I've got some good news, and some bad news!

The Bad News: This Thursday's episode of TWWTV will be postponed until next week.

The Good News: I'm going down to Miami for two days!

Despite the fact that I couldn't wait to move away, I have to admit that I sometimes miss living in Miami. Between the Cuban food, hot beaches (yes, I said beaches... not something else), and even hotter night life, I always crave coming back to my original stomping grounds. This week, I am going to make the short four and a half hour drive down to Miami with hopes of rekindling the old flame. Hopefully I will be re-united with all of the things I used to love and maybe even a few of the things I grew to hate. What's on my agenda? Do you even have to ask?

I made a list of things I must do:

1) Eat some of my old favorite ribs at Flannigan's

2) Cross at least one bottle of wine off of my wish list

3) Eat at one of my old favorite steak houses

4) Aimlessly wander the streets of South Beach

5) Eat some MORE ribs at Flannigan's...

6) ... actually get some work done! (maybe)

"Where do you think you're going? Nobody's leaving. Nobody's walking out on this fun, old-fashioned family Christmas. No, no. We're all in this together. This is a full-blown, four-alarm holiday emergency here. We're gonna press on, and we're gonna have the hap, hap, happiest Christmas since Bing Crosby tap-danced with Danny fucking Kaye. And when Santa squeezes his fat white ass down that chimney tonight, he's gonna find the jolliest bunch of assholes this side of the nuthouse." -Clark W. Griswald, Christmas Vacation


I did it! I survived the dreaded annual festivity of putting up the Christmas lights on the Watson casa. How did I manage to get over my fear of heights long enough to tack up thousands of twinkling lights? It was easy! No, I didn't chug a bottle of wine, strap on a stunt harness, and hope for the best. Instead, I called for backup. Thanks to my brother-in-law who doesn't share my fear of standing on the roof, I was able to complete this year's dreaded task.

The lights may be up, but I still have an uneasy feeling. According to my brother-in-law, I have exactly 364 days to get over my fear of heights. Something tells me he isn't coming over to decorate next year!

How did you spend your Thanksgiving weekend? Did you have a little of bit of Griswald in you too?


Cheers!



(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

The one thing I hate about this time of the year is having to decorate the house for Christmas. It's not putting up the tree or hanging the stockings that gets on my nerves... it's having to get up on the roof to put up the Christmas lights. I absolutely hate heights!

Today is dedicated to completing this dreaded task as we welcome the beginning of the Christmas season at the Watson home. To celebrate, I'll have to open something festive... something that really gets me in the mood for the Holiday. I may even need to open it BEFORE I get on the roof, just to take the edge off, of course! But what should I open?

What type/bottle of wine gets you in the mood to celebrate?

Tomorrow, I'll post pics of the completed house decorations as well as what I drank... unless I fall OFF of the roof and am unable to type because of the full-body cast.

Cheers!



(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

It's almost 1:30pm and I am still in bed. No, it's not because of a bad hangover... instead, I blame the copious amounts of turkey, cranberry, and stuffing that I stuffed down my esophagus. But what about the wine? Yesterday, I shared the Napa Valley story behind last night's bottle but now it's time to tell you how it tasted.

My Notes:
After trying other unoaked Chards, I've come to love the taste of the unmolested Chardonnay grape. This turkey day bottle was tasty but does not rank among my favorite bottles of Chardonnay. Although it was packed with apple and tart fruit, it also had too much oak for my tastes. How'd it go with the turkey? Not bad, but I think a light red (i.e. Pinot or Rose) would have gone better. Did I enjoy it? ABSOFREAKINLUTELY! Last night wasn't about wine, it was about celebrating the holiday with family and being thankful for what we have. Enjoying this bottle of wine and the sentimental value attached to it, as well as eating WAY too much food, made for a Thanksgiving holiday I will never forget!

Sheila's (my wife) Notes:
This is the ONLY Chardonnay I've ever been able to drink more than two glasses of. It wasn't "sharp"... instead it was smooth with a little bit of smokiness to it. I really enjoyed it and it went PERFECTLY with Thanksgiving dinner.


So there you have it! How did your Thanksgiving wine treat you? Would you pick something else next year?

Cheers!


(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

Despite the fact that I've only got a matter of minutes before I need to hurry off to join the family for Thanksgiving dinner, there is something I need to share. There seems to be one question on everyone's mind this time of year. Everyone keeps asking me which wine I'm drinking for Thanksgiving dinner. It's only fair that I tell the story of tonight's bottle, why it probably won't pair well with tonight's dinner, and why that doesn't matter one single bit.



