The year in wine, food, and frolic

Favorite wines….I once stated that Venge wines are Vi-vi-licious, and I stand by my words and then some. These folks make some damn fine wine. If my word isn’t good enough for you, if you must, then at least trust Robert Parker. He and I apparently see eye to eye on this one, especially when it comes to the Family Reserve Cab (a big winner of our blind wine tasting). Not sure which to try? Try and buy them all as I for one can’t begin to pick a favorite because they are all so damn slurp-worthy. Good news is coming to a town near year as 2010 breaks ground on the Venge’s Calistoga winery. Cavus, the 2004 and 2005 Cab. This wine was so hefty, heady and downright delicious they had to peel me off the walls of the tasting room of Acme Fine Wines (a great spot for Friday happy wine hour, pouring new vineyards each week). These folks enjoy a wineward way of life and it shows with each and every sip of their wine that you slurp. There is a god in Zinfandel heaven and his/her name is Chase Vineyards. Their Zins are as good as they get as is their home town hospitality. The fact that they throw a damn good party (July Fest, harvest and beyond) is just icing on top of an already death-defying cake. Best event of the season, this should come as no surprise – CHEERS! St. Helena. I have sung their praises so many times I am making myself sick, but I’ll do it again because good deeds should go noticed. Each and every first Friday of the season (May-Oct) these folks topped themselves time and time again by bringing together the community, entertaining the visitors, and giving just about everybody a reason to celebrate, what with all the wine (60+vineyards), street food, bang up bands and so much more. I can’t wait to get me some more of this action come spring time. Best restaurant desert – Jolie’s coconut cream pie. Dark chocolate, twirled with caramel, fresh vanilla cream, hand shaved coconut, and crust created with care make this desert a weekly staple. Best side dish – Press’s truffle macaroni and cheese, paired with the creamed spinach. This mac n cheese melts in your mouth all night long, cooked to perfection and coated in only the finest cheese. To die for, and well worth it to score this savory delight. Best cookie in the Valley, Annie the Baker’s peanut butter drop cookie. It made me cry on my first weekend in Napa, and every time I have the pleasure of sucking down one of these blissfully decadent delights I slobber all over myself. More “best ofs” to follow, I need to give my fingers a break. But get busying on the list so far if you missed out on any or all of the above. I dare anybody to top this stuff in 2010, go ahead, make my year!

James Cole - Wine that Rocks and Rolls

If you hail from the house of classic rock you'll feel right at home with the folks at James Cole as you jam with this mighty fine wine. They’re known for making 100% petite verdots and Malbecs. You’ll also be enthralled by the sights which include signed guitars and music videos playing on the walls of the barrel room on a lucky day. The cabernet is the “bomb” busting with throaty hefty flavors that will make you scream right along with the rocking tunes. If my wine word is not good enough to sway you, maybe Mick Jagger’s will be. Him and his Rolling Stone mates loved this juice so much they commissioned the winery to make up a special brew just for them. It is just that good. The ice wine just about put me over the edge, in a very good way. So break out your toothbrush/air mic, slide on your skin-tight flared pant rocker uni-tard and prepare to, “get what you need.” Trust me, you need to get some of this. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.7 Grapes!

Jumpin for Joey Phelps Wines

Ok, perhaps Joey is too informal for this classy winery and its oh so heavenly wines. I have been a bad girl these past few weeks, since it has been way too long in between blog posts. Hopefully Santa is not watching, it’s the holiday season, and this scribe is behind on just about everything, so forgive me I have “zinned” onto the wine! I can’t say enough about this vino, so I will settle by saying a few very short and sweet things. I could draft a very long holiday list for these guys, because their wines have been very good to me, take note St. Nick. I can’t list everything so boiling it down like only I can never seem to do (New Years resolution, type less, say more!)... Insigna – the flagship Bordeaux blend instantly lulled me back to my fine days in France where I romped about the wine country on a scooter thinking I had died and gone to an Irish Catholic’s heaven (where wine bottles dance in the background). This hefty red was nothing short of a religious experience for me, but oh so much better than church. Robust in all the right places and smooth in the others, a mouthful that I never wanted to end. I buttoned up my gluttonous wine tasting experience with the Eisrebe, a vivid, lush, pineapple bomb of a desert wine, though not nearly as sweet as you would expect which was why it was so damn refreshing. I literally slurped the entire glass down and licked the inside of my glass. It was one of the best unexpected presents of my wine season. Let the reindeer games never end! Wacky WineSense Rating: 5 grapes for both!

Miner’in for Wine? Look No Further

I love when I cry tears of joy. Preferably when it is about good food, wine and let us never forget frolic. My latest sobfest came with a jaunt to Miner Family Vineyards. From the moment I stepped foot into their love cove (they were more than happy to welcome me in the door and into their wine family, after a not-so-friendly step into a winery that will remain nameless, hint: Tre—then, a welcome surprise) I knew I had discovered sweet greatness. Sweet in several senses – first hospitality, one of the most jovial crowds and tasting personell (especially head tastemaster Steve Gage) I’ve ever had the good fortune of stumbling into. You would be surprised that in the ever-vast landscape of tasting rooms, dubbed the “hospitality industry,” how all too often I am greeted with anything but. All the more sweet for those wineries that have never lost sight of the basics–pouring fine wine with a smile. After a long, soggy-wet, not totally fun day spent on the tasting trail I have renewed hope for the industry. The next sweet deal was the vibe at this jumpin joint. All I can surmise is that people, just like me, were so damn happy to be treated to fine slurpin wine in a warm and hospitable enviroment that all they could do was bop & hop. The last sweet sensation was the wine. Not a bad taste in the whole lot. I loved them all, fruit forward, and financially affordable. What a smacking good combo! Proving that there is good wine out there that you don’t have to spend a fistful in order to enjoy. The Viognier – splashing and smashing, its light and fruity sensation made me dance. The Chard, not my favorite style wine but this one was downright delectable, a great balance of exactly what I want, more fruity than buttery. The Sangiovese, oft messed up and not given its rightful place in the wine bunch, these folks mined a good one. Light and fruity yet substantial in taste. And the grand daddy of them all (price tag jumps up here) The Oracle. Each year they pick the best grapes of the litter to form this ever-changing Bordeaux blend. Hefty yet smooth, classic tendencies while showing off some distinctly different flare. So, check your ties, nametags and snobby pretense at the door and slide into this sweet little grape of a winery. Then, sit back and enjoy the vino and the company, in the comforts of what feels like the perfect non-dysfunctional familial home that we all strive for (ok me). Wacky WineSense Rating: wine and hospitality 5 Grapes!!!

Groth – Gaggles of Great Wine!

