The Wrestlemania of Beer Events

If I could have it my way, this would be a 60 page thesis that dissects this topic down to the smallest point. It should and very well may end up being my greatest piece of work when my life is all said and done. These topics have played such enormous roles in my life that I could probably write a 350 page book with no need for research (with 290 pages being about wrestling). The problem with that is the only two people on the planet who would actually be interested in it would be my brother and this guy, so I'm going to keep it short and sweet for rest of you normal human beings. This topic can be as basic or as complex as you want to make it but the similarities are extremely clear.

If the world of alcoholic beverages was to be compared to the world of wrestling, "The Immortal" Hulk Hogan represents the most popular beverage; beer.

Spending the weekend at the Portland Brewfest this weekend made it very clear to me that everyone who drinks alcohol (with the exception of people who are allergic or huge pussies), eventually drinks beer. I know it's a broad generalization but even those people who don't really enjoy the taste will still hang out and sip on a pint, even if it takes them 3 hours to finish. People at the brewfest were there to "taste" the 80 different beers, but clearly were just there to have a good time and slam a bunch of beers with their friends. Please don't get me wrong, I love me some NW microbrews, Belgium, and Dutch beers with a passion. Another positive is there isn't a time of day when there isn't an occasion to drink beers (You don't hear stories of people saying, "We woke up at 8am and started popping bottles of Barolo, it was a crazy Saturday!"). Everyone likes and appreciates an ice cold brew even if you don't know a damn thing about beer. Just like everyone can (and should) appreciate the Hulkster.

The Hulkster at one time, in terms of global popularity, was on the same level as Michael Jackson, Princess Diana and Michael Jordan. Even today, I'm sure if you went to the hills of Uzbekistan you could say "Hulk Hogan" and they'd probably know who he is. They'd mostly likely kill you after you asked them, but they'd know about that yellow tank top and that sexy bald mullet. The truth is Hulk Hogan is by far the most popular wrestler of all-time. But if you ask anyone who knows anything about wrestling, they'd say he was no where near the best wrestler. Everyone loved him and respected him and they really didn't know why (other than he's more American than Ford trucks). The reason was clear, he put on a damn great show and gave people a great experience.

Watch any match and see if you can count over 6 different moves he ever did in his career. It's not possible because it never happened. Punch, knee, boot to the face, back scratch, body slam, big leg drop. End of Match. I loved every single one of those size 16 boots to Macho Man's face but I can only remember a few that are memorable because of their context. Think of any beer event you've been to. Even if there are 100 beers present, you probably still hung out around the two or three stands that you really liked.  Good beer is easy to come by, but it's damn hard to come across an epic beer. The same way it is tough finding a truly epic match involving the Hulkster. 

For me, Georgetown Brewery creates some of the few beers that I can passionately remember. If their beers were wrestling matches, they'd be the classics involving Hulk Hogan. Manny's pale ale is clearly Hulk v. Andre the Giant at Wrestlemania III, Chopper's Red Ale is his match vs. Sgt. Slaughter at WM VII and Lucille IPA is WM VI vs. Ultimate Warrior. While there are a few more that I love from around the world, I think it's important to discuss these beers from Georgetown. This is because Wine Moves is throwing it's first Beer Moves event that will be starring beer from our favorite brewery.

Everyone loves beer just like everyone loves Hulk Hogan, and on Thursday at 6pm we will display three of some of the finest examples of the beverage in the Pacific Northwest. Look at it as the Wrestlemania of Beer events.

No More Nap Time: Wine Tastings Don't Have to Suck

You head into the shop or bar that's advertising the "Not your average wine tasting" or "A wine tasting without the pretentiousness" hoping that they are telling the truth. All you want is to hang out, hear some interesting knowledge get dropped, and enjoy yourself while drinking some tasty wines.  

Is it a crime to go get a little buzz after work and pick a bottle or two of something you really like without feeling pressured to buy something specific? Is there a law against making a few friends and listening to some nice tunes? Apparently at most wine tastings, it is.

