by whitney on September 9, 2010
In the 3rd installment of What’s For Sipper?, I dive into the philological brain of one Mr. Jeremy Parzen. I first met Jeremy back in March in Asti when he so kindly invited me to join him and some other rockstar wine dudes for a Barbera tasting. I became one of the Barbera 7. And my life changed. No- not really. But we had one hell of a fun time. He continues to impress with his linguistic acumen, musical skills, undying love for wife Tracie P. and knowing actually everything about Italian wine. I bow down to you.
Name: Jeremy Parzen, PhD. aka Do Bianchi aka Jar
Hometown: La Jolla, CA. Current location: Austin, TX
Favorite beverage: Nebbiolo, practically anything from 1989.
Favorite cocktail or spirit: Vodka (Absolut) martini, dry and dirty.
Favorite place to grab a drink: Train station in Vicenza, Italy.
Favorite toast: Melba and/or L’chaim.
Favorite post-dinner quaff: Bourbon (Basil Hayden).
Favorite food & beverage pairing: Lambrusco and zampone.
If you could travel to one wine region of the world where would you go? Valdobbiadene.
What’s for sipper? Tonight is erev Rosh Hashanah so probably some Manischevitz (for the nostalgia and ease of it). On any other night this week, Pichierri Tradizione del Nonno by Vinicola Savese.
by whitney on August 12, 2010
What’s For Sipper? returns for its 2nd installment with my dear friend and fellow Kentuckian Dean Fisher! She left sunny LA last year for the arctic circle that is Chicago (I kid…sort of) and I’ve been missing her something awful. And her ability to throw a stunning party on the fly and redecorate my entire apartment. Without further ado…
Name: Dean Fisher of My Little Apartment
Hometown: Lexington, KY. Current City: Chicago, IL
Favorite summer beverage: My first instinct is to say a Pimm’s Cup (I prefer mine mixed with champagne or sparkling lemonade- or both- then filled with sliced strawberries, cucumber, and torn mint). Then again, I’m also a big fan of shandies. And summer is probably the best time for a good rosé– We’ve been drinking a lot of the Meinklang Prosa 2009 Rosé from Austria. Oh, and have you had that sweet tea vodka? Just sayin’…
Favorite cocktail or spirit: Lately I’ve really been enjoying a classic Manhattan. My boyfriend makes them better than anyone and it’s the perfect nightcap.
Favorite place to grab a drink: Living in Chicago, there are TONS of great bars…but I can probably narrow it down to a couple of favorites. The number one spot goes to The Whistler, hands down. Paul McGee is a bartending genius and his drinks are always perfect, the atmosphere is just right, and the bar is small inside with a patio out back. I also like Big Star’s “La Paloma” (el jimador, grapefruit, lime, mexican fresca), and The Rainbo is an old standby for cheap beers. When I’m in LA it’s El Prado or Footsies and in Lexington I like Sidecar or Jonathan’s.
Favorite toast: Sourdough. (haha)
Favorite post-dinner quaff: This is really a better question for my boyfriend. He loves port wines and digestifs….After dinner I generally just want more wine. Or tequila shots.
Favorite food & beverage pairing: This is a TOUGH ONE. Seriously, I have to pick a favorite? Oh man. Um…I mean, an amazing cheese plate with unique accoutrements is kinda one of my most favorite things ever. I’ve been really digging on rosés this summer (and last…and the summer before that), and find that a great rosé/stinky cheese paring can have very interesting results. I also love weird meats with a super nose-y, spicy pinot noir or pinotage. Like oxtail or rabbit pate or beef marrow. Oh! And thanks to Whitney, I love a good Lambrusco with a thin-crust pizza. But really? I just love food. And drinks. [editor's note: word.]
and last but not least…
What’s for Sipper? I’m actually planning on taking a night off from imbibing, but last night I tried out a couple of rando bottles I picked up at Jewel. I went to my friends’ house to attempt pizza-grilling and brought along a prosecco (don’t remember the brand) and Frenchhouse 2008 Syrah. The prosecco was okay- the bubbles were nice, but it tasted a little vitamin-y to me. The Syrah was great and paired so nicely with the pizza! I’d definitely buy it again! PS: grilled pizzas are awesome.
by whitney on July 30, 2010
Welcome to the first edition of What’s For Sipper? Wherein I ask my friends, colleagues, funny people, interesting people, food and beverage people….you get the point. Where I ask them what in the heck they are going to be drinking. And what they like to drink in many a situation.
First up is the always lovely and charming Rachel, one of my partners in crime (see evidence: On The Lamb.)
Name: Rachel Humphrey
Hometown: St. Louis, MO. Current city: Los Angeles, CA
Favorite summer beverage: iced mint tea, historically, it’s a Missouri thing. These days I like mint & lavender iced tea, sweetened with honey!
Favorite cocktail or spirit: I love bourbon. Hands down. A perfect manhattan, not as in just perfectly rendered, but someone that knows how to make a “Perfect Manhattan.” Sweet & dry vermouth, a lemon twist rim & a dash of bitters. Or a wet gin martini.
Favorite place to grab a drink: Your house. You always have something I’ve never had! Or at Stella, it reminds me of New York & France.
Favorite toast: To life. Or…Get that water out’my way!
Favorite post-dinner quaff: I love herbal liqueurs if you’re really gonna do it. A great old Madeira is sublime & too rare. Armagnac, fantastic. Or, a really yummy spicy tea made of warm spices, like Good Earth tea with almond milk.
Favorite food & beverage pairing: Kimchi & lager. Or Animal’s poutine with a Burgundian red. Holy hell, I just died inside.
If you could travel to one wine region of the world where would you go? Wow, this is hard. I’ve been to a few that I would love to go back to, Gevry Chambertin, I would like to die there. But right now, I am so intrigued by Paso Robles & the lesser known Oregon areas, and then there’s Columbia Valley, Washington. Can I come back to this? No way to know right now!!!
But maybe I want to visit New Zealand wine country- not because they make my favorite wines, but because I am intrigued to find out if they are as much like French wine country as they say. But then there’s Mendoza.
Shoot. I failed that question.
And last but not least…
What’s for Sipper? It was a hot day, a Marlbourough sauvignon blanc.
