Check out Blood into Wine!

An old friend of mine, Ryan Page, co-directed this amazing film coming out soon. It's called "Blood into Wine: The Arizona Stronghold" and its red carpet premiere is February 19th at the W Hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The movie is the widely anticipated documentary that shares the story of Tool/A Perfect Circle/Puscifer front man Maynard James Keenan and his mentor Eric Glomski as they pioneer winemaking in the hostile deserts of Arizona.

Check here for other screenings around the country. I wish it were coming to Vancouver!

DETAILS
Friday, February 19th
6pm
W Scottsdale, Arizona
Wine + hors d'oeuvres included
To get tickets, go HERE.



You can see an interview from Rolling Stone here.



Way to go Ryan!

Check out Boon!

I love Facebook. I can't believe the people I've been able to reconnect with. It simply amazes me nearly each day. It's such cross section of our lives, huh? I've got friends from pre-school, grade school, high school, college and from my grown-up life all in one nicely organized pool on my computer. I can see how my friends kids are growing and find out what's knew with my exes, all with one stop on the internet.

One of my my recent Facebook joys has been to reconnect with an old friend I met back in high school. Come to find out she and her wife (she came out years ago, too!) just bought and renovated a boutique hotel in California Wine Country. "Boon" (named after their dog) is a resort and spa in Sonoma on the Russian River. Be sure to check it out. It's super modern and has amazing spa offerings. Next time you're in wine country, swing by and visit Boon. Say hello to Crista and her wife, and support our sisters!

Oceans + Bubbles

Have you ever seen someone saber off a champagne cork? Me neither -- until last night. See the video below to watch this man (who was half in the bag, BTW) saber off the top of a Pommery bottle. It was amazing and -- in hindsight -- so totally dangerous. The sliced top of the bottle actually landed on Patty's chair. See for yourself as the crazy pony explains what happened...

Anyhoo, we had FUN last night at Araxi's Oceans + Bubbles party. On our way to the party in the cab, Patty and I joked that we hadn't left the house to go out at 10:00pm for ages. The party, which started at 10:30pm and went until sunrise (no doubt), was held at a wonderful restaurant known for its seafood and raw bar called Araxi. It's a sexy little spot we've eaten at before, but the Cornucopia Festival transformed it from intimate dinner spot to lavishly sexy champagne lounge with endless waiters serving spoonfuls of seared ahi and asparagus, skewered braised short ribs and an all-you-can-eat sushi bar where signature rolls kept on coming in mass quantity until you, too, turned into a little roll yourself. Wake up, little sushi, wake up.

It was delicious and superfun and we met lots of hipsters from all over. We'll be back for more Cornholing next year!

Nudies, Foodies + Me

Cheers from Whistler's Cornucopia! Patty and I are up here in Whistler partaking in their annual Cornucopia Food and Wine Festival this week. We arrived to snow, a huge surprise since the forecast said rain on the valley floor. All the locals were thrilled as it was the first accumulation and the perfect welcome for us; the pine trees looked like they'd been dipped in powdered sugar as we crawled up the Sea to Sky highway.

Last night we attended out first events--the Ultra Lounge Reception and the Uber sexy Burlesque show. And YEOWZA! We were sorry we forgot our riding crops, as they sure would have come in handy at this party. Assolina and Bootiola would have been right at home as there were plenty of asses to slap--some clothed and some not--and so many crazy party animals dressed up and ready to tear up Whistler Village.

We snapped some pics at the event and for some reason I'm not really smiling in any of them--perhaps it was the oyster I just shot or the sunchoke bisque I just drank from a tiny ceramic shooter, or maybe these are just my sexy seductress eyes, but I was having a really fantastic time. Who wouldn't being surrounded by all the scantily clad ladies, including the hottest one of them all: Pattycake?

More to come after tonight's Ocean + Bubbles event at Araxi...

The Nectar of the Gods

The day after Thanksgiving, we hit the Oregon road in a limo in search of sweet nectar from the vine. (Quite a juxtaposition from earlier in the week when we delivered food to low-income families.) We didn't have to drive far from Portland to find our first goldmine: Owen Roe. They had some great Pinots and delicious cheeses, all housed in a charming barn decked out with holiday greens. Our next stop was at Sineann (pronounced Shah-nayne), where they also featured Medici wines.

Once all 13 of us piled back into the limo, we headed out into the hills of the Willamette Valley in search of our next stop. The roads, many of them dirt, were glowing with the setting sun, casting a magnificent amber hue across the endless rows of grapes. Stop #3 was our favorite: Bergström. Damn they make some great wine! They also had a really nice spread of herb breads and cheeses. The last tasting room we hit was Argyle. If you drink reds or brut, you've probably seen their labels at your local market. They're known for good, solid everyday wine.

Finally, it was time for dinner and we were all starving as we pulled into this culinary gem: The Joel Palmer House. Texas and I had dined here before, but it was better than ever. This may well have been the highlight of the day; the 13 of us were gathered around one huge table ready for something (believe it or not) other than wine. Located in Dayton, Oregon, the Joel Palmer house has been written up numerous times in the New York Times (and everywhere else important) for their unique dishes with mushrooms, all picked in the wild. Fantastic.

For me, yesterday was one of those days that could've gone on forever. Like a small handful of other times of late, I got caught up in that euphoric space, surrounded by friends and laughter, when all I wanted to do is somehow stop time, or bottle up the energy for a day when the sun's not out, when there aren't any friends around and there isn't a bottle of Pinot Noir within arm's reach.

Good times.