Most of the time you still end up getting a tasting led by a 45-70 year old guy named Dante, sporting a popped collar or an apron. He sits you down like a 5th grader telling you how "special these wines you are tasting truly are".  Did he just say the wine was powerfully elegant? Can I relate to this guy? What is he talking about? Why do I feel like ghouls are circling above us, making me feel uneasy? I came in this place to chill and relax but now I feel like I'm in one of Amon Goeth's sorting lines. One wrong move and I'll be wearing a shiny little luger bullet in the middle of my brain.

No one knows who will actually talk to them or if people are even allowed talk during the "lesson". There is a group of people in a circle low talking pretty seriously but you don't know if they will let you approach them. They know Dante the tasting master; they are regulars. You might get a little chat in with some one about their opinion on the wine, but nothing too serious for fear you might say something stupid or incorrect about the wines characteristics. Maybe you'll just talk about the weather for a bit to be safe. This is Italian wine from Sicily? You went to Venice one time 25 years ago? How serious/lame is this damn tasting right now!? If it wasn't for the iPad note taking and the in-crowd's low talking, the room would be silent. You go home feeling more confused about wine than you were before you arrived. Why can't everyone just act normal at these things. What the hell just happened?

If wine events keep creating scenarios like this then how will they ever shed these stereotypes and false categorizations that wine is boring, intimidating and not for people who don't drink a lot of wine. 

It's an era where the world is full of outstanding wines. They are out there for the picking, you just have to know where to find them. People who say they aren't wine drinkers, why not?  There is a flavor and style out there for everyone! You don't like the taste? Maybe. But please don't say you hate movies if the only DVDs you have in your collection are The Room and The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Please don't say you don't really like music when your favorite band is Final Placement or B44. Try drinking quality wine in an environment you feel comfortable in and then make your decision. If you do this I guarantee the chances of you having a pleasant wine tasting experience will go up ten fold.


 I blame these unfortunate opinions of wine on the lack of places for non wine drinkers to learn and taste without feeling intimidated.


  Also, don't forget that wine doesn't have to be expensive to be good. Finding wines with the highest quality at the lowest price should be the main goal for every wine drinker.


Most importantly, have fun and don't let Dante and his pink polo (and lame wine chatter) represent the wine community and all tasting events. Wine events should be fun, entertaining and educational all at the same time.


Come visit The Alcove at Two Tartes Cafe and Catering Thursdays evenings for the new generation of kick ass, entertaining and educational tasting events.

White Wine Pairs Best with Speedos

It's the end of June which means it's time to swap your hooded sweatshirt for a sleeve monster (sleeveless tee, preferably made by "No Fear"), your boots for a nice pair of flippy floppy's and your jeans for an American flag Speedo...You guessed it; It's summer time!!!

Summer time is strange because although it's the season where everyone wants to do as they please and go on a spontaneous road trip with the "broskis" or lay around and do nothing (like the days of our youth). The truth is we can't. Notice next time you get drunk and try to make plans with someone. You will find that you'll end up going through each weekend finding they are full then saying "We'll figure it out", high fiving said person, and walk away saying "Well that's not happening".

In Seattle, we have to face the fact that July, August and half of September are really the only months we have nice weather and can, quite frankly, actually do shit.

Take a look at your calendar or day planner and you'll find that the majority of the weekends are booked with parties, weddings, vacations, bbq's, visitors, or fake plans to get out of other lame things (It's the truth, we are adults now). This leaves you very little free time to prepare for events and sometimes forcing you to show up to these things, not empty handed (blasphemy), but contributing crap like a bag of Ruffles or a 6 pack of Zima that you clearly got at the 7-11 down the block. I don't want you to be that person this year. Don't throw a 6 pack of Busch Light into the cooler and start making yourself a mojio with the stuff someone else brought. You don't have to break the bank to be proud of what you contribute to an event.

That's why I'm having my Summer Deals Tasting tomorrow,Thursday 6/28 at 6pm. I want to provide people with some easy, low priced, quality wine that people can bust out and turn some heads this summer. I know it's not one of the manliest things I've ever said, but nothing goes better with a nice summer day than a glass of rose or white wine. At the tasting will be the opportunity to taste, enjoy, and grab some bottles of Cote de Provence Rose, a super refreshing Vinho Verde from Portugal and a wonderful, ready to drink Sangiovese from Tuscany. They are can't miss choices!