Tonight's bottle (pictured above) is one that my wife and I picked up while visiting the far, far away land of Napa... well, I know it's not REALLY that far, but it sure seems far when you are traveling all the way from Florida and you're crammed into a seat in coach. Since we took this trip to Napa, a lot has changed. We've visited many other vineyards, tasted wine from around the world, and learned so much more about our taste buds, but one thing will always remain the same. This trip to Napa was one of the happiest moments of our lives... the moment we fell in love with wine. I know it sounds corny but it's true. I'm thankful for Napa, my wife, wine, and everyone and everything else I've met and learned along the journey to where I am today.

I have to admit, I am a little nervous about opening this bottle tonight. Regardless of whether or not this is going to be a fit pairing for turkey dinner, I am concerned that after flying this bottle back home and storing it away for quite some time, it will still be any good... I'm thinking that I better bring a backup bottle (or four) just in case!

Wherever you are, whomever you're with, and whatever you're doing... I would like to say thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers!




(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

This is my favorite time of the year. The weather gets cooler, Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, and everyone is in a festive mood. With change in season comes good food, good parties, and good times. Sometimes I've been known to have a little too much fun. It's no secret that I enjoy drinking wine but sometimes I enjoy it more than I should.

Today, as a tribute to the upcoming holidays, in lieu of a corny Thanksgiving post, and mostly due to the fact that I am just wasting time until happy hour, I figured I would talk about the buzz instead of just talking about wine. After all, we spend so much time talking about wine, but noone really talks about the best part: the buzz...

My favorite night of drinking started out with a bang. Not one shot out of a gun, but more like the bang you get in the back of your throat as you swallow the harsh bitterness of a shot of tequila. Five beers, four Jack n Cokes, and three bars later we had our first kiss. It was as sloppy as my swagger but amazing nonetheless. Fast forward three years and we're still together. No, I'm not talking about a bad hangover (although some days it may feel like it)... I'm talking about the night I went out on our first date. The night I met my future wife.

Ever fall down at you grandmother's house, puke on the dining room table, or just spill your beer down the front of your shirt? What's your favorite drunk moment?


Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy your buzz responsibly!

Cheers!

P.S. Yes, that's me chugging Boone's Farm in the picture above. Just thought I'd share that gem with ya! :)


(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

Writing wine reviews can be easy and fun! There's no need to have any wine knowledge at all...
Just use the following template, and you're all set!

Obligatory Photo:
Insert lame picture here.

Disclaimer:
Of course you didn't pay anything for this wine... and you probably never would have.

Wine Info:
Goto Google.com and click the first entry that comes up when you search for the wine being reviewed. Paste EXACTLY what you find here...

Tasting Notes:
Here's the part where you pretend to know something about wine. Don't worry, it's easier than it sounds... No need to even use sentences here. Just say "on the nose" or "in the mouth" and choose your favorite words from the following list:

• pepper
  
• leather
  
• earth
  
• cherry
  
• cola
  
• spice
  
• raspberry
  
• black cherry
  
• black currant
  
• stone fruit
  
• blah, blah, blah....

Summary:
It's time to get creative. If you absolutely hated the wine, say that it's not your taste but others will LOVE IT! Wine's lacking character? Just tell your readers that it's an "easy drinking wine". The possibilities are endless. Just don't forget, there's no reason why any wine should suck.

According to a recent study, people enjoy wine more when they were told that a wine critic gave it a glowing review. Have you ever fallen into this trap? Have you ever found yourself enjoying a bottle of wine MORE because someone has talked it up?

I have to admit that like most people, I STILL make this mistake. When I have no other knowledge of how to choose a wine, I find myself looking at scores. Do I enjoy the wine more because of the fact that someone scored it higher. Absolutely! I think as human beings, we want to drink what other people say is acceptable... it all goes back to our need to fit in. Most marketing campaigns are based entirely around this subliminally controlling trait.

The only way to to know for sure whether or not you enjoy a specific bottle of wine based entirely on its own merits: blind tasting. In order to really judge a bottle of wine, you need to know as little about it as possible. No scores, no labels, no regions, no NOTHING!

Is this realistic? Hell no! The truth is that you are going to shop for wine and be influenced by scores, advertising, and whatever other crap they can throw your way to help influence what you purchase. Should it change the way you choose a bottle of wine? No! Drink whatever the hell you want. It's your money, it's your palate, and it's your decision!

That's all I have to say about that...


Cheers!





(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)
Photo Credit: © Yuriko Nakao / Reuters / REUTERS

I can't believe this crap... now even the rapper formally known as Lil Jon has his own winery! What happened? When did wearing beaucoup bling and busting out fat rap rhymes become a prerequisite for making well crafted wine. Clearly the wine market believes that we are dumb enough to buy a bottle based on a label, name, or in this case, rap sheet.

Anyone ever try this stuff? Who's next? Is Lil Kim looking to make wine too?


Cheers!




