Friday, September 13, 2013

Origin Story—Blog entry number 1

What is this blog about?

Well that's easy. I love video games and comic books and all things geek and nerdy. So, I'll devote equal amounts of space in the blog to all of the above things.
But that’s only be half of what I enjoy writing about. The other half, wine, is just as complicated. But I‘ll get to that in a minute. And for those of you who like one side more than the other I’ll include handy dividers to get you where you need to go.

The Geek Side
On Geek front...who is this guy?
I saw Star Wars in the theatre 7 times in 1977. Comic books were one of the things that inspired my love of reading (Silver Surfer was my favorite). I started playing Dungeons & Dragons at age 10. And up until college there were more weekend nights spent playing D&D than not playing D&D.
I fell in love with computer games first through the Atari 2600. My grandmother bought one so that all the grandkids could have something to do and be out of grownups’ hair so they could chat. Later, my best friend down the street got a 2600 and hours would evaporate before our unblinking young eyes.
There were some games on other systems, sure, even on computers. I had a Texas Instruments 99 4A (TI 99/4A) and played Tunnels of Doom and my buddy Lance and I played Flight Simulator and F-15 Strike Eagle on his Commodore 64.
Of course, we weren’t shut-ins. We went to the arcade and spent every quarter we could lay our hands on trying to beat Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace. Well, every quarter not spent on Star Wars figures and D&D modules, that is.
Many readers may, at this point, be thinking, “Whoa, total child of the ‘80’s.” And they would be right. And, being a father of three, I don’t necessarily play a game when it is a red-hot new release. In the coming months you may say, “You’re playing THAT? Dude, the SEQUEL to that is already out.”
I know, I know.  
But hopefully, we’ll have some conversations along the way that will make it all worth talking about “that one old game that Colby finally got around to playing.”

The Wine Side
I mean, what do I really know about wine, anyway? For me, wine tells a story and is about a life experience. It’s more than just fermented grape juice in a 750 milliliter bottle. I try to attach a particular wine with an event or a person who really loves that bottle. Unfortunately, it also contains an attachment when the memory is really awful. Case in point, I was having my most recent adult role-playing group over and a friend brought a bottle of French pinot noir called French Press. He first brought it over on the same night that we were opening another bottle, so the French Press sat in my wine fridge for a couple of weeks until the crew returned. When we uncorked the bottle I poured for all six of us at the table. I didn't look at the cork or even smell the wine as I often do. We all sat down and I took a drink and...oh, boy, not good. I hadn't had a great deal of experience with "corked" wine but this seemed to be about to change. The bottle itself just tasted…off. When I started smelling the wine in the glass I now it had a smell similar to wet cardboard.
But my friend had brought this wine. What could I do?
I didn’t want to hurt his feelings so I kept my mouth shut. I took another drink. Maybe I was wrong. I could have just eaten something that was in opposition with the wine, not knowing it would change the whole flavor.
Another drink...
Nope, that was bad. I felt now that, as the person in the room who had the most experience with wine, I had to say something.
"Guys, I think that wine is corked."
"What does that mean?" asked my good friend who works for Google.
"Um, spoiled, would be another way to say it. But what it means is that the cork used to seal the wine bottle may have become rotten, or so dried out that it allowed air or bacteria to get into the wine." I said. "When that is the case, the wine usually isn't even good for salad dressing anymore."
So, that's one example of what is in store for you, the reader of this blog.
I've not been back to revisit French Press pinot noir. Unfair, I know. I need to rectify that situation. Notice how I never said that French Press was "a bad wine." Because I really have no idea. I’ve heard a few figures about how often wine is "corked." The number I hear a lot is about 5%. So, it was just unlucky. Now obviously there are things that folks can do to try and prevent a corked bottle. Storing the wine on its side at the proper temperature (65 degrees for reds, 55 degrees for whites) in the proper area (darker is better, basements are usually pretty decent) can really help. But still...eventually you are going to get a bottle that is corked.
For beginners, that's the whole reason the waiter (or sommelier) in the restaurant gives you a small taste of the wine after opening it table-side. He's not checking to see if you like it. It's taken for granted that people ordering wine know the wines on the menu and what they like. He's checking to see if the wine he's served you is corked. If it is, send it back. If it isn't, awesome, enjoy the bottle.
So, what’s my hope on the wine side? Do I expect that after a few blog posts you will suddenly see me as your new ersatz sommelier? Your wine guru? The Swami of Sauvignon (both Cabernet and Blanc)?
Hardly.
If you already know wine and what you like, I’ll try to have one selection from what I’ve been drinking lately. That way the seasoned wine drinker will get a new wine recommendation to look for at his or her local liquor store.
If you don’t know what you like or where to start, each week I’ll tell you a story about a broad category of wine and make a suggestion, as I mentioned.

I’m really looking forward to taking both the geek and the wine journey with you, dear reader.
Check back in the coming weeks for fun both fermented and non.
Cheers!

Colby