Help Wanted

So how does one break into the wine industry? Work at a wine store? Move to Napa? Read back issues of Wine Spectator? Open your own wine bar? Take classes? Watch Bottleshock and Sideways? Drinks lots of wine and take notes? Start a wine blog? Listen to Gary V? Network with wine industry folk via Twitter? Wait tables at an upscale restaurant? Bribe a winery to hire you in exchange for fudge? Eat your weight in crab meat to get on Letterman and arm wrestle him for a chance to name a new varietal after your favorite Battlestar Galactica character? For Halloween, dress up like "Grape Ape" from the Saturday morning cartoons and loiter at your favorite wine shop? HUH? WHAT? YOU DON'T KNOW?

When you do, leave a comment or send me some fudge.

Yesterday

I was laid off from Starbucks yesterday. Five years of my life...heart and soul...sweat and tears...highs and lows...evaporated in an instant. I knew it was coming. I could sense it like a dog knows it is going to the vet. It was quick and painful. I tried my best to compose myself and walked out of my office, clutching my framed diploma with my pride dinged. Where do I begin...or end? I worked harder for Starbucks than any other point in my life. Unfortunately, during the final days of my tenure, I felt that no one had my back. I now have 9 weeks of severance. I'll take a few days to go through the emotions of shock, sadness, angry, really angry and elation. I know it's time for me to venture into something new, exciting...blah blah blah. Nobody likes to get kicked in the gut. I got mine. I will overcome. Starbucks lost some great people yesterday (over 1000 employees). Unfortunately, they let go some really good people who could have transformed the company into some great and special. I will focus my passion on something else. Something fun. Something important. Something new.

I'm sick of coffee...

Rob talks about wine

Rob talks about wine
Originally uploaded by dublwrap

As you can see, I have no idea what I'm doing....

T Vines Psychedelic Rooster Primitivo 2005

I was lucky enough to try this wine while dining at Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen in Calistoga. The waiter explained that the restaurant is the only authorized facility to pour a glass (I can see why). I brought back three bottles after visiting the winery (and receiving the code to the entry gate). Buy it. Trust me. After cracking open a bottle with friends tonight....I didn't bring back enough. It's hard to find a balanced, full bodied and juicy bottle that stops wine drinkers in their tracks. Here's a description from the T Vines website:

2005 PSYCHEDELIC ROOSTER PRIMITIVO: $42 Primitivo is a centuries old grape varietal that is closely related to Zinfandel. It has many of the same characteristics of Zinfandel and is known as a wine that matures early, so it's good to go now, but can also cellar as long as 20 years. We made just over 200 cases of Primitivo in 2005 and offer it through the winery only. You wont find this wine in a restaurant or wine shop. Our 2005 Pimitivo was picked from the Nicholini Vineyard in Chiles Valley, Ca. (Napa Valley appellation). This is a big, juicy fruit bomb that explodes as a zesty blend of cherries, cloves, blackberries, boysenberries and just a hint of sweet wood.

Here is their order form.

Just buy and thank me later.

Photos from Recent Napa Trip

View From Vincent Arroyo
Originally uploaded by dublwrap

Here are a few pics that I was able to snap in between wine tastings, eating, shopping, buying wine and shipping wine.

Makes An Excellent Accessory...

I'm sitting on the floor, drinking Peltier Station Petite Sirah via my stemless Four Vines (The Heretic) Reidel glasses and glanced down at a Wine Savor accessory thingy. Let the record show that this device was given free with a wine purchase. It looks like a plastic coaster that is inserted into your bottle to preserve the flavor. In a nutshell, it reduces oxidation by minimizing the surface area of the wine that tangles with O-2. It requires the user to drop the disc into the bottle after it is poured. Now why would I want my $40 bottle touching something that looks like a "38 CENT WINE POG"? It scares me and I'm not going to use it. I will re-gift it to my white zin friends....

World Wide Wine Websites

Here are my favs....

CellarTracker
Wines Til Sold Out
Wine Woot
Wine Spies
Rad Cru

2006 Londer Anderson Valley Dry Gewurztraminer

Drank this wine for the first time at Bacchus and Venus in Sausalito, CA. The bottle was recommended by the assistant manager named Joe, who had that "look" in is eye before he poured the juice into my glass. His arched brow suggested "you are not going to believe how good this thing tastes". I was skeptical because I'm not a fan of sweet wines...but then he mentioned the words "dry", "stainless steel" and "no Malolactic Fermentation". Hmmmm...a dry, well-balanced, tart Guhvertz was right up my alley. CellarTracker folk like it too.

It's a Slow Decanting Process...

So here it is...another blog about wine. I need a place to collect my thoughts and sift through the soft tannic fruit. I've always enjoyed the beverage, but recently have become passionate about the inner workings of the winery behind the grape. Actually, I'm a little bit more than obsessive about finding special juice produced by special people. Now it's time to decant my thoughts...