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
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