(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

Thank you Wine Spectator for releasing your annual Top 100 Winelist for 2009. There are now somewhere between 20 to 100 more bottles of wine that will be sold at ridiculously inflated prices. What would we do without your scores? How would we know what to drink? It's a good thing we have you there to make sure that the wines which you deem the best will never make it into our homes (without spending more than they would normally be worth).

Cheers to you!





(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

Do you buy wine from your local supermarket? How much time do you spend deciding, how much do you usually spend, and are you usually satisfied with the chosen bottles?

Living in a state where the local supermarket sells wine can present a real challenge. While supermarket wine may offer convenience, wading through the overwhelming selection of lousy and often overpriced options, on the other hand is not so cool.

People always ask me the same question: "I'm going to the supermarket... Which bottle of wine should I buy?" Over the years I've found only a handful of bottles that I would say are worthy of my attention.

This list includes:

Penfolds Koonunga hill Shiraz/Cabernet
Sterling Vintner's Collection Cabernet Sauvignon

My first blind date was a huge success!

I have to admit, expanding my palate through foreign grapes is actually a lot of fun. There's just something about the excitement of trying something different than your everyday goto grapes and discovering a new favorite that makes it all worthwhile.

Hailing from the same birthplace as Riedel glassware and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, my first blind date was with the Austrian grape formally known as Zweigelt. Overall, it was a night I'll never forget. Not only did I learn a thing or two about Austrian red wine (like how to properly pronounce the names of the wine... it's 'svy-gelt' damnit! Get it right!) but I also had an affair with few bottles of wine that I would be proud to tell others about the next day. I don't know if this grape is going to replace my old favorite, Cabernet Sauvignon... but she sure gave my palate a seductive run for the money!

Thank you to those of you who watched my date unfold! If you weren't able to tune in, you can watch the rerun below or even catch it when it airs on Radio Dentata. You can also find more info about the wines tasted in this video by checking out this site which features the wines I tried last night as well as many other Austrian beauties. I've also posted the names and vintage of the bottles tasted on the WWCrew site. If there's anything else you would like to know about these wines, please use the comment form below and I'll do my best to find it for you.

Alright, so my birthday has already passed, but it's Friday and a friend of mine is celebrating her birthday today. Let's enjoy this reason to celebrate, drink, and be merry!

When Courtney isn't busy spending her birthday relaxing on my couch, she has her own site and is even trying to raise money for the American Cancer Society. She likes to drink Riesling, Liebfraumilch, and Pinot Grigio... so please raise a glass and wish her a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Cheers!








(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

Few words in the wine world elicit as much emotion as the word Barefoot. Does that make sense? Here's why...

I remember receiving a shipment of Barefoot wine earlier in the year. Not only did they send me a few bottles, they sent me an entire case! After that, they sent me another case. Considering the fact that these aren't $500 bottles of Lafite, this may not sound like a big deal, but then again, how many wineries take the time to send one bottle, let alone two cases?

I never imagined how much I would learn from these shipments. Not only did I learn about the winery, its history, and how their wines taste, but I also ended unintentionally discovering a lot about how other winos view this winery. Clearly Barefoot has many fans and followers... but I never realized how many people unwittingly classify them in the same category as their famed Gallo bastard brother (and my personal favorite): Boone's Farm.

Does Barefoot wine really suck?

As soon as I did my first post about Barefoot, the arrows starting flying in every direction. Some people love the stuff, others would rather see it go down the drain. Many people even criticized me for mentioning Barefoot wine on my site. Clearly, you'd have to be a wine idiot in order to taste, nonetheless review a bottle of this wine. (sarcasm)

I have to admit something. Over time, I let this grape version of groupthink change my perception. Maybe I have become a bit of a wine snob. Maybe I am no better than the people I often criticize. Maybe I let other people influence my palate without even realizing it. In any case, I am here to say that I have realized something important... something that proves I am anything BUT a wine snob. I am here to say today that I have realized why Barefoot wine doesn't suck!

Yeah, I said it. So what do you think about that?

Before you toss your wine at your monitor, unsubscribe to my mailing list, and delete me from your favorites, please allow me to explain....

After my cries for help, I am faced with a real problem. While trying to come up with a sweet tagline for a Wine Whore sticker I got so many great suggestions, I can't figure out which one should be awarded the prize of a FREE Wine Whore t-shirt.

Which one do you think is the "wine whoriest" slogan?









(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

She knocked on my door sooner than I had expected but still undeniably welcome for our blind date. I couldn't understand one word she spoke but after peaking at the back of her bottle, her tight Austrian label gave her away. Already enticed by her exotic nature, I was shocked by what happened next. Unlike any other blind date I've ever been on, she came with three friends. This is going to be crazier than I thought! ;)

I hope you'll understand if I am brief... After all, I've got four bottles in my living room to tend to. I'll be back at 7:30pm this Thursday (November 19th) evening on TWWTV to tell you more about these ladies. In the meantime, I'll share the names of these four ladies with the WWCrew.


