Impromptu Syrah Tasting, Anniversary, Epiphany

Friday night, some of us wine geeks got together, and tried some really cool wines. We mainly were focused on Syrah, but here's the lineup:

08 Abbazia di Novacella Kerner
05 Creu de Lavit Xarella (weird)
04 Garretson "Craic" Syrah
07 K Vintners Motor City Kitty
03 Alban "Reva" Syrah (killer!!!)
04 Duval "Entity" Shiraz
07 White Knight Viognier (lots of heat/glycerine)
06 Cakebread Reserve Chard
07 Guigal St Joseph (I nailed this one blind- even down to the producer)
04 Oliver Hill Shiraz (I nailed this one, too)
07 Clape Cornas (My wine of the night)
04 Bonserine Cote Rotie (#2 pick of the night)
06 Petrolo Torrione
07 Lucia Susan's Vineyard Syrah

Once again, not a dog in the bunch- I'm glad we were taking small sips, as that night could have gotten ugly. Pizza from Ferraro's late helped, too.

Last night, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary (with some HdV Syrah, and Gruet Demi Sec). I love you, honey- Happy Anniversary!

As for Epiphany Wines stuff, we got the phone connected today- 631-1919, and I'm frustrated with Fed Ex for saying they tried to deliver my new computer, but didn't. We're having our first supplier in town to check out the market, which is kind of cool. I'll post updates.

Thanks for reading, and Cheers!

Time to hit the Hair Saloon

If you are a guy, and you can handle moving beyond the $9.95 haircut special at Slip-n-Clip, then head on down to the Hair Saloon for Men. I go to the one on Tesson Ferry, but they are sprinkled all over the Lou. I really do like these places- you walk in, and are immediately offered a non-alcoholic beverage. The ladies who cut hair there are friendly, and do a nice job. If you're feeling extra special that day, there is a package that includes a scalp massage, a neck massage, one of those towels with the stuff that makes your face feel "minty" and they will even shine your shoes. All of this, while you are in an environment that is very Men's Clubby (not strip-clubby)- lots of dark wood, green, and pictures of hounds chasing foxes.

You know what will also make you feel like a man? Storybook Antaeus. I used to sell this wine, and I think it's a lot better than people give it credit for. It's a blend of zin, cab, petite verdot, and merlot hailing from Napa. The thing is that restaurants don't know where to put it on their wine lists ("other reds" is the death toll for many-a-good wine"), and retailers don't know where to put it in their shops. Add to that the fact that the label is kind of ugly, and you have a wine marketing nightmare. However, the juice is solid! Think notes of pepper, raspberry, currant, and plum, without being overly tannic. It's not a wine to age for 10 years. Instead, do what we did last night- cook up some Patty Melts out of Cooking Light magazine, pull the cork, and enjoy.

That's all folks, time to go get my flowing locks trimmed, and decorate my new office.

Cheers, and have a great weekend.

...And So It Begins

One thing about quitting your job is that there is a lot of speculation about what you are going to do next. Well, speculate no more my friends. Many of the readers of this blog are within my immediate circle of trust, and know that my father and I are going to start our own wine distributorship. Yep, you read that correctly. Pops and I are going to submit the paperwork to get our license to sell wine at wholesale to restaurants and retailers in the Saint Louis and Kansas City area. This is a huge step for me, as today is literally the first day since I was 14 that I'm not officially employed. I have to admit I'm a wonderful combination of excited, scared, worried, sick, elated, happy, sad, and stressed. I made out my "to do" list for today, and it has 19 items on it! So, without any further adue, here is the logo that we will be using for the new company:

Like it? I do too. Stay tuned, as I will be posting about getting this company up and running, and telling about the successes and mistakes that will inevitably be involved.

Cheers!