in (trade) people from all over the country to try Napa's finest concoctions especially produced from this event. It is a showcase week for the valley on all fronts. During this time, Michael Mondavi puts on a BBQ and poker event called "The Oberon Poker Challenge" at his Folio Wine Studio in Carneros. He limits the players to 100 and has sold out two years running. As I arrived to the scene to get my seat, I noticed several familiar faces both from the industry and the local cards games...all the usual suspects. Uhem, I finished 2nd outlasting all of my poker buddies and walked away with a few nice gift certificates along with a magnum of Oberon's premium Hillside Select Cab. Book me for next year.
5. Poker and wine tasting night. For a while, we had a group that was regularly meeting monthly where we would throw together a poker game and have everyone bring a certain varietal or vintage of wines. It included a nice variety of industry sales people, sommeliers, winemakers and retailers. We'd line the wines up on the counter, pop all the corks, doll out the chips and duke it out all night long in to the wee hours. It was a great way to try 10-12 different wines/styles that I would otherwise maybe miss while having a great time talking 'shop'. "Shuffle up and deal" never sounded or tasted so good.
6. Masters week and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Huh? Ok, bear with me here. Twice a year I like to combine a few of my favorite things collectively in one night. In April, it is my absolute favorite week, Masters Golf week. In the fall, it is when the Steelers play on Monday night football. Each of these occasions, I cook up my world famous (well, maybe only slightly regionally famous...) 'five-alarm' chili and have everyone bring wines that work well with spicy food/chili (we tend to lean heavy on the Zins here) while throwing down a poker game in the midst of it all. Golf, football, chili, wine and poker...the girls can't get away fast enough from these annual events.
7. The WSOP. The World Series of Poker is the penultimate poker event. I have been trying to qualify for the main event for over three years only to fall short by either a card or two or a bad beat or so at the wrong time. I have told myself that if I cannot qualify on my own volition, I do not deserve to play in the 'big show' plunking down the $10k it costs for a seat. I have vowed though that if (when) I make it to the main event (I have played in a couple of the early WSOP prelim events) I will break open something from cellar that is quite special and share it with my table. I do not normally drink while playing serious poker, but here just enough to calm the nerves and salute the moment.
8. Murphy-Goode Winery. Some of you might be aware of the new correspondent position/PR drive that this winery is doing dubbed "A Really Goode Job". M-G has done a great job in making this a widely talked about 'dream job' for a "Lifestyle Correspondent". When the article was published in the SF Chronicle a few weeks ago outlining the qualifications that they are looking for, oddly enough they included poker and liar's dice as a preference. Apparently their winemaker has quite the affinity for these games and is a seasoned poker player himself. Who knew!
Being in Napa now for while, my ultimate goal is to put together a huge weekend event that involves a celebrity golf tournament, casino night, poker tournament, wine auction and charity fund raiser that will be known as the valley's "event of the year" to look forward to. I am in the process of putting all the 'players' together to make this happen for 2010.
In the meantime, I'll be exploring more ways to combine all of my passions surrounding wine and bringing together the people and places to make it happen.
Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!
James
Chief Wino
I don't think so, and here's why...
1. Good wines while playing poker. Whether at someone's house or at the local poker room, I've been know to uncork a nice bottle during the game and have a more relaxed session of the 'sport'. Quite frankly, there is a lot of down-time during the game and it helps pass the time while you're observing when out of the hands.
2. Dom Perignon and poker. A couple of years ago, I'm watching a taped version of the World Series of Poker (WSOP) and a couple of old friends that ended up at the same table were getting reacquainted sharing "war stories" about their travels having a grand old time down memory lane. Not five minutes in to their banter, they order up a vintage bottle of Dom and toast to their reuniting and then share it with the entire table. Fine champagne and WSOP poker...now THAT is what I call a perfect pairing.
3. 2005 Caymus pre-release. A while back, a friend and I decided to meet up for an evening of poker at the card room. It was the first time we were playing together and I decided to have each of us bring a bottle of wine to enjoy while playing. At the time, he happened to be working at Caymus here in Napa and low-and-behold he shows up with an '05 Special Selection Cab ($175) from the tasting room that opened for a pre-release tasting. So here I am playing cards drinking one of the best wines from Napa before the general public even sees the wine. Plus, I ended up winning a couple hundred bucks...lucky me.
4. Michael Mondavi and Oberon wines. Premiere Napa Valley during February is one of the area's biggest overall weeks. It brings in (trade) people from all over the country to try Napa's finest concoctions especially produced from this event. It is a showcase week for the valley on all fronts. During this time, Michael Mondavi puts on a BBQ and poker event called "The Oberon Poker Challenge" at his Folio Wine Studio in Carneros. He limits the players to 100 and has sold out two years running. As I arrived to the scene to get my seat, I noticed several familiar faces both from the industry and the local cards games...all the usual suspects. Uhem, I finished 2nd outlasting all of my poker buddies and walked away with a few nice gift certificates along with a magnum of Oberon's premium Hillside Select Cab. Book me for next year.
5. Poker and wine tasting night. For a while, we had a group that was regularly meeting monthly where we would throw together a poker game and have everyone bring a certain varietal or vintage of wines. It included a nice variety of industry sales people, sommeliers, winemakers and retailers. We'd line the wines up on the counter, pop all the corks, doll out the chips and duke it out all night long in to the wee hours. It was a great way to try 10-12 different wines/styles that I would otherwise maybe miss while having a great time talking 'shop'. "Shuffle up and deal" never sounded or tasted so good.
6. Masters week and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Huh? Ok, bear with me here. Twice a year I like to combine a few of my favorite things collectively in one night. In April, it is my absolute favorite week, Masters Golf week. In the fall, it is when the Steelers play on Monday night football. Each of these occasions, I cook up my world famous (well, maybe only slightly regionally famous...) 'five-alarm' chili and have everyone bring wines that work well with spicy food/chili (we tend to lean heavy on the Zins here) while throwing down a poker game in the midst of it all. Golf, football, chili, wine and poker...the girls can't get away fast enough from these annual events.
7. The WSOP. The World Series of Poker is the penultimate poker event. I have been trying to qualify for the main event for over three years only to fall short by either a card or two or a bad beat or so at the wrong time. I have told myself that if I cannot qualify on my own volition, I do not deserve to play in the 'big show' plunking down the $10k it costs for a seat. I have vowed though that if (when) I make it to the main event (I have played in a couple of the early WSOP prelim events) I will break open something from cellar that is quite special and share it with my table. I do not normally drink while playing serious poker, but here just enough to calm the nerves and salute the moment.
8. Murphy-Goode Winery. Some of you might be aware of the new correspondent position/PR drive that this winery is doing dubbed "A Really Goode Job". M-G has done a great job in making this a widely talked about 'dream job' for a "Lifestyle Correspondent". When the article was published in the SF Chronicle a few weeks ago outlining the qualifications that they are looking for, oddly enough they included poker and liar's dice as a preference. Apparently their winemaker has quite the affinity for these games and is a seasoned poker player himself. Who knew!
♠ ♥ ♣ ♦
Being in Napa now for while, my ultimate goal is to put together a huge weekend event that involves a celebrity golf tournament, casino night, poker tournament, wine auction and charity fund raiser that will be known as the valley's "event of the year" to look forward to. I am in the process of putting all the 'players' together to make this happen for 2010.
In the meantime, I'll be exploring more ways to combine all of my passions surrounding wine and bringing together the people and places to make it happen.
Until the next sip, swirl ya' later!
James
Chief Wino
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)