Adding even more fuel to the fire is this article from Decanter, http://www.decanter.com/news/131520.html. Very interesting!

After a video shoot got cancelled on me yesterday, I made my way to the Square in Sonoma. It is truly one of the most beautiful places in the world - and the most fun! One can go shopping at the Wine Hardware shop (where "A State of Vine" is going to be available), or the most amazing thrift store ever, The Church Mouse, or at some of the Fair Trade stores and jewelry and gift stores. Lunch at the original Mary's Pizza Shack, or at the Swiss Hotel's new restaurant, or an assortment of little cafes, or you can try the BBQ at the Sonoma Jack Cheese store, or just the delicious samples! And before the end of an perfect day in Sonoma, be sure to check out the Sonoma Mission, the last mission built in California. All in all, a fabulous day!

After swimming many painful laps in the pool yesterday afternoon, I was hot, tired, and thirsty. Normally, I go right for a glass of a rich, fruity red, but with the heat, the appeal of a robust red just wasn't there. I hunted around my house, not finding anything that would quench my thirst, until I found one lone bottle of Harvest Moon's Dry Gewurztraminer, http://www.harvestmoonwinery.com/gewurtzraminer-offdry-2002.html. It was the perfect drink for a hot summer day!

Based on this hilarious post in the NY Times, http://thepour.blogs.nytimes.com/, I have decided to also use the point system to rank random “stuff”!

Perez Hilton - 89 points

Paris Hilton - 50 points

Sex and the City - 98 points

Two-Buck Chuck - 99 points

Steak - 95 points

Rocky Balboa - 90 points

Jazz - 70 points

Shoulder Pads - 60 points

Chuck Klosterman - 88 points

The Rolling Stones - 97 points

Swedish Fish - 96 points

“A State of Vine” - 100 points! ?

In the SF Chronicle's article on "Bargain All-Stars", http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/07/06/WIG83QO2ED1.DTL , 2 of the wines mentioned were produced by the Purple Wine Company, sister company of Sonoma Wine Company, who are not only featured in "A State of Vine", but are also a company I had the pleasure of working for. Highlighted are Mark West's Pinot Noir and Avalon's Napa Valley Cabernet, my personal favorite of the two wines. For about $10 a bottle, the Avalon is truly DELISH, and great deal for the money! I recommend going and picking up a bottle today!

Any music fans out there among the wine loving public? If so, you must check this out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERox2CjCJhc. It was discovered during the production of “A State of Vine”, and is featured in the film. It is genius, true genius!

As a recent graduate of the Wine Business Program at Sonoma State University, I have spent the last 4 years learning not only the proper way to taste wine, the different faults to be found in it, the best regions for various varietals, etc., but most importantly, that wine is a business – and like all businesses there are creative differences, bitter battles, silly squabbles and powerful alliances. And within this mess, sits the godfather of the wine industry, Fred Franzia, my very own wine idol.

I brought a bottle of Two Buck Chuck in for a tasting one day; I saw no reason not to “mix it up” with some of the other varietals we were tasting. No sooner had the air hit the cork than the insults against the “cheap” wine began to fly. “ I might as well drink water,” came one voice across the room. “Um, no thanks!” came another reply. Into the spit cups went the wine – what a waste!

And so, the inspiration for our documentary “A State of Vine” – how could one group of people react to a wine in such disgust, while others (millions of others) buy it ravenously?

And now the nay-sayers are all a tizzy with news of Two Buck Chuck’s double gold for their ‘05 chardonnay.

I’m a going to set up a blind taste test and film it.