So now that I’ve stayed at a wine hotel, I might need to move into a wine apartment building. They’re doing one in Tokyo, something called the Shibuya Shinsen Wine Apartment Project that’s slated to be done next September. Only 18 rentals apartments in the building, and grapefriendy features include: wine cellar with capacity for 10,000 bottles for … Continue reading
Author Archives: grapefriend
getting your grape on: september
BEREFT that September is over, but so many grapefriends sent me pics of what they were drinking all month. The memories will warm me as we head into cold climes… William in Boston texted me: “Dear grapefriend, I’m drinking Gruner Veltliner.” That made me happy enough, but then two days later he sent me this … Continue reading
Girls who drink: read this. So…all girls, read this.
There’s incredibly conflicting research about wine and health, in all categories. I read a lot of it and usually wind up confused and/or annoyed. But last week my doctor asked me the routine “How much do you drink a week?” – being grapefriend, I have a bit more of an explanation about why I have … Continue reading
drink pink
To be honest, there are better “pink” wines I could recommend you drink (namely, any rosé). But every year for National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Sutter Home does Capsules for Hope. When you send in your capsule or twist-off cap receipt, they’ll donate a dollar to City of Hope to help find a cure. This year, … Continue reading
rg3: suck my grapes
The pain just keeps on coming. It’s bad enough Giants fans have to contend with RG3 in our division, now I find out the Redskins have their own wine this year!?! Some 80th anniversary commemorative thing, it’s a Cab from California’s Alexander Valley which is a pretty good place for Cabs. They’re selling it for … Continue reading
charity, cipriani, and chugging
Last night I went to a benefit for Look Good Feel Better, an organization dedicated to teaching beauty techniques to cancer patients to help offset the side effects of treatment. Like many NYC benefits, this one was held at Cipriani. I’d already had a pre-party Crémant de Loire so wanted to continue the bubbles theme … Continue reading
if your cockburn’s…
A little scared of the SEO on this one, but it’s worth it. First, it’s pronounced CO-burn’s. I found this out the hard way on my first night in Portugal, and was politely corrected. Still, it’s not like everyone there doesn’t know what they’re dealing with. And many of them do have a wicked sense … Continue reading
“fill up my glass, do it now”
It’s a confusing time in the NFL. Not only do we have these replacement refs making totally dodgy calls, but Eli Manning has revealed his playlist with some very odd songs. Among the John Denver, DMB and Coldplay (killing me), everyone is completely bewildered by the inclusion of Technopop Slashfest’s “Fill Up My Glass” – … Continue reading
grape stomping, an accordion, and the chicken dance
Wine has been made for 1000’s of years, and the grapes all used to be crushed by foot. Very few port houses still do this though since it’s so expensive and time consuming. But to get the best quality out of the grapes, foot treading is the way to roll: it’s gentle, random, and can drag … Continue reading
happy squash happy hour!
It’s squash week at Annie’s Dish List, who is cooking me up a feast. I grabbed a lovely Cali Chard for the butternut and avocado squash soup, and a Cab for the skirt steak. Fall = full-bodied. But denying that it’s still summer is for quitters!!! Warm weather 4eva. Continue reading
