John "B.P." Smoltz and Vermentino

it didn't take me long to come up with a nick name for our new pitcher John Smoltz. I now call him B.P.. That's short for batting practice, which is what it looked like he was throwing to the dirty national league Nationals. They lit him up like the Christmas tree in Times Square. When are the Red Sox going to stop seeking out old, broken down pitchers, anyway? Yay! John Smoltz was awesome. Yeah. Like thirteen years ago! What is he? Like 58 years old? I swear I saw his arm fly off when he threw one of his famed 58m.p.h. fast ball in the 2nd inning. I've seen better pitches at an Amway luncheon. BUT SERIOUSLY, FOLKS...

i wanted to say a few words about cheap wine. i love cheap wine. being a sommelier, i find people are often intimidated at the notion of bringing wine to my home at, say, a dinner party. let me say straight away--if you are coming to my house, bring wine. don't over-think it. i can't tell you how many times i've heard, "i didn't know what to bring, you being a sommelier and all, so here's some crackers." crackers? seriously? do you know me? are we friends?

some of my favorite times have been spent with cheap wine. i'll give you an example: the other night we (my beautiful and tolerant wife, leigh and i) roasted a chicken. we stuffed it with fresh herbs, shallots, lemons, garlic, salt and pepper. threw it in the oven for about an hour and twenty minutes, and it came out perfectly browned, crispy skin--delicious. we served it with a cilantro potato salad and spinach salad. our friends brought over a 2007 Epicuro, Vermentino from Lazio, Italy. it was amazing: lemony, fresh with a bit of seamist and minerality--the perfect pairing with a simple roasted chicken. they got it from Trader Joes for $5.99. wine does not have to be expensive to be good. the wine industry is based on supply and demand. always search out the out-of the-way regions or producers. Italy, Spain, Portugal, Chile and Argentina are great sources of "bargain" wine. that Vermentino tasted as good as a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc at three-times the price.

so push the envelope. experiment. the great thing about six dollar wine is: if you don't like it, give it to your cats and watch them run into furniture. what? no. don't do that. my point is--it's not a huge investment. and you can always make sangria out of it.

meow.
geoffrey