The main goal of loving wine is to find great wine for an even better price (corny, but true), I did that for you and all you need to do is come in and grab some tomorrow night! Look at it as a summer kick off and a place to get your 4th of July beverages. Lets meet at Two Tartes and not at the Parnell's Corner Store beer section. Hope to see you there!

Washington Deserves a Finger

Remember those discussions you used to have with your friends as a youngster? Who is the sickest X-Men, whose 8 ball slammer could take the most pogs in one drop, who was the hottest Golden Girl, or my favorite; if your hand was a drink dispenser, what flavor would you put on your five fingers? When you were 10 it was something like chocolate milk and Hi C from Mcdonalds, apple juice, orange juice and sprite.. Then as an 18 year old it was Coors light, Miller light, Bud light, Smirnoff Ice, and water (for the hangover bro). Extremely lame but true.


As not serious as that discussion was and still is, I'd still like to think my list has evolved into something I can be proud of. If I really could have five drinks at my convenience that could be consumed through my thumb, index, middle, ring and pinky, what would I pick? My fingers would definitely contain two red Burgundies (Chambolle and Morey with the climate undecided. Chill out, I'm not taking it that serious), a Washington state red (probably a syrah), Grolsch (dutch beer) and Manny's Pale Ale (Georgetown Brewing Company). 


I choose to leave the H2O out of the fingers because the French taught me that drinking water is for babies and you save the hydration for the day time. Grown ups drink beer and wine at night. But anywho, I truly believe Washington wines belong on my list because it is that damn good. Living in France, my appreciation for Washington grew tenfold after realizing that it does compete on the international scale. I stand by that and it's only a matter of time before Walla Walla and Columbia Valley are recognized as true world class wine regions (people are aware, but many books and experts save a massive two sentences or a paragraph for Washington when others get pages and chapters...BS!)


Tomorrow (6/21), I am running a tasting event showcasing not only wines that come from Washington state, but are from producers that are located within a mile of Two Tartes Cafe. Fall Line Winery and Bartholomew Winery will help me prove just how unique Washington truly is. Where else in the world where you can present high quality Tempranillo, a right bank Bordeaux style blend (Cab Franc, Merlot, and Cab Sauvingnon blended together), Aligote and a dry Riesling all grown in the same wine growning region? Please show me another region where you can do this that isn't in located the great state of Washington?


I think it's important to understand what is produced locally in your own backyard before you start venturing out across this vast world of wines. It's the right thing to do because if you are from Seattle or Washington state, you are supporting local businesses on top of discovering top notch wines. Drink more Washington, I guarantee one will end up as your middle finger or thumb for your next weird ass discussion.


Like Two Tartes Cafe and Catering on Facebook for all the news that's fit to print on the weekly events that are occurring at the Alcove at Two Tartes!

Back from Burgundy- Moves to be Made

This past month has been a whirlwind. After a week in London for the London International Wine Fair (which was a wonderful place for networking, but not so much for tasting top wines or meeting a wineries top people. Was really interested in learning about New York wines but it turned out I knew more about them than the woman who was presenting them. Bummer.) and a last hurrah in Paris (French Open and Fallafel with my brother and his wife) and Burgundy (grubbing and raging with my homies), I am back in Seattle. I can't write this post-France blog post without giving a shout out to my friends at Maison Ilan www.maisonilan.com. Working with Ray and Chris Walker gave me an insight to Burgundy that very few Americans can get, and they are probably the coolest and nicest people I've met in a while. If you haven't heard of their wines you probably aren't too familiar with Burgundy just yet. Ask to get on the mailing list now because they will be sold out for many years to come. See you guys soon!

I will pretend that people are super interested in my future and what I'm up to so here is what I'm up to.

Now that I have returned to 'Merica, along with writing, I will be working at Two Tartes Cafe and Catering www.twotartes.com as the head marketer and director of events (Two Tartes on FB). The Alcove at Two Tartes is a wonderful space that is perfect for intimate (small) concerts, wine and food tastings, private parties. I'm planning events right now at the Alcove so if you have any recommendations or questions I am all ears. Holler at our facebook page and twitter if you can't make it in to chat and have lunch. If you haven't seen the space yet, head down to Georgetown this Saturday 6/9 for the Georgetown Carnival between 12-5.  We will be drinking what many would call "hella beers" and pouring some very nice wines for everyone to enjoy. Also attending will be the stereo I used in college. So even though it won't be blasting Tool, 36 Mafia or Lil Wayne's Carter 2 like it was doing in 2005, it will most definitely be bothering the neighbors and satisfying those who love hanging out and listening to tunes.

