Thursday, March 21, 2013

Chenin, Cheeky Old Guys, Cheetos & Cheer






So you know that moment when you wake Monday morning with Cheetos cemented and caked in your grill, one eye plastered shut, with makeup, you hope, your head a fuzzy mess of, “Is it still Saturday?” in your bra, with one sock on and a string of bright green Guinness beads around your neck? Dontcha hate that?! Ugh gawd, me too, and yet…Monday. Goddamn it. Saturday morning I was feeling feisty. Like all vibrant and saucy, feeling my inner wine nerd and so ready to get my three day weekend on, that was before remembering I was going to be visited by a south county “nearly eighty year old” that sort of scares the shit out of me because he is a friend of my beloved Michael Sullivan’s….dad, (an author and wine historian) and because he has already once been in the store and was able to pull my strings like fucking Geppetto the last time he was in. I’m rarely intimidated but I can add that cat to the short list of names like Washam, Sullivan, Olken and the like in that is confounds me, flatters but baffles me, how I was fortunate enough to land in their good graces. Not sure how I was able to pull the wool over their eyes, or charm Mr. South County but I would do it all over again… 




Got some wild hair up my rump to write a stupid fucking post Saturday morning about swimming around  the cove of my childhood, and lost like two hours pay to do so…that is a massive win as far as blogging goes, not only do I not get paid, I lose money. Score! That stupid awards business must be coming soon, I think that right there warrants a new category…So yeah, I wrote that piece, the whole time trying to put the focus on the fact that I never quite fit in the traditional, nor do my taste more importantly, go running for the extreme. I’m lucky enough to find myself somewheres in that muddy, murky, just a little undefinable middle and the older I get, the more I aim to keep it that way. As if that matters.

I popped corks on my odd little geek wines, tried to help Ronnie ready for our event, but it was the slightly gregarious and unquestionably intellectual Mr. South County that stole my attention and affection Saturday afternoon. Big, thick, wide frames on his glasses, voice powerful but smooth, always asking me “What’s next?” even after somewhere near ten wines. I let him taste, poke fun, bark and even nuzzle me, (a stretch there, for me anyway…so not a cuddler with customers, or anyone really) in order to get a better idea who he was and what he was into, a few boxes of Lambrusco and Vouvray later he was on his way and we were smack dab in the middle of our geek wine tasting and there I was, feeling already spent and a little dizzy…




Day sort of sailed past me actually. I know some folks showed up for my geek wine event, not as many as I’d hoped but the ones there were cool as hell and exuded that whole exploratory enthusiasm that inspires and feeds me. I learned…or was reminded I should say, that even in the face of a geeky wine tasting, tasty, like way fucking tasty, will always win as I poured some of the Vincent Careme Vouvray Tendre, the one I opened for Mr. South County even though I knew it was out of his typical price bracket, just because I wanted to see his face when he was met with such a sexy, curvy and down-right thrilling mouthful of wine….the one he walked out of the store with at least a half case of, yeah that wine and it was without question the hit of the afternoon. Not geeky, just damn delicious and in the end, all the intellectual chatter and geeking out aside, deliciousness is what matters…however or wherever you find it. Felt a bit happier to see that the Ca Montanari Opera, a dry Lambrusco was the runner up in terms of sales for the afternoon. We toasted the departure of a leaving employee with a bottle of H. Billiot Brut Rose, shared a gifted bottle of Redbreast Irish Whiskey, (thank you again Marilyn!) before Ronnie and I trudged off to drown my annoying funk in even more booze….why not tie the green shaded bag of over-indulgence on a day early right? Ugh…




Sunday morning found me hungover as hell and looking to dunk my head even deeper below the surface, what better way than with my beloved friend Merzie, on Main Street in Seal Beach where there were droves of Kelly green clad morons staggering about and stopping just long enough to either blather some incoherent Irish poem or barf in the bushes…perfect. I end up with a plastic goldfish, wearing sunglasses even, that was stuffed with two flavors of Cheetos, one flavor too boring and all, that I proceeded to share with anyone that would take some…strangely more takers than one might assume. There were Whiskey laced cocktails, strange white dudes in kimonos and somewhere in that mix, there was some much needed laughter. Monday morning had me once again feeling like ass but this time, rather than dunk and go for dizzy I went for holding on to the deliciousness of regalia, turning an eighty year old on to something new, the caramel like richness of Redbreast Whiskey, friends that will eat my Cheetos and the fact that I have a job where my bosses and coworkers will pull my, (somewhat tremendous) weight so I can stay at home and pound my fingers against my stupid laptop….stretch my voice and talk to any of you that are still listening. 