The name, Groth, threw me at first. Doesn’t slide off the tongue or sound the least bit sexy, but none of that actually matters as you slurp down this stuff. As I inhaled the 2008 Sauvignon Blanc I got over myself and my silly sex and name hang-ups because this lush-fruity-affair of a wine was dandy. Delicious and equally charming with its floral tendencies. I can’t be certain but I looked sexier having consumed this beverage, good wine does that to a gal. Moving on to the other side of the grape vine, I fell, knees to the floor, for the 2006 Reserve Cab. I was embarrassed at first being in a skirt and all, but I got over myself again because I was blown back upright with one swig of this divine wine. This baby is a gentle beast of a wine that is equally slick as it is smooth. It is at once robust and demure with its heady fruit flavors and rich finish. I never wanted the slurpin to stop, but I had to be cut off, as this baby ain’t a cheap date, but I tell you, it is worth every bit of its price tag. I bought this as a lovely gift for an even lovelier friend, but then I decided to keep it for myself, as I wanted to feel lovely all year long, which I do, every time I slurp down this wine. Please, somebody, buy me a trough of this Groth! Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.8 Grapes

Terra Valentine Forever Has My Heart

I was lucky enough to squeak into 2009's last CHEERS to Taste (the hospitality arm behind CHEERS St. Helena) function at Terra Valentine. These folks get the meaning behind "the season of giving." They gave all night long, starting with a sparkling moonlight view of the valley below and continuing by hosting a bounty of cheer-givers including (all served up gourmet edibles) Go Fish, Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen, Martini House, Meadowood and private chef Christopher Greenwald, of Bay Laurel Culinary, as well as the sweet and soulful sounds of former CHEERS! cohort, Doug Streblow, but it was the wine itself that was the most sparkly star of all. There is so much to comment on, but I must widdle it down to a few of my favorites. I almost lost track, there were so many vinos to choose from. It was borderline confusing and most definitely enthralling as they poured wine all over the place and out of a bounty of nooks and crannies through the maze of a winery, which only added to the fun. The 2008 Russian River Viognier was light and fruity yet oh so satisfying, a sweet opening to an otherwise heady night. There was the 2007 Amore, Sangiovese, a super Tuscan style wine that I loved almost as much as the town itself. This darling was as divine as it was deep, a welcome surprise. Fruity and slick on the finish with an ever so slight trace of spice. I could go on forever but I’m running low on time so I will close with my passion for the 2006 Wurtele Single-Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, while it is single vineyard, this wine will never be lonely, not with the deep cheery fruit tendencies and smooth yet bold finish. Who needs men when you can drink a wine like this? This winery is one Valentine worth celebrating, day after day, year after year. So get your butt up Spring Mountain for the sole pleasure of the damn fine wine and equally awesome view. Terra Valentine, won’t you please, please, please be my Valentine this year? Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.8 Grapes!

Proud to Be Picky About My Pizza

While I cringe at the thought of being called a wine snob (not very likely since I so often talk about slurping wine), I am not at all bashful about labeling myself a pizza snob and with good reason. Nothing against the West Coast, this coastline is arguably much prettier than the nameless coast that I grew up on (east – keep this hush) but when it comes to pizza pie this side of the country could stand to learn a thing or two from the Right coast. I don’t have time to get into a pizza smack down with everyone, but one of my assignments as a food columnist in New York City was to troll the streets of the city for an entire year looking for the best slice in town, so as far as credibility, I know of what I type/speak. I have been pretty unimpressed as far as slices go, especially in Southern California, none down there are really worth mentioning, though I do remain ever-hopeful. As far Napa goes, I’ve mentioned numerous times that the food here rules! I kept my nose held high and snobby for just a few short weeks when I moved here, trying to scrounge up some good pizza, until I tumbled into Pizzeria Tra Vigne. It doesn’t really count as NYC style pizza, not much does, but TV’s is a variety all its own, a damn good one. Knowing that I’m quite biased when it comes to traditional standards like cheese and pepperoni pizza, I went in a different tasting direction and tried the Vespa. Let’s start with the crust, as that is at the heart of any good pizza. This one is doughy, dense and crisp, all essential qualities. I can’t tell you how many soggy crusts I have sunk into, it is embarrassing for everyone involved, and downright disturbing when you are the taster. Note to all pizza makers - when the crust is floppy you can’t call it crust and you most certainly can't call it pizza! Period. So, thank you Tra Vigne for getting the consistency balance right, no easy feat. As far stacking a flavor punch, you get an A in that department too. Fancy and flip topping combos are oft over done and downright stupid most of the time, but not the case here. The Vespa’s chicken apple sausage, smoked mozzarella, oven roasted onions and spinach concoction is a dandy one. A delectable mix that’s fresh, flavorful and admittedly just a tad fabulous. The cheese-to-sauce-to-toppings ratio is right on the mark. There is a secret nameless ingredient that makes this pie dance down my throat, to me it tastes like nutmeg or cinnamon or a bit of both, but it brings the pie all together. Thankfully, this pizza has tided me over, week after week, and month after month, until I finally make my way back home to good ole NYC. Until then, keep up the good work TV, this gal’s pizza palate is hard to please and right now, I am very, very, pleased. If anybody out there in the blogsphere knows of a pizza pie that you deem worthy of a taste, please email me ASAP. I challenge you to find one that will make me cry tears of food joy. This is one smack down that I would kill to be a part of. May all the good pizzas in town rise to my occasion and attention. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.7 Grapes!

Blind Wine Tastings Rule!

For Thanksgiving this year I decided to “trade up” on my typical Turkey Day pastimes. It’s the wine country. There is more to life than football in these parts – namely wine! I would like to claim that I came up with the brilliant idea of holding a blind wine tasting but the credit belongs to an up-and-comer of CIA’s culinary program - give this kid A+ for overachiever! Each guest at the orphans/out of towners Thanksgiving Dinner that I attended was instructed to bring one bottle of 2006 Cabernet in addition to a soggy green bean crunch casserole type side dish. Buying wine as a new resident of the Napa Valley is a stressful affair because I’m forever out of my own league. After one too many hours spent trolling the aisle of BevMo and Trader Joes I gave up and opted for a brand name that I was familiar with – Rodney Strong. I thought I would impress and annoy people by bringing a wine from the Alexander Valley. Napa people don’t seem to drink or talk too much about “the other” valleys that make up the “wine country.” I hoped the ensuing controversy would cloud my ineptness. When I arrived at the party, while most clacked away in the kitchen the two ringleaders of our blind wine tasting were hard at work collecting the Cabs, plastering them with tin foil to hide the obvious details, logging wine name, region, and price and finally tagging each bottle with an identifying number. We had eight wines in total with eight people tasting (2 wusses remained nameless when it came time to tally the votes). When all the evidence was hidden the wines were placed on the dinner table, ready to be tasted before we dove into our bird. Up until this point I was dining with an admittedly cordial and friendly crowd. Twenty minutes into our taste test tensions began to rise. While I expected to learn something about wine I did not expect to learn unsightly things about human nature, which is exactly what I soon got. The more that we tasted the more vocal people became. Booze does that to people I guess. We were each given simple wine ballots with a numbered list to write notes next to each wine bottle contestant and to ultimately rank our top 3 favorite wines in order of preference. Some were more reserved with their comments “good nose, nice balance, yummy…” others not so much “thin, no good, 2 Buck Chuck, light weight pansy wine, yuck!, sucks!” Ours was not a diplomatic crowd. As the heckling began things got even more interesting. The dainty soon talked trash and the boisterous got demur when some surprising trends started to unfold. As a mildly objective by-stander I made it my business to observe human behavior. I took notice of the following facts. People were wildly polarized in their passion about their favorite and least favorite wines. There was also unity amongst two wines that almost everybody agreed on, as stellar and tasty (my translation not their words). Then, as far as all the other wines in between, people had vastly differing opinions about what they liked and disliked. Not to speak in clichés but one person’s passion was another’s poison. That is where the heckling high-jinx started to unravel further. One of the wines that I was waving my fork at with glee was being poo-pooed by several of my neighbors and a wine or two that others thought were “rank” and disgusting” (their words, not mine) someone else thought was “divine.” People bordered on belligerence when someone suggested ripping off the foil that hid the bottles true identity prior to everybody finishing their taste testing. I can’t be a hundred percent certain, but I am about 99.9% sure that some flicked forks, others flung food and certain people had to pin down other people when they threatened to taint the results too soon. I also noticed that some of the less boisterous of our bunch seemed to get swayed over time by the opinions of others, some sort of twisted drunken peer pressure that caused people to back down from their wine choices when friends balked, while others hopped on a wine’s bandwagon when folks waxed on about their preferences. OK, I guess I have dragged out the suspense for too long by this point so wait no more. For obvious reasons I will not get into specifics about the wines that were not in the top 3, because, well I value my life. What I will tell you, is that you would be surprised to learn what wines were dubbed “rank” among many other randy references and how expensive those wines were (upwards of $99). I will note that price points ranged from $3.99-$125.00.

