Wednesday, March 17, 2010

I'm on Strike!

Like all enlightened leaders of the world who realize that violence is not the best way to resolve conflict, I will now take a page from the book of those who came before me. Ghandi did it. The Tibetan Parliament did it. Now I'm doing it.

I will not resort to violence to get you to realize the greatness of Merlot. I will now go on a strike of 14 days where I will drink nothing but Merlot. You know me...you know that I'm a slave to Burgundy, to the Rhone, to Piemonte, to the Nahe. But I will give it all up for you; for your benefit, for your enlightenment, and the richness of your wine soul.

Join me people! Rise up and make a statement that Merlot is not to be taken lightly, laughed at or poked fun of. It is a grape of nobility and complexity, on par with the greatest wines the world has ever seen. I loved the movie, Sideways, but its ripple effects are so deep and so broad that it rocked the American wine consumer to flat out reject one of the best grapes on earth. Who knew that Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church could wield such power? Sandra Oh (sexy!), perhaps, but those two guys? In the 80's, Merlot was the shizzle...so fashionable and sleek that you just had to be the one ordering a glass of Merlot while you rolled up the sleeves of your white blazer with a turquoise tank underneath. Now, if you order it, you get "sideways" looks and people wonder whether you slipped through a time/space continuum or you're just ignorant. You're neither folks, you're my friend!

This quest began because we profiled a wine, 2007 Chad Merlot Napa Valley, that is so delicious and so cheap, an outrageous value. Yet I sat at my computer and watched a few orders shuffle in. If this said Cabernet Sauvignon on the bottle, it would have sold through the roof! If I told you that it was actually a $40 bottle of wine for $15, would that matter? What if I just lied and told you it was Cabernet? But alas the ATF and my conscience won't allow me to do that, so I'll resort to this strike.

While Tim looks on in amazement as I purchase all the wines I will personally drink over the next 14 days, here is the list...


Spread my message far and wide! Join me! Viva la Merlot!

JCB the 4th

4 comments:

  1. joe, you are truly a dedicated soul. This doesn't have anything to do with the statement that you just made the other day re: all your burgundy going to your wonderful friends in gillette? ;) jk... we'll enjoy merlot tonight in honor of this post!

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  2. Thank you, Nita! And no, you can't have all my Burgundy (not that crazy) but I will continue to share it with you as long as you continue to cook delicious treats. Come on people! Who else is with me?

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  3. I'll admit bias first off and then suggest opening the 06 L'Ecole No 41 Merlot as part of the 3/25 Washington State Merlot Tweet Up #WAMerlot. Thanks for sharing the L'Ecole love!

    Jaime
    L'Ecole No 41

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  4. The L'Ecole went down the hatch tonight. Delicious! Thanks for chiming in, Jaime.

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