Things may get fucked up from time to time, including me but there is always a glass waiting, one more bottle of Vouvray to pop and for now at least, I still have this place…and a plastic goldfish sporting sunglasses. What more could I need? 

13 comments:

  1. The goldfish is fitting, as it is a "Noruz" tradition.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My Gorgeous Samantha,
    I'm not sure how my wine knowledge intimidates you, but I really have no idea how Ed Sullivan's does.

    Sounds like a lovely lost Saint Paddy's weekend. It's been a while since I had one. Though in the days when my best friend, a Callahan, was drinking, I lost quite a few myself. Woke up with a naked leprechaun, but that's a story for another day.

    I love you!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Is that hair gel?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thomas,
    You made me consult Wikipedia...I shall never forgive you.

    Ron Love,
    While I admire your palate tremendously, as well as your years of gathered and accumulated wine knowledge, it's not the wine part that intimidates me, it's the writing love. You astound me and from that very first comment when you acknowledged the piece I wrote about Lulu Peyraud I've been star struck and floored that you wasted so much time here reading my dumb shit. Totally different than Ed Sullivan, with him it was his massive cock.

    One day, a glass of Whiskey and that Leprechaun story? Call it a date?

    Wineknurd,
    So you know exactly what I'm talking about.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I think this is the best way to sail into a drinking holiday, drinking off yesterday's hangover. Nothing more Irish than that.
    Wish I could have been there for the geek wine tasting. Wonder if I should come up with a flight called "wine geeks" for the restaurant, I bet people would try it for the sake of being funny.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Rogue,
    Can I call you Rogue? Gawd your comment made me wish I lived up north with places likes yours...flights, like a geek wine flight?! Dude, we don't have that here, well unless you hit the super hipster spots in LA, which I do because I crave and need to feed this dorkdom of mine. I think you should give it a try. Do Sherry, wines from the Jura, maybe one of Ron and everyone else's hated orange wines, (not that I support those weird little fuckers myself...intrigue yes, yummy...um, no) so you can keep the bottles open for days and no one will be able to tell. Do it girlie and report back...with pictures preferably.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Sam,

    When I lived in Tehran in the 70s', Nowruz was one of my favorite times, for the fact that it was the beginning of spring, but also for the food celebration--and I had a large pond stocked with goldfish that kept growing. Did you know they grow as big as the body of water they are in will allow?

    Anyway, Nowruz Piruz to you.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thomas,
    See, ho needs Wikipedia when we have you. Oh and bless you too.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Crap, is lambrusco geeky now? I just can't escape my geekyness, no matter how hard i try. At least there's still California Merlot; I love that stuff, and it will never be cool

    ReplyDelete
  11. Gabe,
    Dry Lambrusco is on fire for us right now. Even the off-dry versions are flying off the racks around these parts. We've found some seriously cool wines lately, (thank gawd for badass importers) and we can't seem to get enough of them, for us or our customers. I loved turning Mr. Shaw on to that Lambrusco, especially after he had muttered in a grumbly tone, "I doubt you can find me an Italian wine I'd drink!"....he bought a case. That was so freaking cool...

    We have a Merlot even coming this Thursday at the shop, kinda curious what kind of turnout there will be...

    ReplyDelete
  12. I am a friend of Michael Sullivan's dad. Charles Sullivan is far more than an important wine historian. He is a genuine wine lover, and all of his research and writings come out of his love of wine.

    For more of his life, the working part, he was a high school history teacher, and he did probably intimidate those students who did not get him and his love of learning and writing.

    He is an intimidating taster because he knows the history of everything. As for his South County friend, if he is anything like Charles Sullivan, he also knows everything and will share it at the drop of a cork.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Charlie,
    I did know that you and Charles were friends but seeing as I've only met him twice I thought better of trying to flaunt or name drop....although for me, dropping his son's name means far more in my circles. His buddy from the south is just a hoot, not giving Charles an inch, but a fan and a hoot so he was so much fun for me that day. Charles has written volumes and his son, through the voices like mine, and the people that listen to me, continues to do so. Fantastic family that Sullivan clan and as a woman with a clunky set of vintage keys to Michael's house that he is loaning me in Spain...I can say I will keep cheering and touting the Sullivan name....amazing people that I feel lucky to know, just like you Sir Charles.

    ReplyDelete