Here are the vinos that ran off with top honors of the night:
#1 – Rodney Strong’s Alexander Valley 2006 Cab $25.00 (yes Virginia there is a Wine Clause)
#2 – 3 – there was a tie for second and third favorite:
Venge Vineyards 2006 Family Reserve $125.00 & Mica’s 2006 Cab $60.00

Other brands that were in the running included Bennett Lane, Rare Earth, Reverie, Rockbrock and Sbragia. And you cynics in the crowd, in case you’re wondering, I had nothing to do with the voting I’m just reporting on it.

For me, the most remarkable result of all, the one that should be your key take away from this ranting and rambling story, is this. Wine is very much a personal game and even more of a personal preference. When we are not biased by the media, our neighbors and even our birth right, something remarkable happens. People simply drink and enjoy wine the way it was meant to be – one sip at a time, for the sheer pleasure and joy of it. In all the hubbub here in the Valley it seems that we all too quickly forget that wine was meant to be one of the simple pleasures in an otherwise complicated world. Just like people, no two wines are created equally nor do they hold the same meaning for anyone, other than yourself. So stop reading all the wine mags, shut the lip of that needling neighbor of yours, knock your mate out of your ear and listen to the only voice of reason that matters – yourself. You’re the one drinking it so, so slurp whatever you damn well please and enjoy it!

And in closing (finally!) I will admit it here first. Apparently, I am a cheap date. One of my top three wines was rock bottom on the price and popularity scale. I blushed for only a moment when I learned of the results, and then I reminded myself of something important. I moved to the wine country to get rid of all the “woulds and shoulds” of my world in favor of living my own version of the American Dream, one which includes drinking the wines of my own choosing.

Heart attack inducing food that is worth the risk – Press’s Truffle Mac’n Cheese

Sure, aside from all the wine I slurp, I usually strive to keep my diet heart healthy, at least on the weekdays. But by the week’s end I grant myself permission to give into my vein clogging food tendencies. A girl has gotta have some fun, especially when we’re talking about the heart pounding side dish delights at St. Helena’s Press. Comfort food never felt more sexy than at this joint. I’m not sure if it is the angular glass vaulted ceilings, the sleek outdoor fireside patio or merely the heart pounding food that ignites my engine, but it doesn't really matter, it’s all good. I have sampled mac’n cheese up and down this coastline, across the country, and from Manhattan to the Florida panhandle. Not many are worth their weight in raw cheese poundage, but as far as mac-y cheese attacks waiting to happen in the Napa Valley, Press’s takes home the prize. Their truffle mac side dish isn’t fooling anybody, it eats like a meal, a big, fat, gourmet gooey cheesy one. I’m not sure what else they slip into this dish but I don’t much care. This mac sings its way all the way down my food tube. While rich in taste and texture it isn’t overpowering, quite the opposite – obnoxiously satisfying when eaten as I recommend, in its entirety, in one sitting. Since I’m jolting my heart already I take advantage of the situation by sucking down the creamed spinach too. Equally dizzying and rich, but healthy, as only a vitamin chocked cream soaked veggie can be. I prefer to belly up to the bar for my relaxing feast, ordering a great glass of vino to coat my stomach and accompany this veg-friendly culinary duo. It is a match made in food heaven, one that is so damn good, it’s worth the heart clogging risk. Wacky WineSense Rating: 5 Grapes!

Forget Pie-in-the Sky at JoLe – their pie is knocking on heaven’s gates

Exemplary deserts on the California Coast are a lot harder to find than one might think. I hate to be a NYC snob, but until recently I had been hard-pressed to find a sweet delight (aside from Annie the Baker’s peanut butter bomb cookie) that was worth texting my food friend in the middle of the night about, but then JoLe’s dream-inducing coconut cream pie slipped magically onto my plate. The desert sky parted and my tongue melted well into the thick of the night. This is hands down the best desert I have tasted to date since moving to the Napa Valley this spring. I go to the restaurant regularly just to eat this pie. I get out of my fuzzy flannel pjs to get me a slice of this thing when late night cravings knock me out of a deep winter’s sleep. Follow me into this whipped cloud of sweet creamy delight. Macadamia crust - fresh, flaky, flavorful, crisp. This same crust is layered with a thin swath of bittersweet dark chocolate which drips beyond the pie and on to the plate which is drizzled with the same plus some caramel. Then a secret blend of coconut and cream and I can’t imagine what else short of fairy dust makes up the guts of the pie but it is light and sweet and flavorful and, well, magical. If all of that isn’t enough to bring you into pleasant sugary convulsions the pie is topped with vanilla bean fresh cream and then topped even further (this part literally flipped me off my stool and onto the ground where I laid squealing in pie bliss), with candied fresh coconut. While my waistline will never forgive me and 24 Hour Fitness will love me forever because I have added two extra spinning classes so that I can continue to feed my addiction, it is all worth it to get me a slab of this stuff. I have sampled my way up and down the desert menu of this joint and all of them are remarkable, but this one stands as my favorite. I may never eat real food ever again so I can keep an open space in my belly for this baby. This pie far exceeds the sky and shoots right up to desert heaven. Wacky WineSense Rating: 5.0 Grapes!

