Ask Whit: Pimp Cupz

Q: What’s your preference in wine glasses? Is there anything you love or hate?

A: I’m not too picky about glassware when it comes to wine. Is it in a shape that is conducive to getting liquid from point A (the glass) to point B (my mouth)? Great. I’ll use that. OK- maybe I’m not THAT laid back. But, when I’m out and about and at the mercy of someone else’s wine vessel of choice, I go with the flow. I’ve definitely consumed lots of wine out of clunky Ikea stems and an assortment of colored plastic cups. As well as maroon goblets and the most popular wine glass in American households- ones with winery names etched into the side that were acquired free of charge on a hazy afternoon in a tasting room somewhere.

My favorite glasses are ones that are free from flourish and are clear, as in not tinted. I don’t like trinkets or embellishment, just give me a plain glass that isn’t too heavy or thick, with stem or without.

Except sometimes, I just don’t care. Like this time:

I attended a BBQ this weekend at a friend’s parents house. You can imagine that there were mainly adult fancy things for use in the kitchen and such. When it was time to pop open the pet nat, this was our best option. It actually couldn’t have been more perfect for the wine we were drinking- Domaine La Grange Tiphaine’s Rosa, Rosé, Rosam. It’s pink, it’s flirty, it’s slightly bubbly and it could inspire a wildly successful rap song. Every time I picked up the golden glass, this song started playing in my brain…


 

And I couldn’t hate on the little gold charms adorning the stems, because it actually helped all of us idiots remember which glass was our own. As much as I really hate to admit that. Some things are just meant to be.

BlackBerry Chronicles: Friday Night Lights

This was my view for most of the night this past Friday.

Lights, cameras and Bizarre Foods action!

I was the sommelier for a one night dinner created by Andrew Zimmern. He was hopping around town shooting all over LA last week with the finale being a 5 course spread at Royal/T. All proceeds went to charity and some of LA’s best chefs were in the kitchen lending a helping hand- Michael Voltaggio, Lee Hefter of Spago and Ari Rosenson of CUT (my Wolfgang Puck homies from back in the day!), among others.

SO. The menu…

The menu was all about introducing the average diner to sea creatures and parts of animals they might not be accustomed to. There was uni, geoduck, pig-face bacon, pig’s blood, lamb and cow tongue, pig intestine among other things. What wine to pair with such fare? How about wines the average drinker might not have ever tried or would think to try; a 12 year old rosé, a sans soufre red blend from a whacky Spaniard, a grape called pignoletto, a pink pet nat topped with a crown cap…

Jill and I came up with the following, in order of course pairings:

2009 La Grange Tiphaine “Rosa Rosé Rosam” // 2009 Tedeschi Spungola Bellaria Pignoletto

2000 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rosado // 2010 Mendall “Poc a Poc” // De Bartoli 10 yr Marsala

Everybody loved everything! Warren Sapp, even.

PS- Pardon the truly shitty photos. But guess what? This is the last of the BlackBerry Chronicles. Why? Cause momma got an iPhone. Prepare yourself for Instagram Tales! Memoirs of an iPhone? I’ll figure something out.