Thanks to everyone who reads my blog where ever you may be. I'm very lucky (humbled) and grateful (blessed) to have awesome people read what I write. The future is going to be very interesting so stay tuned and I will make sure to do my best to make you laugh while dropping some wine/food knowledge on you.

Btw, tell me you read this when you are at the Georgetown Carnival and I will sell you beers and cookies for $1...Common gang, you can't even buy a spray of cologne or a condom at a bowling alley for $1 anymore so that is an amazing deal.

Take a Good Look in the Mirror: Are you a Wine Racist?

It’s the year 2012. One would think times have changed. Or have they? I've been hearing a lot of bad things going on in the world these days. There is a lot of tension out there. I want to know if color still actually matters to people around the world.

I consider myself an intelligent person who understands the way the world works. I have done my fair share of research and have taken the time to look at all of the perspectives people can have. I “get” the process and for me color does not matter. I personally believe that anyone who still thinks that color is a defining characteristic is ignorant and as Hawkeye from Last of the Mohicans would say, "stuck in the ways of the old ways of the Yangeeze and Le Francais traders", in other words, close minded. All I ask is that people stop thinking they can understand based on color alone. It’s an invalid way to assess quality. Character comes fro within. Quality begins in the roots.

I use color for recognition purposes only.  I come from a very diverse area of the world (the West Coast of the United States) where there are so many different types of colors that you’d have to be a fool not to use that as a way of identification (ruby, garnet, purple, opaque,brown) . Cabernet, Syrah, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel and Merlot all can have their color be observed to help distinguish which variety is which (you are probably a massive wine geek if you can do that on color alone).  You can identify a Pinot Noir from its bright red and clear color, but you can’t tell me if it is a good or bad wine based only off of that observation.

Wine gets its color from contact with the grape skins during the winemaking process.  This contact is done in order to extract tannins for the flavor of the wine. The longer and more intense the contact is (done during the winemaking process by punching the layer of floating grape skins down into the juice) the more powerful the tannins will be. This is all affecting the intensity of the color of the wine. Tannins (along with quality of the fruit) are also what help the aging process of the wine (the stronger the tannins are, the longer it will take to mature), so when people focus on gaining tannins they will inevitably gain a deeper colored wine.

The color of your wine is simply a direct result of a person's personal winemaking process. If you have really great fruit, punch downs can become less needed because you don't have to work as hard for extraction. This might result in a really light colored wine but still has amazing balance with tannins, acidity and alcohol. You can also punch a crappy wine down as many times as you want. The color might look great, but the wine won’t be any good because you’ve done way too much and extracted too many low quality tannins out of your low quality fruit.

Anywho, I’m not saying all high quality wines don’t get a lot of punch downs. I would be a liar if I said that. Many of the best wines in Bordeaux, Burgundy and California are created by amazing wine makers, working with the highest quality fruit. They have mastered the punch down process and understand what they are looking for with their tannin extraction (punch downs). Many of these wines will be very difficult to drink young, but can be aged for 30 plus years.

 All I’m saying is don’t be the wine drinker’s version of Old Willard McConkey down in Pearl, Mississippi and make decisions based off of color. It really has no say in whether or not a wine is going to be good. An open minded person uses color to understand the variety and the age of a wine, while a wine racist thinks they can judge a wines quality based on their color. Are You a wine racist? I hope not.

Do YOU think the color of wine matters? Feel free to comment.

Who Would you Rather Drink with: Indiana Jones or The Terminator?

Wine and movies. These are the two game changers in my life.  For me, nothing is better than a great Saturday night of drinking wines with friends, laughing and raging until the wee hours of the morning.  The only thing that comes close to that is the Sunday that follows a great Saturday night, jam packed full of laying and doing absolutely nothing but watching what some would call, “Sick ass movies”. 