Christmas Came Early this Year with Cavus Wines

I had the jolly good fortune of stumbling into one of Acme Wines Fun Friday Tastings. I was immediately consumed by the Cavus Vineyard Cabs that were being poured. A bounty of superior and slurp worthy wines. I spent the evening bouncing back and forth between their 2004 and 2005 Cabs. One minute I was the biggest fan of the 05 and then seconds later I was sucked into a savory wine oblivion by the 04. The 04 is the heftier of the two with deep dark fruit tendencies and a touch of spice while being oh so smooth. The 05 was super strong and tasty too with quite a bit of heft but in a totally different way. A slick and serene style bounding with a fruity berry-licious bang. In the end I came to only one conclusion: the owners and wine maker of this fine boutique winery make damn good vino in a new fashioned way. One that is all about enjoying life and drinking stellar wine in the here and now. I will drink to that, especially if my glass if full of Cavus. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.9 Grapes!

Dandy and Dancing at Dutch Henry

Whoever said that dancing was dead clearly missed the rocking good time that Calistoga’s Blues and Jazz Festival offered, especially the “wine in the vineyard” segment. For the good or bad of that event I started at Dutch Henry (one of the six vineyards participating), and never made it elsewhere because I had such a ducky-good time. I’m always talking about the wine so I want to start by first noting the ambiance at this jumping joint of a winery. Bocce ball courts, pristine new wine caves, charming barnyard tasting and backyard boogying, what could be better? They have left the pretense back where it belongs (LA, anyone?). Everybody feels at ease at this place, whether you want to relax and picnic, tour the brand spanking new caves (I got lost they were so fascinating), or sip fantabulous wines in a welcoming and comfortable barn-style tasting room that smells all wine and no barnyard poop. It’s charming all the way around, as is the wine. Down right slurp-worthy. They were all delectable. Here are two of my personal favorites. The Argos – a Cab, Cab Franc, Merlot blend that had me at BING! cherry. Deep and substantive. I would like to cuddle up and sip this baby fireside with a fat book and a warm slab of beef. The 2003 Cabernet made me howl, literally. I’m not sure why, but its sturdy complexity might have had something to do with it, or maybe it was the day of tasting and boogying to blues that did it. No the wine was just that tasty. So get your ducks in a row and make a quick dash to Dutch Henry. You’ll be glad you did. Wacky WineSense Rating for wine and frolic: 4.75 Grapes

Finally, a Pinot that I didn’t want to Poo-Poo!

I will admit that as soon as everybody became bitten by the Pinot bug I became instantly, not. I never like to give into trends and in the case of the softer gentler varietal, Pinot never floated my wine boat. I know I will get shot and put out of business for saying this but I like to be honest so I will say it and risk banishment. Most Pinots, to me, taste like cough syrup. Even the good ones, until an unlikely chance encounter with a dandy little Peirson Meyer Pinot changed my mind. This baby was downright bawdy with layer after layer of bold berry flavor, not to mention what I could only call a sweet smoky essence that reminded me of toasted marshmallows at summer camp. This vino had a consistency that was light on the outside and hefty in the middle. Half the time I don’t even know what I’m talking about, but wine does that to me. It brings about change that you never thought was possible. I can finally understand a little bit of all the fuss that the bus full of Pinot people are always partying about. Some things, when done differently and right can make even the most cynical, believers. There is now a place on my palate for Pinot, when it’s brought to me by the fine folks at Peirson Meyer, until then I will wait impatiently for another worthy Pinot to step up to the plate. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.5 Grapes!

Slipping and Sliding Around the Olive Tree Maypole

Sure, I enjoy slathering my best breads in olive oil. And yes, I have been known to double dunk. I also revel in bathing my lips in slippery stuff. That being said you could understand why I stampeded into the Wine Country Inn to partake in their “Ode to the Olive” last week. Sounded like my kind of party. I imagined that I would be dunking my fingers and bread into smooth and scented oils all day long. Not a bad way to spend a fall day. I was shocked to learn that bread with your olive oil can actually be offensive in some parts (Italy!). When I heard that the best way to taste the essence of a good olive oil is to slurp it, I knew I had found a new home at the Inn, since we, at Wacky WineSense, are all about slurping, though typically good wine. I gave myself free liberties to slurp the oil when invited. I soon realized that there are a lot of similarities between growing grapes and growing olives. There is a harvest time for both and olives need to be nurtured in the same ways as grapes. You need to pick and pluck when the fruit has hit its prime. Much like fine wine, acidity levels play a heavy handed role in the quality and taste of good oil. Heat, air and humidity also play vital roles. Unfortunately, the olive counter part is not regulated like wine so you need to be careful when you buy under the guise of true virgin olive oil. It, like vino can get corked. This means that your coveted bottle of extra virgin oil from Italy that you’ve been saving for the last ten years hoping to hang onto to those heady memories of your romps in the Tuscan sun, may not be fit for table time. Nobody wants stanky olive oil at their holiday gatherings so avoid such a fate by ensuring that you make use of your oil within two years of the harvest date. Oil can oxidize like vino so slurp it down soon after opening (2 weeks is ideal). Diane De Filipi of Ask Diane Hospitality was our hostess for the day and this gal knew her stuff. Screw boring Tupperware and Pampered Chef parties in favor of a slipping sliding good time. Who knew olive oil could be such a hoot! The question that everyone wanted to know and that she soon answered was, what makes one oil virgin and another dead-end used baggage? The answer - acidity level. To reach “virgin” status look no further than the label. Your virgin goods should not exceed an acidity level of .08%. If your slippery sack shows more, you’ve got tainted, less than honorable and pure goods. So, buyer beware when it comes to those over-priced, teases. While scents are nice when slathered all over your main squeeze, the same cannot be said for virgin oils. Lets say you buy one of those gourmet pups infused with lemon. Sounds savory yes, but what that tartly fruit is doing is actually robbing your oil of its acid. Diane says to skip the infused varieties and go "pure" all the way, baby. I choked down some damn good stuff at my party full of virgins, and according to our divine hostess, if you slurp a good olive oil it should make you cough, which I did, all day long. The best oils will also give your taste buds and nostrils a wake up call in the form of a bounty of flavorful scents and spices. But, if you’re slurping a virgin hack (those dastardly finds often seen in the clear bottles at your supermarkets), your sniffer will stay on snooze and you’ll get nothing but a greasy finish. I now know that I want my olive oil just like my men - pure and untainted but aged and harvested to perfection. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.7 Grapes!

BBQ that Boogies!

