I totally thought last night was the winter finale – but now I realize we have one episode left for grapey goodness. I hand you over to Abby who knows much more about B-613 than I do (I’m all wine, not warring).

Buckle up, grapefriends! This is the episode before the much-promoted winter finale which is really code for “enjoy the holidays with your actual friends and family because we’re taking a break too.” Along with all the backstabbing and blank documents and annoying talk of the sun, there was wine. Hooray!

wine moment #1

While we didn’t actually see this first moment, we hear Papa Pope try to guilt trip his daughter by stating that he had to drink a fine 2005 Rioja all by himself. This dude may be a cold-blooded assassin but we can’t completely despise as man who both loves wine and can find a way to use it as a weapon of emotional manipulation.

grapefriend wine recommendation: Well obviously, a Rioja! Rioja is a region in Spain where they make red wine from the Tempranillo grape, which produces bold and spicy wines. You can get everything from a shortly-aged Crianza to a well-aged Gran Reserva. Guess which Papa Pope would have? He probably popped one form a top producer like Muga for his solo 2005 experience.

wine moment #2

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Cyrus and Liv bonding over a bottle of red and I didn’t even realize how much I’d missed it. Poor Cy needed OPA to figure out how much trouble he was in with his escort/maybe boyfriend situation. (Boy, there are a lot of maybe-boyfriends on this show!) What do old pals drink when they’re trying to uncover blackmail schemes within the Republican party, Grapefriend?

grapefriend wine recommendation: Cue Simon & Garfunkel’s “Old Friends” and open up a white Bordeaux. I’d had a number of these bottles last night from the Graves region. They’re a blend of Sauvignon Blanc which is acidic and piquant like Liv, and the rounder, potentially flabby Semillon like Cyrus! (PS loved her top – that should get a glass too.)

wine moment #3

Because all of us viewers aren’t as dense as Jake and Fitz, we immediately understood how Olivia planned to draw out her father in order to have him taken into custody? A steak dinner with a fine wine. Duh. It all looked delicious, save the insane tension and ultimate murder of many fine government agents. What does Papa Pope order in such circumstances?

grapefriend wine recommendation: You need a bold wine for the steak, and one whose memory will last a long time if this is going to be one of your last suppers. I’d choose a Brunello. These are classically great wines made from Sangiovese, which I’m normally not a fan of, but when you get it from the premium Sangiovese-producing areas and age it, you’ll be satisfied for a prison term or two.

And I feel like I must note that I would like to buy both Mellie and David Rosen a few drinks. Those two can never catch a break! Right when we though we were in the final act of “How Mellie Got Her Groove Back”, we learn the VP is getting it on with Lizzie Bear (and it’s somehow all tied back to the Winslow case and Liv). And poor David and all those blank B613 documents. When is he not getting Poped?

See you next week for the big winter finale!