How to Seduce a Wineaux

In the not-too-distant-past, a conversation ensued between this dear man I was dating and I. While walking through the wine store picking out everyday wines to enjoy together we came across the 'Other Whites' section, when he turned to me and said, “Oh, I love Vagner.” I stopped short in my tracks and thought hard, painfully racking my tired brain. Is he referring to a specific producer? Are we still talking about wine here or did we move on to music? What does he know that I don’t? I casually sauntered over to where he was standing and began to scan the bottles, trying to identify what he could possibly be referring to without looking like a complete moron. As I perused the various labels, the proverbial light bulb went off over my head. With a sly smile, I looked at him and asked, “Do you mean Viognier?” (pronounced Vee-on-YAY!) I quietly chuckled under my breath, both not wanting to embarrass him, and not wanting to look like an obnoxious wine snob (i.e. a total ass), but was completely enamored, finding his naiveté endearing if not adorable. Secretly, I began composing the blog “What NOT to Say to Woo a Wine Lover” in my head, which in turn inspired the following post, “How to Seduce a Wineaux.”

1.     The way you look at me is making me turn as red as that glass of wine, please don’t stop.

2.     You’re eyes are as sparkling as this glass of Champagne.

3.     I’d abstain from wine for month for just one night with you.

4.     I promise, I’ll last longer than a bottle of the finest Bordeaux.

5.     You’re so cute, I could just bottle you and drink you up.

6.     You’re spicier than Syrah.

7.     You’re so hot, you could make my wine mull with just one look.

8.     You’re about as intoxicating as fortified wine.

9.     This date is going so well, how about we drop everything and open a winery together. I’ve got the money, you’ve got the ideas and the connections, and we both have great taste in wine.

10. I’m local, organic and biodynamic – wanna taste?

11. Tell me you like GSMs? Let’s head back to my place and I’ll show you my version.

12. How about I make you breakfast and serve you a Champagne cocktail tomorrow morning in bed?

13. If I poured you a glass, I’d use my good stemware.

14. I’m new in town, where’s the best place to taste some really good local wine?

15. Do you like books? I heard Been Doon So Long is the perfect bedtime story.

16. I studied in France and worked harvest in Italy, I’ve learned some of the secrets to making great wine and I’d love to share them with you.

17. I’ve a bottle of Domaine Romanée Conti with your name all over it.

18. If you were a dessert, I’d drizzle Port and chocolate all over you.

19. “You and I”  sounds like the name of the next great wine. Are you game?

20. What are you doing this Fall? Cause I would love to make you part of this season’s harvest.

21. I’m something of a garagista. I’ve been working on this Syrah, come barrel taste it and tell me what you think?

22. You need a wine tasting partner? Cause I ‘m something of a wine geek.

23. People say I’m a barrel of fun.

24. This wine is good, but I know just the food pairing that would take it to a whole nother level.

25. If I was going to name a bottle of wine, I’d name it after you.

26. I was sent a bunch of bottles of ultra-expensive California Cabernets to review and I could sure use another palate! Want to come back to my place and help?

27. I bet you drink lots of wine because the antioxidents are obviously doing your body really good.

28. Weather like this makes me just want to sit around a fire and drink wine all day.

29. I make a great steak dinner and have the perfect bottle set aside for just this occasion.

30. Let’s run away to New Zealand together. We can work harvest, travel the countryside and then stop in Figi on the way home to recharge. Tell me you’re in.

31. Like a fine bottle of wine, I’d like nothing more than to lay you sideways.

32. Would you like to do some wine tasting? I’ll taste you first.

33. I love to make good wine. I bet I can make you whine good too.

34. I think I must have drank too much wine, because when you walked in, the room started to spin.

35. The best way to taste this wine is from my lips.

36. If I tasted you, I’d roll you around with my tongue for hours.

37. Wow! I thought my wine had nice legs!

When writing this post, I was originally hoping for the Top 50 best pick-up lines. Maybe you can help me write the rest? Woo me with your favorite pick-up lines for scoring with a wine lover in the comments section below. Come on, let’s have some fun!

Wordless #WW — Attention Wine Geeks, What am I?

Guest Blogger Rates Four Oregon Wines… Another Rating System?

I'm delighted to extend a very warm welcome to Bernard and Eva of Portlandoregonwine on the very first ever guest blogpost for Sip with Me. My first connection with the couple was during a Twitter media lunch for St. Francis's winemaker Tom Mackey, where I was immediately impressed by the presence they commanded. I was very pleased when Bernard reached out to me to guest blog about my Top 10 Oregon Value Wines and I am honored to have been able to participate in such a great partnership; I hope you enjoy their piece. Until we sip again… cheers!

We met Tamara at a clandestine affair, a top-secret "need to know" status (unknown even to us!) event, otherwise known as the infamous "Meet the Winemaker Lunch." We received the cloak and dagger email from a New York PR firm requesting our presence at lunch for an unknown wine tasting itinerary. Fortunately, we had great company, and the St. Francis wine tasting was well documented in great reviews by Tamara here, The Wine Cyclist, and Mary Cressler from Vindulge.

This guest blog features four of our favorite Oregon "QPR" (Quality-Price-Relationship) from the winter of 2009-2010. We have rated the wines on a hybrid system consisting of a standard 100-point rating as well as a rating relative to price. For example, if we felt a wine was a "90", and it cost $10 less than it tastes, we gave it a "90/+10", which is a great QPR score and ranks in the top right of the QPR chart:

We love to find wines in the upper right quadrant

Now, for the Wines!

Haden Fig 2008 Pinot Noir - You are hard pressed to find an under $20 Oregon Pinot that you would feel proud serving at a dinner party full of wine geeks, and the inaugural vintage of Haden Fig tastes much more expensive than $18. They are getting tons of press, so the secret will be out soon. Plus, they have a very cool label.

Score: 90/+10, retails for $18

Ferraro Cellars 2006 Mista Rosso - Perhaps the first wine with grapes grown in the Dalles, Oregon that we have enjoyed. It is very Italian in style, easy drinking with finesse, perfect for pizza or any pasta dish. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and held it's own compared to the Sineann and Medici wines at the Dark Horse Tasting Room in Newberg.

Score: 90/+6, retails for $20

Arterberry Maresh 2007 Pinot Noir - Jimmy Maresh, the "prodigy" winemaker from Dundee is the next west coast wine superstar. Yes, you heard it correctly, not just in Oregon, but perhaps Washington and even California. His chardonnays will be released within weeks, and will be priced around $75. Guess what? They are worth it! So, no surprise here at his second label Pinot Noir retailing around $22, a light, perfumy pinot with great finesse and a $45 taste. Enough said. This is the "Great Find" of the year, snap it up if there is any left.

Score: 91/+13, retails for $22

Soter Vineyards 2006 Mineral Springs Pinot Noir - It's challenging to call a $45 wine a "QPR" wine, but the Soter Pinot qualifies due to the spectacular "This is really great wine" impression you get with the first taste. Strong bouquet of Burgundian Pinot Noir, full-bodied, complex, with a looooong finish. I originally thought it was too expensive for a QPR wine, but I've revised the early review since it tastes like a $75 wine.

Score: 93/+5


Bernard and Eva love wine tasting and finding wines that taste more expensive than they cost.