Eat.Drink.Boogie. That’s the tagline for the newest BBQ catering company to hit the brix of Napa Valley. Having partaken in a pork-filled extravaganza at one of the last BBQs of the summer/fall season, I can honestly say that CROOKED PORCH BBQ gave me something to boogie about. They have earned the right to keep on keeping on with that oh so accurate catch phrase. I’m striving to simplify my life and my write ups so I’m cornering a new phrase to sum up the fine eats that resident Pit Master/Owner Nick Heinrich (707-256-9226, nickheinrich@gmail.com) had to offer – smoky with a side of sass. That’s what came to mind as I slurped down his pulled pork and beans. I can’t quite place my paw on the root source of the flavors I tasted, other than the food left me feeling much more sassy than how I felt prior to the pig fest. The side dishes reigned in my opinion. Finally, some not so typical takes on otherwise standard fare picnic and bbq eats. The chicken yellow crunch cole slaw was downright crackly – crisp, flavorful and nutty. Those pining for the mayo-dripped soggy type slaw would be better off making a pit stop at KFC because the Pit Master’s version is so far off that varietal it may as well be on Jupiter. Heinrich’s take reminded me why slaw, if done right, is the perfect compliment to a forkful of tangy, sauce-slathered meat. The potato salad won me over too. Also sans mayo which almost made this entire meal heart-healthy. The spuds were farm fresh and cooked to non-picnic perfection. They were firm without being undercooked and packed a walloping flavor twist with a sweet nip of spice. If you yearn for gooshy near-mashed mayo soaked spud salad and overcooked meat, you should avoid Crooked Porch all together because all you’re going to find is a whole lot of high quality BBQ and home spun sides that are crooked in the best possible way - guaranteed to get your arse off the couch and onto the dance floor. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.5 Grapes!

Random Bits I Learned from a Cheese Monger

I have called myself a cheese whore one too many times than I wanted to admit, until I met John Raymond, the Cheese Monger. In a short afternoon spent nibbling large hunks of mind-altering cheese, I decided to embrace my inner cheese hound. There is nothing to be ashamed about in loving a mound of cheese. It, unlike my parental unit, doesn’t talk back or judge me for my indiscretions. Some interesting things I learned from The Monger….

• A “cheddar man” talks only about acid (either he had an awesome trip on LSD back in the day, or cheddar contains a fair amount of acid)
• All cheeses are “He/Male”
• The “rind” of a cheese tells you what is going on in the mind of the cheese
• Cheeses have “eyes” and their peeps, just like ours, tell you all you ever wanted to know about those tasty slabs of melted madness
• In hosting a party, if you put more than (5) types of cheeses on a plate, you have “insulted” the cheese
• Blue cheese needs to be needled - just what you would think, jabbing a selected needle (sewing, knitting, etc.), into the cheese repeatedly, it opens up the cheese for maximum flavor
• Natural cheese rinds are gentle, not aggressive

In closing, I hope I don’t screw up this quote from The Monger, “Finding a cheese that you deem worthy to 'sleep with' is almost as tough as finding a loved one worth sleeping with, but once you do, you'll know why it was worth the wait.” On my cheese tasting day at Venge Vineyard, with The Cheese Monger (John Raymond), I found way too many cheeses that I wanted to sleep with (I guess that is why I am a self-dubbed cheese whore) - bed space was limited, so I just ate them all. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.5 Grapes!

Not all wine, all the time – especially with October beers abounding!

Yes we’re called WINE Sense, but that doesn’t prevent us from talking about other things. Especially when it’s beer time! October marks the coming of fall and all the foods and drinks that come with the season. Namely all things pumpkin in my book (pie, cheesecake, scones, cupcakes, seeds, cider rum punch - I’ll stop before I embarrass myself by salivating right out of my office). I don’t want to be remiss in mentioning another one of my favorite passions of the season - Silverado Brewing Company’s Octoberfest beer. This joint is known for cranking out some of the best brew in the valley, but I am partial to the seasonal Octoberfest one. It speaks to me on so many levels, and I wouldn’t even call myself a beer fan, though I do jump onto this 'hopy' team during this candy-fueled month. Don’t let the deep amber color of this boo-full delight fool you. I typically shy away from beers that look too heady for me to handle and spank of bitterness. While this beer looks the part, it certainly doesn’t taste that talk. It’s hearty, substantive and light all on one swing, but not wimpy; it is a mouthful of flavor despite the sense of being light. I realize that this description is a long-winded contradiction, but it fits the bill of this tasty delight. The brewski is also crispy like the leaves that are dropping from our trees and vines, just in time for winter. The ribs aren’t too shabby either, they’re actually a fabulous complement to all of their beers (my second fav being the blonde, the ale, not that strapping fella I saw swilling beer at the other end of the bar). The ribs are a meaty tangy sweet and sweaty delight. Good right down to the bone. So come on in and grab the Octoberfest brew while you can, it won’t last long! Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.70 Grapes!

CHASE-ing - no stalking Chase Cellar's Petite Syrah

In everyday life, it is never good to be female and stalker-ish. I’ve decided, in the wine world this is not a bad thing, at least in the eyes of the proprietors. I am no stranger to touting Chase wines. I’m downright smitten with these people (Pam Simpson & Jeff Blaum – the dynamic bro/sis duo) and their wine. You may know these peeps for their succulent and slurp worthy Zin, and believe me I can’t ever seem to get enough of those droplets of wine gold, but I thought I would take a moment to blow my wind up a new wine goblet. My stalk-worthy victim - the 2005 Petite Syrah. The night after I tasted this beast, spicy and sweet wine plums danced in my head all night long, and it ain’t even Xmas yet. This vino delivers a bursting punch of dark cherry if you ask me. It is smooth, substantive and a surefire delight on a wet rainy day, a hot and spicy night, or actually any damn day of the year. I typically don’t like to curse but some wines delight me to such a degree I am inclined to spew obscenities that would make my dad proud. So sorry Chase, I will now and forever be one of your most diligent stalkers. Sorry, but the wine is just that good. So rain or shine get your arse out of bed and slide on over to Chase. If you’re lucky you might just catch Jeff and Pam puttering around the property and tasting room. Not only do they make bang up wines but they frequently throw grape-busting parties (JulyFest, Harvest, Summer BBQs). It is the vineyard that keeps on giving long after you down that bottle of wine you just bought. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.8 Grapes!

