The Super bowl is tomorrow and I personally don’t give a hoot. I mean, I had to Google who was playing…

But, the other day NBC cameras were all up in Domaine LA filming a little segment about what to eat and drink on Super Bowl Sunday (it’s become the Thanksgiving of February). Jill and I came up with some fun wine options for your hot wings, Doritos and chips & guac. Because, you know what? Why the hell not. Check it out! I come in right around the 1 minute mark.

Wines featured: NV German Gilabert Cava (buttered popcorn) // 2010 Etz Gruner Veltliner (chips and gaucamole) // 2007 Pecina Blanco (cool ranch Doritos) // 2010 Punta Crena “Pettirosso” (buffalo wings)  2010 Field Recordings “Fiction” Red (Chex Mix)

I was thinking of doing the 2001 Lopez de Heredia Vina Gravonia Blanco with the Cool Ranch Doritos because of its oxidative, viscous, herbacious vibe. Trying to keep the cost of the bottle down, Jill suggested the incredibly affordable Pecina. Pretty dope with the Doritos. Just sayin’.

Mega-girly side note: I’ve found my one true lipstick love (for now). It’s the NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in “Mexican Rose.” I was wearing it in the video above. It’s the perfect balance of opaque/sheer and matte/gloss and it stays on FOREVER. After the initial application, it settles in and becomes more of a stain. I’ve been rocking the Mexican Rose while working at the restaurant and it lasts for most of the shift. Good for ladies that are always putting their lips to a wine glass. Recommended!

Favorite cocktail or spirit: Pastis

And our rhymes is tight.

I just went there. It happened.

The Terroni lady sommeliers (and a few other lovely friends) met up last week for a little “ripping and sipping”. And eating. And laughing. Christine hosted and made a fantastic meal for us. The rest of us contributed booze.

Remember way back in the Fall of 2010 when the Proof guys gave me these bottles of ’79, ’80 and ’81 Sanford & Benedict Pinot? Well, I FINALLY got around to opening them. I wasn’t expecting much as the boys already told me they were pretty dead.

I thought it would still be fun to open them and see what was inside. It was like some kind of archaeological dig/science experiment; uncovering mold, debris, sediment, effed up corks…I even had to improvise and use a coffee filter to decant what basically looked like Coca Cola.

The ’79 was completely mold-infested and smelled disgusting. The ’80 wasn’t much better, but I at least put that one in my mouth. It was almost like a Marsala meets Chinato by way of root beer- pretty far gone. The ’81 (my birth year- hollerrr!) was surprisingly not horrible.

It still had some acidity and nothing incredibly offensive about it. Special bottles I’m sure, but not anymore. I wish I could’ve tried them back in the day.

So. Food! Sally brought some awesome cheeses from The Cheese Store of Beverly Hills, one of which was a walnut studded beauty rolled in semolina. Loved. It. Francesca made some chicken liver pâté with lavender (!) and it was really delicious and so subtly floral. She explained how easy it was to make, but I’m still skeptical. She’s Italian and I’m not. She’s just always gonna be better than me at effortless cooking.

The main event was the lamb pie Christine made- a recipe from her mother and a traditional South African dish. She served it over rice seasoned with caraway seeds. I had seconds, possibly thirds. No one knows for sure.

This is when the wine situation greatly improved. One of my favorite food and wine pairings anywhere ever is lamb and Sagrantino. It’s never a bad idea. I dare you to tell me that it’s not amazing.

Francesca brought this lovely bottle of Antonelli for us to enjoy!

I also schlepped another wine that was given to me as a gift- 1995 Felsina Berardenga Rancia Chianti Classico Riserva.

It was good, nothing life changing. The wine that I poured myself more of was the Sagrantino. Fun to try some older bottles though! Every time I do, I always think about what I was doing that year. In 1995, I was a freshman in high school and I had a crazy crush on a guy named Ali (or was it Muhammad?) that I never spoke a single word to. I lived for the J. Crew catalog, really wanted to be in West Side Story and ate french toast sticks for breakfast.

The end.

You: Hey Whitney, what was the wine you were most excited to try last week?

Me: Friend, let me tell you. The brand spanking new 2010 “Piedi Grandi” from La Clarine Farm is what!

photo brought to you by my iPhone

You: Piedi grandi! What the heck is that?

Me: It means “big feet” in Italian.

You: Why did Hank name his wine that?

Me: Some of the grapes were foot-stomped by little kids. He’s funny. And totally not into child labor. The name is in Italian since the main grape in the blend is nebbiolo (with syrah, mourvedre and a splash of roussanne and viognier bringing up the rear.) There’s some whole cluster and it spends 6 months in tank and 6 months in old puncheon.

Verdict? Delicious! It doesn’t necessarily taste like a nebbiolo, but I don’t care. Like most of Hank’s wines, the fruit is pure and there’s an undercurrent of spice and dried herbs. All of his wines remind me of something familiar and cozy but totally new at the same time. Buy his wines. They don’t cost an arm or a leg…or a big foot.

As you know, I’m guest somm’ing at LudoBites 8.0 for the next month. So, in addition to wearing my camo apron over at my usual gig, I’ll be wearing this 3 times a week:

It goes without saying, but my work attire tends to be more casual than your average sommelier.

