It’s My Big Gay Republican Wedding, Scandal-style! That translates to war rooms, evil (and let’s not forget, CRAZY) gay-bashing ex-VPs, and a sneak peek at Mellie the politician just to name a few key parts of this week’s shenanigans. The wedding itself is all a ruse to protect Cy’s reputation but it ends up with … Continue reading
Author Archives: grapefriend
gaga for malbec
I don’t know what you did last night, but Lady Gaga popped this bottle of Malbec for her fiancé: Being Lady Gaga, she could afford to open almost any bottle int he world. But she chose this $18.99 bottle of Alamos Malbec, the most affordable entry from the Catena family in Mendoza, Argentina. This Malbec … Continue reading
crazy champagne and food combos that rock
People think Champagne is for Fancy Times, popping it only with caviar, paté, and wedding toasts. And how often is that? Not very. If those are your only usual excuses to drink Champagne, I’m about to give you a lot more. And ones that will rock your palate. Champagne is an excellent food match – it has beautiful … Continue reading
happy tinkerbell happy hour!
After yesterday’s snow, I’m trying to channel spring as hard as I can. Nothing like something refreshing Pinot Gris and white tulips to do the job. The Loveblock is packed with ripe yellow pear, baking spices, and a hint of lychee ($22 – get it here so you have it for the first really warm day!). What’s … Continue reading
scandal wine recap: alter egos drink martinis
Dearest Gladiator Grapefriends: Apologies for missing the action last week! Between SXSW and other real life obligations, we missed Liv’s return to wine. But fear not, we’re back on track with an extra long recap. Let’s quickly talk about last week where we opened an episode with Liv guzzling white wine straight from the bottle. … Continue reading
rolling in the ruinart
Everyone is over winter. OVER. But there’s nothing like an awesome all-Champagne dinner to brighten your cold and slushy night. Marika Vida-Arnold, the wine director at the Ritz’s Auden Bistro, puts together Phenomenal Femmes wine dinners throughout the year to showcase wines made by women. At yet another fantastic one last week, I had dinner with Maison … Continue reading
international women (wine) day!
Today is International Women’s Day, so wanted to share a few of my favorite wines made by women. Winemaking has traditionally been a male-dominated art, and in California only 10% of the lead winemakers at wineries are women (this website is great for stats and education resources). I’ve travelled all over the world and have met so … Continue reading
house of wine
According to every channel of social media, this is pretty much what everyone did this weekend: My friends even had a contest to see who could create the most “grapefriendy” photo of their wine and their HOC. In the final episode they drink Siduri, a Pinot Noir-only winery who told me they gave their wine to production … Continue reading
the grapey oscar goes to…
At the Oscars, Piper-Heidsieck will be the exclusive Champagne (Cuvée Brut and Rosé Sauvage during the pre-show, and Prestige Cuvée at the Governors Ball). And for the wine, Sterling Vineyards will provide a Limited Edition Red Carpet Reserve, Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay. But in The Grand Budapest Hotel, which won the Writer’s Guild Award for best original screenplay and … Continue reading
scandal wine recap: ride or drink
Things continue to be horridly non-grapey on Scandal. I’ll let Abby walk you through the non-wine plot and get back to snoring… Well, Liv didn’t die at the hands of her kidnappers. I KNOW…HUGE NON-SHOCKER. The most realistic part of this episode was Quinn admitting that she couldn’t get that red wine stain out of the … Continue reading