The end of a very good year - bon voyage CHEERS! St. Helena

The fat lady has sang her last tune. The CHEERS! season has left the building. What do we have to show for our months of support? We will always have the memories. Blocked streets, streets with meat and treats. Bopping bands, lovers holding hands. More wine in a two block radius than one man or woman slurp in a year. But most of all we will be able to look back on a time where the oft quiet and sometimes stuffy streets of St. Helena opened up her arms to embrace the community that supports her. I regretfully write the last of my event wrap-ups for the 2009 season. With a pilot season like this, we can be sure that the CHEERS! show will be renewed for next year (or lets sure as hello hope so). Woodhouse Chocolates. We all know how good they are. Christ, people come to St. Helena just to score some of that magical gooey sweetness, not the mention the bonafide chocolate themed art sculptures that rival the Sax 5th Avenue windows during holiday season in NYC. But just because we know, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t remind everyone how truly delicious they are. As a confirmed choco-holic I can confidently say that the rock-salt milk and dark chocolate caramels that they have served up for free, yes free, each and every CHEERS! social are almost orgasmic. Not almost, they are. Slick, smooth, crunchy, chocolate with a sultry kick. Sweetness that just keeps on giving long after the taffy has been sucked down your food tube. I guess it is safe for me to come clean. Each month I would eat my ration – one milk, one dark. Then I would wait an hour or so, and despite being at the other end of the strip, I would haul it back to Woodhouse to slip another helping of those chocolate pillows down my throat. Two more of the dark chocolates. Then I would get some of my party people to give me their ration. My waistline might never forgive me, but my belly will forever thank me. The boy scouts of our fair city served up birds, lots of bbq birds. Protein that I was in dire need of, to soak up all the wine I was feverishly tasting. It was the last night of CHEERS! 2009, somebody had to do it. Yay Scouts! Service with a suited up smile. On to the wine! I never see or get enough Meritage. But I found a spanking good one from the folks at Ehlers. A light yet bold bowl of fruit comes to mind. Also, a little tweet of tang. Their Meritage made me merry! The Eagle Eye wine, dubbed Voluptuous, that's its name, and it was a voluptuous red blend both dry and sweet-tart, plus the bottles themselves were a work of art, yest art on a bottle. A husband and wife team, he masterminds the wine, and her the art that paints each and every bottle. Tom Scott Vineyard’s Barn Burner Cab. This baby went so well with my dark-choco bites (Woodhouse), at $125 not an economic stimulus wine, but worth every penny. The fact they were giving away this stuff for free was downright dandy. Smooth with a kick. It was as pretty in color as it was in taste. A workhorse of a wine! Five Vintners Zin. A roll off the tongue fruity tootie pie delight! I don’t even fully understand what that means, other than damn good wine. Orin Sift Cellars never cease to surpise my each and every social. Their wine is like young love, every day you discover something new to adore. One month I love Prisoners, then another I salivate for the Papillon, which was my love this CHEERS! I fell under the spell of this blueberry-dipped chocolate of a wine. I was so under its magic, I think I might have started kissing radom people to the left and right of me at the tasting counter. Or maybe I was just tongue kissing the glass and the wine that it was holding. Who cares, it was love at first slurp. I want to cuddle up with this vino on crisp fall and winter nights. Divine to the last drop. And last but not least Turley’s Howell Mt. Zin, a wine that I am no stranger to, but it never ceases to amaze me in its brilliance. Spicy, slick and smooth, just like I enjoy my m_n, well you don’t need to know that. So in the end, as sad as I am to see my CHEERS! social scene draw to a close, it was time. Just like my former home of New York, it is always good to leave people loving you as opposed to remembering you in a less appealing light, because you didn’t say goodbye soon enough (Sorry Seinfeld, as much as adored you I wished you said “when” just one episode sooner). So I raise a glass to good times past. Until next year, 3 cheers for CHEERS! Wacky WineSense rating: 5 grapes x 5 grapes x 5 grapes, forget it - good times all season long!

Waking Up the Grapes w/Kirk Venge and Elvis

I woke up today at 6:30AM to get the first pick of the season with Napa’s resident Pluck Meister – Kirk Venge and his posses of pickers. I was dubbed an honorary picker for the day, though I am angling for life-long picker status.The grapes, those lazy-bum-slackers, didn’t start to “wake up” until about 9:30/10ish. To their credit, once they did finally wake up they glowed and oozed of the sweetest sexiest juice you’ve ever smelt or tasted. And yes, grapes are sexy at any time of the day, unlike us human folk. I guess the grapes, like my former city self need a good night’s sleep in order to perform (performance=delivering bang up juice for some of the pluckiest wines in the world) at their peak. By the time the grapes woke up and joined the party we had already plucked 5 tons of those rolly polly suckers and the morning was still young. We were able to move that many mounds of grapes despite the Pluckster's tussle with Elvis, his S.O.B of a 4-wheeler. At the crack of dawn Elvis went all “rock-king” ego-manic, by attempting to show The Pluck Meister (Kirk Venge) who was boss, by tossing him in an end-over the handle bars. King of the Grapes Venge soon went on to show Elvis that the King of Rock is dead now. All I heard was “Elvis is coming at me!”. I saw the buggy flipped to its side and Kirk standing on all 4s. He, like a very good cat, landed on his feet with a smile. Elvis did not look so hot. He got a swift kick in the tires and finally got to work, but was promptly renamed Matilda. She offered a smooth and stable ride through the grape fields as we picked and plucked like there was no tomorrow. She became our chariot out in the field, hauling grapes to the people. The Pluck Meister’s wine phone rang no less than 30 times during our pickfest, all before the average Joe had even bothered to get out of bed. I trust I have wet your whistle enough to get out of bed and get yourself a glass of wine. I’m gritty, grimy, sweaty and sweet all at the same time. One lick confirmed that I taste good today. I blame it on the grapes. That’s all for now folks. Tomorrow will be another day of wine country heaven, a breed like no other. You haven’t lived until you’ve plucked a grape and had the insane good fortune of being ensconced in the sweet smell of freshly picked grapes.

Que Sera, Sera and Arividerchi baby to CHEERS! St. Helena

Well I thought this day would never come, yet it has. We are being asked, somewhat begrudgingly, to kiss the CHEERS! parade good-bye for the rest of 2009. Parting truly is such sweet sorrow in this case. I hit myself over the head with a wine bottle once again to remind myself that all good things do come to an end and I better just face it and get over it. So it is time for us to lay our overactive emotions to the side so that we, as a community, can help send out this last CHEERS! social in style. If you’re up for the challenge start things off early by hitting the first hour of Acme Fine Wine Friday. Then you will be first in line to collect your wine sampling wrist band ($35) when the flood gates open at 6PM. Whether you want to connect with all of your CHEERS! friends new and old, or you want to finally conquer your goal of sampling wine and buying trinkets at every single place on the CHEERS! roadmap, go for it. Do whatever you need to make the most of this last social, that is what I plan to do. Hitting the Venge grape picking trail Saturday morning will be a tough one, but I will prevail, for the greater good. The food court will still be sporting edibles from your favorite food haunts (and hopefully the Kara's Cupcake mobile will be trucking along Main St.) and the good tweens and teens of the St. Helena High Band will be kicking up beats at the Hunt Street friendship lounge. So, my CHEERS! compadres, you know the drill by now, so I won’t bore you with too many of the details. Just get your butt out there and enjoy this last CHEERS! like there’s no tomorrow, because come Saturday morning, CHEERS! will be a distant yet memorable blip of the past. Check back early next week for my tear-felt recap of the night and my season wrap-up which will highlight the best of the best of the entire 2009 CHEERS! season.

Failla wines never fail

When you step into the tasting room at Failla Wines you’ll feel a bit like you slipped into your best friend’s cozy living room on a cold winter’s night. Contently comfortable and unwilling to budge from your seat, especially when you start drinking their wine. It is loaf-inducing. They are all about their pinot as many already know. It is everything you have heard and so much more, but since I am wacky and typically choose to go against the normal grain I will talk about everything other than the pinot. I almost busted a gut, when I slurped down the Phoenix Ranch Syrah. It was so heady in taste I almost passed out dreaming of pork bellies. Deep, rich, meaty, delicious. Good to the last thick drop. The Keefer Ranch Chard was no slouch either. It was a flavor collision – smack your lips together tasty – I know this will sound crazy but imagine pineapple pie with smatterings of caramel corn. A tasty delight of a wine. So pick up any one of their pinots and match it up aganist these other goods. Then find your own cozy couch to nuzzle up to and enjoy the good life that this wine has to offer. Wacky WineSense Rating: 4.7 Grapes!

