I am opening this one up to the readers. I’ve been invited to a birthday party for one of the Oakland Raiderettes (Raider Cheerleader). Friend of my sister in-law.
So, the question is simple – I don’t show up to parties (even if they for people 10 years younger and I seem like the dirty old man at the party) without a bottle of good wine. This is a new one for me so what wine do you bring to a Raiderette B-day party? Anyone? Anyone? Help me out here folks!
Ever wonder what the waiter love (or hate) about that fancy restaurant you’re eating at? What they talk about and do? The blogosphere makes for interesting reading in many different ways but I just wanted to point out a blog that I just found called Waiter Rant. Have an inside look at a part of the wine life from the waiter’s perspective. Kinda fun…(and maybe you’ll take it easy on ‘em after you read this for a while)
As promised, defensive struggle with two good defenses and two bad offenses. Redskins win with a 9–7 victory. The Fireblock Shiraz was equally a nice match for the grilled “Vivi’s Steak” that we had for lunch. There is an actual “Vivi’s Steak” recipe. My aunt Vivi was a wonderful cook and baker and she always had a steak and a chocolate cake waiting for me as I would drive home from College in Boston to her house in Syosset, NY. Before she passed she gave me the recipe and, as anyone can attest who’s had it at my place, there’s nothing like it. A spicy rub combined with the perfectly grilled steak that can stand up to any big red you throw at it. Top that with a Redskins’ victory and I’m a happy camper… at least until next Sunday
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As for the inputs that I got from others, interestingly there are mostly white preferred by Football watchers. Thats usually the way it is though, you have some pre-conceived notions about wine drinkers and they actually are more varied than you’d think!
Enjoy the Wine Life!
(btw: smack-talk is welcome, as long as its clean – bring it)
Thats right, I said it. Football and wine! I am declaring Vivi’s Wine Journal the official wine blog of the Washington Redskins! (Since I don’t work for the ‘Skins organization that is about as official as it sounds).
I love football, I love wine so I’ve decided, for at least this post, to combine the two. The ‘Skins play the Chicago Bears Sunday 1pm EST and I’ll be there with my Jersey, my NFL Sunday Ticket on DirecTV (I’ve had it since Day 1 – eight years running), TiVO, and a bottle of 2002 Fireblock Old Vines Shiraz that I got from my buddy Gavin Trott at the Australian Wine Center. This wine will go great with the massive defensive struggle between the Bears and Redskins. Its big, strong wine thats a bit hot (alcoholic) and overwhelms most foods that you try to pair with it. No wimpy fish dishes with this wine – only the best grillin’ you can muster is going to stand up to this bad boy. Just like the ‘Skin’s D.
Go SKINS!!!
Speak up! Who’s your team and what wine are you drinkin’ this season?
So I’m not too big on posting a whole ton of tasting notes on the blog because this is about everything that makes the wine life great, not just tasting all day long. However, every now and then I find some wines that actually are worth noting and when I find them I want to make sure I convey the message to all the readers.
Two such wines are new releases from Cuvaison. Kelly and I have been fans of the Cuvaison Chardonnay for a few years now. If you’re bookin’ out of the house and need a nice white to grab from the store to go to a friend’s house with then Cuvaison is consistent enough to just grab-n-go with. When I was offered the Pinot, however, I was intrigued.
Continue reading “Cuvaison New Releases – Recommend for under $25”
Wine Blogger Beau at BasicJuice is spear-heading an effort to help wine drinkers decide if/how much they can give.
Let’s nourish our giving side and help the victims of Hurricane Katrina. Here’s the idea: Take the amount of ca$h you spend on wine/vin/wein/vino over the course of 1 week, 1 month, or even 1 year and donate it to…
- Red Cross
- Second Harvest
- Catholic Charities
- Direct Relief
- Feed the Children
- Habitat for Humanity
- the Humane Society
- Noah’s Wish
- the Salvation Army
- United Jewish Communities
- UMCOR
- United Way
Depending on where you live, you may also be able to house victims. Let us be Liebe Menschen and let the kindness flow.
Additionally, Wine Blogger Mike from Shiraz Shiraz adds:
In the Social Forum on eBob several individuals have offered to match any donation you can make (up to a total of $5,000). My wife and I gave to the Red Cross and then emailed in our receipts. It is one way to effectively double your contribution.
Every little bit counts, even from the small wine blog community.
Our friends at Ballentine were kind enough to forward a list of current releases and whether or not they were produced with egg whites. Given the number of quality wines that I’ve tasted from Ballentine (very consistently good wines which is a mark of a top notch wine producer) I highly recommend you give one a try:
Current Release from Ballentine
2004 Chenin blanc None
2003 Zinfandel Port None
A question came in from reader CPT Pyro asking about a recommendation on what to do if you’re very sensitive or allergic to eggs but still would like to drink wine. A really good question that I haven’t had the opportunity to think about until now (hence the reason we blog – to learn and to help others learn about enjoying the wine life!).
First, what do eggs have to do with Wine? Well, if you’re allergic to eggs you should listen up for a quick second.
Joel Vincent 