Cheers!



(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

Look ma! I'm going to be on internet radio!

TWWTV is now going to be broadcasted twice weekly on Radio Dentata starting November 28!



TWWTV will be resuming its weekly broadcasts following Thanksgiving and will feature the Blind Date with a Grape series... Stay Tuned!


If you have any suggestions, comments or if you have something that you would like included in a future episode of TWWTV, give me a shout out in the comment form below.


Cheers!



(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

What do you love more than a nice glass of wine... and what do you love about a nice glass of wine more than anything in the world?

I love the company of others projected against against a backdrop of fun and laughter... but I also love the way a glass of wine warms your soul when you are your sole company.

What do you love?


Cheers!




(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

It's time to do this! It's time to find out a new favorite mate... a sultry mistress for my palate. Thanks to your help, I've pruned the bunch down to the following ten lucky grapes:





Mourvedre:

Type: Red

Hometown: Found along the French and Spanish coasts of the Mediterranean Sea

Personality: Late ripening, likes warmer growing areas and well drained (even stony) soils.

Body Type: Medium bodied, deeply colored and full of fruit (cherry and berries).







Nebbiolo:

Type: Red

Hometown: Piedmont, Italy

Personality: Lightly colored

Body Type: Loads of feisty tannins that mellow out with age.








Cabernet Franc:

Type: Red

Hometown: Loire Valley, France

Personality: Similar to Cabernet Sauvignon, but buds and ripens at least a week earlier, thrives in slightly cooler climates.

Body Type: Distinctive for its fruit and vegetative qualities.







Carmenere:

Type: Red

Hometown: Médoc region of Bordeaux, France. Born again in Chile

Personality: Likes a warm climate, long growing season, and fertile soils.

Body Type: Known for its spicy and distinctive flavor.








Aghiorghitiko:

Type: Red

Hometown: Greece (Nemea region of the Peloponnese)

Personality: Widely-grown and heat-resistant

Body Type: Takes on a large range of characteristics, from soft to very tannic, depending on factors in the growing and winemaking processes.








Zweigelt:

Type: Red

Hometown: Klosterneuburg, Austria

Personality: Winter hardiness (resistance to frost), late bud-break, and early ripening.

Body Type: A cross between Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent.








Monstant:

Type: Red/White blend

Hometown: Catalonia, Spain

Personality: The authorized white varieties are: Chardonnay, Garnacha Blanca, Macabeo, Moscatel, Pansal and Parellada. The authorized red varieties are: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cariñena, Garnacha, Garnacha Peluda, Merlot, Monastrell, Picapoll Nera, Syrah and Tempranillo.

Body Type: Depends on the blend!









Sauternes:

Type: White

Hometown: Graves, Bordeaux

Personality: Made from Sémillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Muscadelle grapes that have been affected by Botrytis cinerea, also known as noble rot.

Body Type: The Botrytis causes the grapes to become partially raisined, resulting in concentrated and distinctively flavored wines.








Pinot Noir:

Type: Red

Hometown: Willamette Valley (originally from Burgundy, France)

Personality: High maintenance, and finicky yet beautiful.

Body Type: Name is derived from the French words for "pine" and "black" alluding to the varietals' tightly clustered dark purple pine cone-shaped bunches of fruit.








Malbec:

Type: Red

Hometown: Originally from Bordeaux but also big in Argentina

Personality: Thin-skinned grape that needs more sun and heat than either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot to mature.

Body Type: Inky dark color full of robust tannins.







Got any questions for the eligible bachelorettes? Which of these gorgeous grapes are you rooting for?

Stay tuned for show information and details....



(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)

Could plastic one day replace the glass wine bottle we all know and love?

One winery is putting this question to the test. Despite the fact that plastic bottles don't allow wine to age or even last long for that matter, this winery is betting that they're going to make some paper by selling their wine in plastic bottles.

Personally, I don't care if they want to sell their wine in Styrofoam cups. I just don't see myself going to the supermarket to pick up a bottle of this wine. Not only do I see plastic bottles as sacrilege to tradition of the wine world, I don't foresee that any sort of wine being bottled in this manner would be anything that I would ever want to drink. No respectable wine would allow itself to be stamped with a born-on date.

So why would anyone in their right mind choose to bottle their wine in plastic?

Aside from the novelty that plastic bottles would have in an otherwise inundated value wine market, the only positive thing I could imagine would be portability and the illusion of being "Earth Friendly". That being said, unless I was looking for something to drink on an airplane or a football game, I don't see myself reaching for a plastic bottle. This may work for very small sizes, but who the heck would walk around chugging a 750ml bottle of wine anyways? I mean, really?!

What do you think? Have we gone too far in our quest to make some green by being green?


Cheers!




(This message brought to you by The Wine Whore)