Some random bits I learned on the wine trail with Kirk Venge this week

During one of my romps around the grape fields with our resident expert Kirk “the grape meister” Venge I picked up a lot of random bits of info and some wine lingo basics (note to self: buy winemaking for dummies book to get up to speed on the obvious, before my next day in the field). Granted, a lot of this information may be obvious to the rest of the valley and world, but I am pretending we are all wine virgins for today. I am here to impart my new found wine wisdom. Harvest season in these parts is typically from September 1st-November 1st, but subject to change due to weather patterns. Rain, as long as it is gentle enough and not consistent, will not harm the grapes, but it will slow things down in getting the suckers to a state of readiness for plucking. I am still a bit bitter about not getting to pick yet. I learned that wine is all about patience. I have none so I am not sure how much of a career I will have in this biz. White wines are usually prime for the picking earlier than their ruby red counter parts. Kirk and I were collecting lots of baseline samples from all his different vineyards. We also met up with another strapping grape meister from the fine family, Atinori Vineyards. In fetching samples we were darting in and out and around all the different rows of grapes getting random samples. We had to eat those samples and spit out the seeds. A critical part of my assignment in this endeavor was what he called the “5 bite crunch test.” Not 4 crunches not 3, but 5. This gives you the optimal amount of juice and sensation to see where the grapes are in readiness. Then you're supposed to spit out the seeds. I would suck them down because I didn’t want to be wasteful. I suspected that Kirk expected better from me, but being a gentleman he let my dalliances slide. I’m not sure what exactly I was looking for as I crunched. One grape tasted better than the next. Nothing made me gag because of tartness or vomit because of grossness. I would say that from a laywoman’s point of view all of these grapes were prime and almost ready for greatness. I told Kirk as much. He seemed to value my opinion, or maybe he was just being polite. Other miscellaneous information that I found fascinating. Brix. Brix signify how much sugar is present in the grapes. Never enough in my book being a sweet fiend. Apparently, per the Grape Meister there is a sweet spot in brix which also impacts the alcohol content. If I were to ask my parents’ opinion they would say “there can never be too much alcohol in our wine!” 20-25 brix is nice for whites. I think. I hope I wrote down that stat correctly. If it is not accurate, blame the wine reporter not the source. The average life span of a grape vine is approximately 25 years but there are old vines that live on almost to eternity. If only I could live the life of a vine. I would be revered forever. When you are lucky enough (good god how did I get here!) to charge your arms into a fermenting tank you will feel like you have ended up in heaven. It is cool in there and as the grapes and their juice envelop your arms, it is better than the most expensive mud bath arm massage (sorry Calistoga – it is). I thought about jumping into the fermenting tank and taking a nap, but Kirk stopped me before I did so. Not on his watch. I may return when the sun goes down. The tank looked a lot like a small hot tub from the outside. It smelled super fine too. That’s all for now folks. My plucky pal Kirk and his cronies continue to mine the grapes as if they were diamonds. Waiting for the perfect pick. I plan to be there when it happens. Night or day and even during happy hour if need be. I am just that committed. To hell with diamonds being a girl’s best friend. That is so nineties. Grapes and the wine they produce will now and forever be this girl’s best friend. Wacky WineSense rating for my day in the life: 5 Damn Good Grapes, and then some!

Day 1: "Chasing Grapes" on Kirk Venge’s Wine Trail

Pinch me. Pinch me again. Kick me. Kick me hard. Shove me. Knock me over. Drop a wine bottle on my head. I am awake. This is my life. I am not dreaming. I had the very good fortune of falling onto the wine trail during harvest with none other than Kirk Venge. I know they are always saying that Brad Pitt is super nice and Megan Fox, ok, bad example, not as nice. George Clooney, good looking, charming, sexy, funny and wow, nice guy. And Bruce Springsteen, super sweetie, accomplished musician, wizard of sound, financially solvent, tune-making genius that has spanned the decades and still continues to churn out popping music year after year, from one decade to the next. Sort of like Bono, but without the burly Irish accent. I bring all this up because I predict a similar path for Mr. Venge - only vino instad of music, though I hear he belts out some kicking tunes at Anna's after a night of bocce. While I don’t really posses authentic crystal ball caliber skills despite what my former articles might lead you to believe, I do have a mighty powerful gut instinct about these sorts of things (I knew that the Internet would have great promise one day!). So I will go out on a wine branch and predict that Kirk Venge, winemaker, everyman’s good guy appeal, may just be the Springsteen of the Napa Valley wine scene (if your not a Springsteen fan – insert another legend). Year after year from as far back as his days in diapers he has been steadfastly building his cred, honing his winemaking skills, and surpassing many of his peers (young and old) in the process. And I hate to bring age in the picture, but I am old enough to do so. Most guys that I know that are his age are still trolling city streets looking for America’s next top model and the “new” Jagermeister bomb. Instead of succumbing to such a fate, Kirk has quietly laid down the bones (wine vines) and added the fleshy grapes on top to produce and make smashing wine, up and down and all around this valley. For this installment of my “day in the life of a wine master” I will dub him the Pluck Meister, for now, knowing that his nickname will change as we transcend into the different segments of the wine making process. The rain has slowed things down just a tad so I escaped picking grapes today, much to my own devastation. But we did something that I could argue was just as fascinating. We galloped from vineyard to vineyard, region to region (because he lays claim as the resident wine maker for vineyards all over town) plucking a grape here, a grape there, a grape just about everywhere, all in the sport of “sampling”. In layman terms that’s taste testing grapes to determine how close those roly poly delights are to being ready to be picked. Some will tell you that sampling and making the perfect wine is all about science. How many brix, how much acidity, tannins, yada, yada, yada. Others kick it more old school style by relying strictly on the good old fashioned taste buds. A slurp here, a gobble there, a suck there, all to get an assessment on how close those plumpsters are to being prime for the picking. But for the Pluck Meister (keep up! it’s code for Kirk Venge for Christsake!) it’s a hodgepodge of many things, including a smattering of science plus a whole lot more. I was lucky enough to watch him squash grapes, baggie them, preen juice, and then dump a little bit of many things into some beakers, followed on by a thorough examination of said contents underneath a winemakers microscope gadget. That process was more interesting than the sum total of one-too-many years in my high school and collegiate science programs. And while all of that business is well and good, he says a lot of it comes down to instincts as to “when” prime-time picking hour has arrived. The key to good wine is the grapes, right? Even I know that much. But according to the Pluckster it actually comes down to “getting the pick” (my translation: part science, part instinct, part magic) as he calls it. Maybe my picky nature will finally serve me in life? His “getting the pick” has garnered him a fruitful wine career for many years to come. The secrets to his "picking" mojo are going to stay between him and his happy hound Lucy, for now. It is sort of like good hair. Either you have it or you don't. You can't really teach it to grow hip and stylish, it just is. I hope I have made you salivate, or perhaps caused you to seriously consider a mid-life career change to the field of wine making, or, if nothing, else maybe I have enticed you to open up your mind, your wallet, and your palate to slurp some wine, or at a minimum to pop open your keyboard to learn a bit more about the making of that sinful delight we call wine. Today’s ramblings represent about one (1) hour of a day in the life with the Pluck Meister. I don’t want to give away all his secrets in one post. So stayed tune. I dare you. I challenge you. I invite you to pinch yourself. When you confirm that you are alive and awake and not dreaming with the sandman, log on and get your winemaking fix for the day at Wacky WineSense. Come along for this wild grape-filled ride as Kirk and I “chase grapes” all harvest long (his words not mine, how thrilling does that sound?) You’ll be glad you did. And if I am worth the weight of my electronic pencil you’ll learn a thing or two about this glorious time of year we call harvest in the Napa Valley. Fall is life changing on the East Coast, just another day in LA, spellbounding in the Rockies, and well,l I have run out of references, but here in The Valley fall is a snap of time that transports you to somewhere you will never want to leave, in smells alone.

