Pick of the Day

Good morning Antoinette, 

Now that Father's Day has passed, and we are on the wrong side of the summer solstice we must take heart in picking the right wine for our midsummer's day celebration Friday. Now the word pick has several meanings, and represents why English can be hard to learn. For instance you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose. You can use a pick like an axe, strum your guitar with a pick, pick your team, pick up your luggage, pick up a girl/guy, pick up the check, pick a fight, use a pick up line, drive a pickup, and remember boys and girls, in basketball a moving pick is a violation. If you want to go homonymy, you can take a pic, but homonyms are a slippery slope...next thing you know you're talking about URANUS. Now you might be thinking where is this going...not sure, but I know the etymology of pick and oenology relate in one way and that's when you need a pick me up, pick wine! Midsummer is the halfway point to harvest when a new vintage will come to fruition and we will have the opportunity to pick more wine. So always keep your glass at least half full and pick a winner to drink! Pick up a head of steam and go to your favorite wine shop to pick your favorite grape before the best picks are all picked over, and if you need help, pick the brain of the proprietor....then take it home and get pick'led. And don't drink and drive unless you want to get picked up by Johnny Law and thrown in the pickey (some people call it the pokey). I wonder if my English teachers will be proud of my alliterative attempt at picking the right thing to write about? Next time I'll just take a pickture ...it's worth a 1000 words!

Pick me, pick me

June 22, 2016

Flag Day

Good morning Antoinette 

This week we pop the cork to celebrate Flag Day, the Magna Carta, the ratification of the Constitution, and the arrival of the Statue of Liberty. Big week for democracy, liberty, equality and wine. The Great Charter guaranteed that absolute monarchs could not arbitrarily take away our wine, the Constitution gave, took, then gave back our permanent right to drink wine which we proudly do on all flag waving occasions...and the Statue of Liberty raises her glass in toast to all newcomers.* So grab a bottle or two of your favorite red, white or champagne blue** and a Magna Salut to our founding fathers, Betsy Ross, our French brothers, and even old King John for giving us more reasons to drink wine and bring order to a messy world. As Churchill said "democracy is the worst form of government...EXCEPT FOR ALL THE OTHERS!" It's a dog eat dog world out there, don't be caught wearing milkbone underwear...drink wine! Wine brings dignity to what would otherwise be a vulgar brawl! So bring sanity to the world...drink wine, count your blessings, and always tip!

*the original statue had to be changed from wine goblet to torch to appease those crazy PC types. 

**Betsy Ross was known as a metaphorical seamstress...besides the color champagne looks good in a glass but meh on a Battle Flag!    

Santé

June 14, 2016

Pick your poison

Good morning sunshine, 

June is the perfect month for celebrations! Graduations, weddings/divorces, summer vacay...all great occasions for uncorking your favorite bottle of wine and celebrating. But we need more! Luckily, today is National Name Your Poison Day! And it couldn't come at a more appropriate time. With the nominations for president all but officially Locked up (no pun intended...well maybe a little one), it's time to choose your poison...red, white or sparkling, the one that will "Just make it all go away"! It might seem ironic to tout wine as poison since the word usually refers to something negative, so naming your poison suggests no matter the choice the ending will be bad. Well that might be true in presidential candidates or truth or dare, but it's not true with wine as long as you get it from me,  ;) And since it was California that has seemingly finalized our choices, it's time to focus on what they've been drinking out in the land of Lebowski*. California has a grape for everyone, and since we are a nation founded on individual liberty put away the communist "White Russian", and choose whatever wine floats your boat dude. I mean, it's like, you know, the totally bitchin' thing to do, man! Don't be a Nihilist,  name your poison, always keep your glass at least half full and celebrate the Triple Crown of good in this week that truly makes America Great like our soldiers at D-Day, Muhammad Ali, and Virginia's own Secretariat. Remember, no matter how you choose to vote..."Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man" - The Dude

*This wine inspiration presupposes a thorough understanding of The Big Lebowski!

Roll'em straight

June 9, 2016

Summer Whine

Good morning Antoinette, 

At long last summer is here! Wax up your surfboard, grab your spf whatever,  pop the top on the jeep or '69 GTO and make ready to lose your winter paleness. Of course if you're a sedan driver it's much harder to tan or be cool (can't believe I traded the jeep for an audi),but don't worry...make up for it by ordering the right bottle of wine.  Popping the top for summer fun is more than going "topless", it's uncorking that perfectly chilled sauvignon blanc,  rose or favorite sparkling. Whether you're at home playing wine pong and spin the bottle around the fire pit, skinny dipping in the neighbors pool, at the local karaoke singing UB40's classic Red Red Wine, or taking communion Sunday morning...there's a perfect bottle for you. So fill up your glass,  extend your pinkie and cheers to another summer of sunburn,  beach traffic,  jellyfish, great whites and laments about wishing you had gone to the gym*...the right wine makes all that whatev's bruddah!

*Scientific Fact...ish: wine is better than aloe for sunburn,  will immediately get you out of traffic (just look for blue lights), soothes jellyfish stings, causes allergic reactions when ingested by sharks and makes you look 10 times better and fitter in the mirror. 

Shaka Brah,

June 2, 2016