In Vino Veritas

    This question was asked of me a while back, and just for (explicative) and giggles I decided to answer I guess it could be a two parter. One way of thinking would be which varietal is typically vinified with the highest alcohol percentage thereby getting you both drunk enough to overcome social anxieties, or make you forget your initial displeasure of said other person. In that case I would go with…

This is my second installment of Wines on the cheap tip.

I’ve had my years of affluence and my years of absolute poverty. Strangely enough some of the most relaxing, peaceful, blissed out times I’ve had were when I had only the change in my pocket to my name.

I’d like to continue talking about my favorite region in California. Santa Barbara I left off with Longoria. Mosby is another winery that we frequented. At Mosby they produce almost entirely Italian varietals, and do a great job of it.  William ‘Bill’ Mosby is an eccentric ex-dentist who made the switch back in ‘98 to full time wine making. They have a no-frills tasting room, but they make grappa. They have a crappy shitter, but…

Why is it that sometimes when you taste a wine produced by a specific vintner it might taste fabulous. Then the next year it doesn’t float your boat. In fact the little cargo ship that carries your happy wine thoughts gets torpedoed by a U-boat. Just as you were laying on the deck chair reading about how chaos exists in nature. The explosion rips through the hull sending you flying into…

Yeah I know.. It’s my longest title to date, but I don’t know any shorter way to put it. I’ve spoken many times about different practices in wine making that different states or countries observe. Knowing these laws and restrictions placed on wine makers by their governing body helps one identify what’s behind the label. The United States has one of the most relaxed set of laws for what a wine…

Okay, so I went to two tastings in the last week. One tasting was “Union des Grand Crus de Bordeaux” a tasting of a large portion of 2008 Bordeauxs and the second was a tasting of California wines from a portfolio called “In Vino Unitas.” The Bordeaux tasting was fabulous, but I wish to discuss the California tasting first. It was at the St Francis Yacht club in San Francisco. A…

When I ask someone what kind of wine they like I tend to lead with a general question to help narrow the field. I first ask if they want red or white. If the answer is red I ask if their preference is light, medium or full bodied. I use this information to help narrow the choices exponentially. I want to find something that will be enjoyed, not to force something I enjoy on someone else. So with the…

I try to start every morning with a healthy breakfast. Some days its 2 Excedrin a bowl of fruit loops and some swiss cheese other times its left over cat food a cigar and whatever I can garner from the dish towel that’s been left out (I’m not serious.) Well on the second half of my Sonoma trip I went to El Dorado Kitchen with mis compadres and had lunch. Across the street was The Girl and the Fig, which…

I woke up this morning to the sound of turtles. You may not think it, but turtles can be quite vocal. It’s kind of like a cross between a coo, a screech, and a purr. Seeing as how I do not live with any turtles this came as a shock. It was as if the entire Vienna boys choir was just outside my window. The sun was barely up, but I wasn’t---I was full boar awake and now very…

Senses. Senses was the name of the God forsaken restaurant with a color scheme that made your eyes bleed. In fact the vertigo inducing lime sea foam green, purple, and orange decor with fake plants and a penchant for the island of Dr. Moreau was the best thing it had going for it. The food was abysmal and the yelp reviews bordered on negative stars. So when I heard the place was being taken over and remade into a…