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Posts Tagged “Wine”

into the drink

Wine: It's Not Just For Pairing With Classical Music Anymore

Research funded by a Chilean winemaker has revealed that certain types of music actually pair well with certain types of wine, with various sonic qualities allegedly enhancing certain aspects of the wine's taste and body "up to 60%." Cognitive priming theory—in which music preps the brain to react to other aspects of a person's environment—results in cabernet sauvignon's taste being apparently well suited to "powerful and heavy" music; Chardonnay pairing well with "zingy and refreshing" music; syrah going nicely with "subtle and refined" songs; and merlot being well-matched with "mellow and soft" selections. (Unfortunately, Boone's Farm wasn't mentioned in the study's findings, perhaps because any classic rock automatically makes it taste "totally freaking awesome" to all the college students embarking on long, dark nights of the soul who were surveyed.) After the jump, a few recommended pairings via my music collection and knowledge of wine: More »

wine tastings and prison sex

Hey, Crazed Tool Fans! Stalk Maynard At My Local Supermarket!


Imagine my surprise when I entered my local Whole Foods to purchase overpriced organic groceries in order to sooth my pained ideals and saw a sign for an appearance by Tool's Maynard James Keenan. This Wednesday, April 9, Maynard will be signing bottles of wine for the sophisticated Tool fan in the wine bar at the Chandler, Arizona Whole Foods. Also, they have a pretty good sushi bar inside the store, if that's more your sort of thing. [Whole Foods]

Thanks to ProHipHop for doing the legwork and finding out that Little Jonathan Vineyards is, in fact, a winery belonging to Lil Jon, who's smartly realized that the energy-drink market has hit its turn-of-the-millennium peak and that it's time for him to diversify his beverage portfolio a little bit. What with this wine and similar efforts from Miranda Lambert, Maynard James Keenan, and Vince Neil, my dreams of opening up a music-themed wine bar may actually happen! (We can cheat a little on the food by modifying recipes from Rachael Ray's cookbooks.) [ProHipHop]

mark arm wept

Sub Pop Turns 20, Sends Zach Braff An FTD Bouquet

Venerable Seattle label Sub Pop is two decades old this year, and the Seattle Times has run down its storied history of weathering various industry calamities (from alt-rock's slow death to the record biz's slow death) while also managing the deft feat of continuing to expand its aesthetic remit by signing less-than-commercial acts like noize boys Wolf Eyes and sludge punks Pissed Jeans, a luxury in a troubled era that's perhaps made possible by the label's ten best-selling albums of all time. While the following list will probably not come as much of a surprise to anyone familiar with the label's last decade or so, it will probably make a few more labels wish they had signed Sam Beam or gotten a very public shout-out from a Scrubs cast member. More »

pop the bottle

Miranda Lambert's Wine: Sure To Class Up Your Local Honky-Tonk

Rock-writer-beloved country singer Miranda Lambert has a bunch of wines named after her songs—like Kerosene, pictured—thanks to her family, who started the Red 55 Winery in conjunction with another winemaker down in Texas. Two new blends are scheduled to come out this month, and while I do quite enjoy both the songs they're honoring, I have to wonder about the logic of naming wine after either "Gunpowder & Lead" (a description of the flavors, perhaps?) or "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" (especially since it's a sweet wine—hello, girl-drink drunks who are feeling a little frisky!). Since said wine isn't available for shipping to New York yet, I can't evaluate them properly, but I hope for her sake that she doesn't let Maynard James Keenan get his hands on a case. Dude is more vicious than Robert Parker! More »


vince neil

Tool Singer Thinks Vince Neil's Wine-Making Techniques Are Better Suited To The Deli Counter

Little did we know that Tool's Maynard James Keenan made wines in Arizona under the name Caduceus (warning: the site is a little Myst-y). As a celebrity who makes wine, he's also sampled the wines of other celebrities, and he did a little dishing for The Onion: More »