Smashed sandwiches and salty sweets

I’ve found that securing a worthy sandwich is not as easy as one might think. Having trolled the streets one too many times I finally found a delight worth talking about. Scoring one of these babies, the BBQ chicken sandwich at Oakville Grocery is going to require some effort, jockeying a place in line on a weekend afternoon is nothing short of sapping, so call ahead and avoid the hassle, though, I can honestly say the approximately 30 minute wait (peak lunch hour) is truly worth the wait. I can’t explain why the simple ingredients of grilled sliced chicken, pepper jack cheese, and a tangy tasty sauce squashed between homemade baguette bread and pressed until the contents pop out through the sides taste so damn good, but it does. I repeatedly smacked my lips together trying to glean every last morsel that might have gotten wedged between my teeth and tongue. Sure, I looked retarded but it wss worth the exercise to get one more shard of this killer sandwich. Top off this pocketful of pleasure by scooping up a handful of the store’s homemade sea salt caramels. Buttery but light with sea salt in every bite. Candy need not be for kids alone, especially these little wrapped suckers of sticky goodness. And to prove my commitment to these grocery goods, I make the trek from Calistoga to Oakville in the dead of Napa Valley’s version of traffic to get this pressed concoction just about every week. Wacky WineSense rating: 4.75 Grapes!

Rembering New York eight years ago

When I think back to eight years ago today, I remember it like it was yesterday, a cliché but true. I don't just remember that tragic day, today; I have remembered it every single day of my life since, as do countless other people. People all over our world. People who were in New York. We saw and experienced and lived through something unimaginable, something that couldn't have possibly happened in our lifetime, yet it did. The smell of its aftermath still lingers large in my memories as does everything about that day. The view of the tip of Manhattan on fire as my brother and I hauled over the Queensbourough Bridge to some form of safety. We remember a city that was wallpapered with people. Flyers of the hundreds and thousands of people that were missing. People that would never find their way home, people that were lost forever. We remember waking up having had the most horrific nightmare. But soon realized that it was as real as we were. We remember the street side vigils, the gatherings in the park, the countless memorial services. We remember the bomb scares, the evacuations, being stuck on the subway. And we learned what anthrax was. People were changed forever. Children lost people that they had yet to get the chance to really know and love. They also lost their innocence in an instant. They grew up overnight without ever knowing it. Yet we became a part of something amazing, something that I never thought I would witness in Manhattan. We saw an outpouring of love on the streets. We saw strangers helping each other.The taxis stopped honking. We saw people unable to get up, to move out of their apartments, to get up off the street to move across it, all part of our days in the months that followed. And for every one of those visions we saw people, helping people. We tried to help ourselves. In an instant a city that was known for its resilience was cracked to the core very literally, and we the people were too. But in all of that something amazing happened, yet another thing I thought would never be possible at the time. We survived, our world survived, our people survived. We got to move on. It was the most unimaginable thing during that time of my life. But here I sit. We are here. We are still kicking. Our world in all of its craziness, has prevailed. May it do so for the rest of eternity.

Best in Show at September’s CHEERS! St. Helena

On the first Saturday of every month I wake up feeling foggy and fine all at the same time. Mainly because I got to partake in a bounty of fun – from fabulous wine, titillating food, bopping music, and impulse shopping, all in the comfort of my own neighborhood. It’s the wine country’s version of the American Dream, and I’m here to tell you it’s a good one. Sadly, all things come to an end and September’s CHEERS! marks the end of this era of fun Fridays. While there is one more CHEERS! social in October, it will be more understated, mainly because it will be inside, as opposed to the blocked street varietal we’ve become accustomed to. But fear not, it will surely send off the series in style nonetheless. But enough boo-hooing, onto my wrap up! That marching band certainly made an entrance. It also told me that anything is possible in St. Helena, if you want it bad enough. Despite trying to throw myself into the band to relive my youth, they weren’t having it, which was probably for the best. I would have dragged these cats down. While we’re on the music front, I will linger just a little bit longer. Wristrocket reminded me how fortunate I would have been to grow up in the 60ies. Unfortunately I did miss that calling by just a year or so, but I remain forever in awe of classic rock. Regardless of my decade of birth it will always rule my music roost, as will this band! I thought I was hallucinating when I saw a, brace yourself, CUP CAKE TRUCK (Kara’s)! Someone revived me with wine and I came to realize it was not a mirage, the folks at CHEERS! brought me the only other thing that could make me holler almost as much as wine – sweet bakery treats (cupcake love better than true love?), right to my hot little hands – street side no less. The food options where kicked up big time. Not just street meat anymore folks, everything from steak sandwiches, tex mex, fancy Italian sodas, pizza, meatballs, pulled pork and much, much more. The Terraces 2007 Napa Valley Zinfandel was on the top of my list wine-wise. A sweet tart essence that made me pucker and then retreat as I slurped in the suble richness of this vino. Then my lips pushed themselves down to my glass for more of that goodness. A cherry crevasse that I never wanted to climb out of. Parallel’s 2006 Estate Cab was a phenom in my wine notebook. This stallion of a wine had winter legs, hefty and beefy too, with more of that smashed up cherry sensation that I love so much. And last but not least, each and every CHEERS! I have had the good fortune of pulling my wine glass up to receive the consistently stellar Petite Syrah that is brought to me (and you) by the good folks at David Fulton Winery. This wine is all swank, all the time. Deep, rich, succulent. After drinking it I find myself thinking and saying “whoosh” as it flies oh, so heavenly down my wine tube. Fantabulous! So go on my wine-horts. Get out there, and start slurping and gobbling up some of these tasty delights that are right in your own backyard, if your lucky enough to live in the Napa Valley - if not drive or fly here, yes, it is that good. Thanks CHEERS! you can be my BF any hour of any day of the week. You always lift me up and never bring me down (except when you board up your social for winter :0( ) Thanks! Wacky WineSense Rating: 5 Grapes!