You don’t have to be a wine fanatic to have heard of the two most famous French appellations; Burgundy and Bordeaux…Maybe you’ve even been at a dinner party where two old guys with white ruffled Shakespeare shirts are arguing about which of the two regions is “far more superior for my palate”?  I’ve been trying to think of a way to describe and/or compare Burgundy and Bordeaux that is easy to understand without having to go too into structure and grape varieties. I was going to compare and contrast Bach with Mozart for this, but I’d like you to actually finish reading this post rather than jumping out of the highest and nearest window. No disrespect to JB, Ammo and the classic era but I think I have a more interesting comparison that involves directors whose movies are similar to the characteristics of Burgundy and Bordeaux wines.

If I was going to compare one director to Burgundy and another to Bordeaux, it would be Steven Spielberg (Burgs) and James Cameron (BDX).

Burgundy wines are the most complete mix of power, elegance, emotion (and awesomeness) you can get out of a wine. Because of the importance and focus on terroir, there are so many high quality wines being produced that are completely unique from one another.

Jaws?  E.T? Saving Private Ryan? All of the Indiana Jones movies (minus the new one)!? Try listing off all of the amazing and unique movies Spielberg has made.  It’s just as difficult listing off great Burgs  (Le Chambertin, La Tache, Romanee Conti, Clos St. Jacques) and the main reasons are because of terroir and tradition. These two things are like have a world class director and a home run screen play.  It leads to many producers in Burgundy doing great things and having very successful vintages year in and year out.  In regard to Burgs film director counterpart, Senor Spielbergo, he is responsible for creating some of the greatest movies of our time and of the future (Lincoln with Daniel Day Lewis coming Xmas 2012).  Burgundy and Spielberg can bring out raw emotion and also have the ability make you just in your tracks and just think.  I guarantee everyone who is reading this either cried at the end of Schindler’s List (when he is counting how many more people he could have saved) or during multiple parts of Saving Private Ryan…Or even when Rufio died in Hook.  I know it’s hard to believe, but I also can guarantee that some of these Grand cru wines like Le Chambertin and move people to tears as well…I know I’ve had to take a few knees after having my mind blown tasting a few of these wines. Spielberg and Burgundy make countless classics and will continue to do so for many years to come.

Bordeaux has been compared to James Cameron by me for many reasons but mainly because both the movies and the wines are big ass spectacles every time they come out. Every time they are released it is supposed to be the most life altering experience in the history of the world that end up making billions of dollars. The twist part about it all is that coincidentally (or not); James Cameron has only made five movies that really matter with Terminator, T2, Aliens, Titanic, and Avatar.  Bordeaux only has five first growth wines that “matter” aka rake in all of the cash with Chateau Lafite, Margeaux, Haut Brion, Latour and Mouton Rothschild. These are all big, bad, awesome wines/movies there is no denying that.  They will blow your mind  to the fullest extent.  I just think that there might be too many special effects (aka too much oak and chapitalizing) and the story lines are too basic/corny to put these movies/wines on the same level as Burgundy and Spielberg. Plus the rest of Bordeaux isn’t doing so well.  They are making great wines all over BDX but the big 5 end up turning a lot of consumers away because they create the perception that the only Bordeaux’s worth drinking cost you $1000 plus your first born son.  Don’t get me wrong T2 would probably be my movie to watch before I die and I’ll watch Titanic by myself after a bubble bath, but as a whole, Cameron’s movies just aren’t as emotionally or intellectually stimulating as Spielberg.

If you couldn’t tell I clearly prefer Burgundy to Bordeaux. Is it because I live in Burgundy and feel like I truly understand it better than I do Bordeaux wines? Probably.  I think Burgundy wines are so complete and well-structured from the early stages it is hard not to prefer them. You can drink them now, but their structure can allow you to age them for decades. Bordeaux is so damn expensive and overpowering when young that I don’t know I will ever get a chance to understand it…Especially when it is fully mature (they say these can be ready in 30-50 years).  Would I drink a Grand Cru Burgundy over a First Growth Bordeaux? 9 times out of 10, yes.  It’s really a matter of opinion though because there are always those times where you just want to turn your surround sound up to 30 and watch Terminator 2 over any Steven Spielberg movie.

Since we are kind of on the topic, which movies are the sickest; All Indiana Jones movies or the Terminator and T2? Comment below