Clothing: Ludo apron (long and with generous front pockets), Ludo 8.0 t-shirt and black Gap skinny jeans. Accessories: JP Brun Terres Dorées “L’Ancien” Beaujolais. Shoes? These TOMS and/or black Sam Edelman flats. BUT- in an ideal world with more shoes in my closet, I would would pair this LudoBites 8.0 ensemble with some Bensimon sneakers and try to look like these really cool French girls.

How about these? I totally chose them because the folks at Bensimon call that color wine. It’s meant to be. And these would work too.

Change of subject! Guess what I just bought on sale from ASOS?

A dress. With GRAPES ON IT. That’s right. It could end up being hideous, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Photo credits: pic of me by the keeper of the LudoBites bar, Michael Nemcik // pile of Bensimon shoes // girls by la plage

Claire and I are back at it again! This time, I’m pairing wine to…wait for it…

NEIGHBORHOODS. Neighborhoods in this fair city of Los Angeles, of course. In each episode of this series, I’ll be visiting a friend that lives in a different nabe and they’ll show me around to all their favorite spots. Then we’ll get down with some sort of vino that I think perfectly fits with them and that neck of the woods. First up? West Hollywood, playa.

Wine: NV Sommariva Prosecco. My dear spritz friend. It’s under $15 bucks and darn good. When I make an Aperol Spritz, it’s always with this wine.

Check out all our previous videos here or on our Vimeo channel. Wanna know what our next video is? Pairing wine to Venice Beach with Joy the Baker! Stay tuned.

I’d like to introduce you to The Chalkboard Mag.

The ladies of Pressed Juicery, along with fabulous to the Nth degree editor Kate Mulling, just launched a new lifestyle site focusing on wellness and living right. The ladies asked me to contribute from time to time and I kicked things off with a Natural Wine 101 situation.

And there’s a lot more where that came from! So, stay tuned for more articles from little old me and tons of REALLY exciting contributors in the weeks and months to come on The Chalkboard.

This was my view for most of the night this past Friday.

Lights, cameras and Bizarre Foods action!

I was the sommelier for a one night dinner created by Andrew Zimmern. He was hopping around town shooting all over LA last week with the finale being a 5 course spread at Royal/T. All proceeds went to charity and some of LA’s best chefs were in the kitchen lending a helping hand- Michael Voltaggio, Lee Hefter of Spago and Ari Rosenson of CUT (my Wolfgang Puck homies from back in the day!), among others.

SO. The menu…

The menu was all about introducing the average diner to sea creatures and parts of animals they might not be accustomed to. There was uni, geoduck, pig-face bacon, pig’s blood, lamb and cow tongue, pig intestine among other things. What wine to pair with such fare? How about wines the average drinker might not have ever tried or would think to try; a 12 year old rosé, a sans soufre red blend from a whacky Spaniard, a grape called pignoletto, a pink pet nat topped with a crown cap…

Jill and I came up with the following, in order of course pairings:

2009 La Grange Tiphaine “Rosa Rosé Rosam” // 2009 Tedeschi Spungola Bellaria Pignoletto

2000 Lopez de Heredia Vina Tondonia Rosado // 2010 Mendall “Poc a Poc” // De Bartoli 10 yr Marsala

Everybody loved everything! Warren Sapp, even.

PS- Pardon the truly shitty photos. But guess what? This is the last of the BlackBerry Chronicles. Why? Cause momma got an iPhone. Prepare yourself for Instagram Tales! Memoirs of an iPhone? I’ll figure something out.

My friend Bisquite PowerPoppin is to thank for the title of this post. If you don’t speak Bizzy, let me translate: 2012 Breakfast! I ate one with a bunch of amazing people. And my dear friend Joy did all the cookin’! I sure do love me some Joy Food.

There were instant photos, gemstones and wooden eggs.

There was a waffle bar.

A bloody mary station.

A mimosa situation. Eggs and breakfast potatoes cooked TOGETHER.

Momofuku cereal milk. For general sipping, coffee additions or waffle palate cleanser.

There was bacon, of course. And this foxy little wine.

I’ve mentioned Philipe Bornard on the blog before. This Jura winemaker is one you need to know about! Drink his wine. Just do it. This delicious 100% chardonnay bubbly is now maybe in my top 10 wines perfectly suited for daytime wine consumption/brunch. ‘Cause that’s a list I keep, best believe.

And look- another sunset! It’ll be 2013 before we know it…

Anyone else see too many productions of Fiddler on the Roof as a child? No? OK- maybe it’s just me, but whenever I start thinking about how fast time flies, the chorus of “Sunrise, Sunset” creeps into my brain…Sunrise, sunset. Sunrise, sunset. Swiftly flow the days.

News alert! There’s been a whole buncha sunrises and sets and it’s about to be 2012! Can you even believe it?

I thought I would summon my inner Tevye and reminisce. Here are just a few of my favorite moments/posts from this year:

Ladies Who Brunch // Americano // Wine Wear Daily IV // Octopus BBQ

Birthday Lanterns // 4th of July in Brooklyn // Ojai Campfire & Whiskey Cocktails // Laureano

Pretty great times were had in ’11. Dang. Next year has a lot to live up to! Let’s make it truly SPECTACULAR, shall we?

Happy New Year errrrbody!