Last night’s episode was so good – and so grapey! Let’s get right to it with Abby…

It took about 20 minutes to get to our first wine moment on last night’s Scandal but once the drinking started, it thankfully didn’t stop. Let’s leave the martinis to Cyrus’ new escort friend and the second-best scotch in the world to Abby (I mean are we seriously supposed to believe that Fitz doesn’t know the correct name of his own press secretary/ex-girlfriend’s ex BFF?!) and talk grapes.

wine moment #1

Obviously Liv pours some wine while catching up with her old law school buddy/woman who sleeps with her daughter’s 17 year-old boyfriend, Catherine. I think this may be the closest Olivia Pope gets to “girl talk”. Oh Catherine, you’re so naive. Liv isn’t not dating because she’s busy. It’s because her one true love is the President and her pseudo boyfriend can’t stop talking about how good he is in bed but refuses to go to dinner at her dad’s house. It’s complicated, to say the least.

grapefriend’s wine recommendation: This storyline just got all sorts of dirty. Good thing we have lots of great dirty wines to match – and by dirty in wine we mean earthy. A good forest floor/wet leaves situation is something I love in a wine, usually found in the really good French stuff Liv’s always drinking. An earthy Burgundy (all Pinot Noir) is just the right liquid base for Liv and Catherine’s sordid convo.

wine moment #2

Popping bottles in the Oval, yo! David Rosen (thanks to some judicial blackmailing that involved a big bar tab and vehicular manslaughter) gets Fitz’s gun restriction legislation through and it’s bubbles for everyone. Even that scotch-loving president, Fitzgerald Grant. Everyone is genuinely happy for one brief moment—that’s what some champs will do! But this is Scandal, so we know it can’t last. The judge eventually kills himself and the gun lobby is PISSED. Sigh. It was good while it lasted.

grapefriend’s wine recommendation: In true Scandal style, I couldn’t make out any exact labels for this Champagne. But if we’re talking about gun laws, you gotta pop a sparkling wine with notes of flint and gunsmoke. Sparklign Vouvray is your match – made from Chenin Blanc in the Loire Valley, it’s all about that flint.

wine moment #3

Mr. Booty Call (seriously, Shonda, can we stop with this?) finally agrees to go to dinner at Papa Pope’s house, mostly because he’s figured out that daddy dearest had Harrison and young Jerry Grant killed. As you might imagine, it’s prettttttty awkward, but of course this is Liv’s dad we’re talking about so there’s wine all around. He’s made a pork roast and used some coffee grinds in the rub. Dearest Grapefriend: What wine do we think he should have picked out that goes with his dish as well as the tongue-lashing he gives his daughter’s sex friend?

grapefriend’s wine recommendation: Oh, thanks for asking! You got some pork, you got some coffee grinds, you want a wine with smoked meat notes – and that’s gonna lead you to Syrah, preferably one form the northern Rhone. So good you won’t even care if someone’s trying to stab your hand.

And just because I’m starting to actually feel really sorry for her, I think Quinn deserves a grape today. Nobody even noticed she was gone! She describes herself as stronger, tougher, and more seasoned—what wine would you give her, GF?

grapefriend’s wine recommendation: Loving the wine note prompts. For a tough and more seasoned wine, I’d go with an aged Petite Sirah. Don’t be fooled by the name, and don’t be fooled by Quinn – they’re both tough. PS has a lot of tannins that mature out with time, just like no-one-looked-for-me-but-I-took-care-of-myself Quinn.

Until next week, gladiators with grapes!