First Big Crush of an Experience by 2010 Wine Wizard Master of Ceremonies with Special Guest George M. Taber
Date: Monday, June 14, 2010
Time: 5:30pm til 7:00pm
Price:
SOLD OUT!
Location: Kirby's Prime Steakhouse
The Low Down
As the major launch event of a week of wine appreciation, tasting, collecting, this one will set the tone for fun and frivolity as Eric Arnold and past Wine & Food Week Wine Wizard George M. Taber join for an evening of frivolity and fun!
"I've collected wine since the '70s, but I never thought about making it. Now that I've read this book, I really don't want to make it. I'll stick with drinking it."
- Sammy Hagar, singer/songwriter and founder of Cabo Wabo Tequila
Two authors team up together in a casual event sharing their experiences of the world of wine as they see it. What are the big issues in wine? Hot topics such as high alcohol wines, surplus wines. Do critics matter? Do their ethics matter? Where do you go for peer info? Also, see first-hand how good you are at blindly choosing wines. Can you really tell whether a wine is red or white with your eyes closed?
"First Big Crush is a literary love child of Maxim and Wine Spectator: a raunchy, rollicking tale of a young guy's year in the vineyards of New Zealand, where his love of wine matures -- somewhat -- from the hunt for a cheap buzz to a genuine passion and appreciation."
- Ted Allen, host/narrator of the PBS series Uncorked: Wine Made Simple, food and wine specialist
for Bravo's Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, and author of The Food You Want to Eat.
The story behind the bottle, First Big Crush is Eric Arnold's wild account of his year immersing himself in all things wine...and somehow not winding up in rehab. Never having held a meaningful job for very long (and getting fired from most of them), Eric Arnold heads to New Zealand -- to Allan Scott Wines -- seeking adventure and hoping to learn a little bit about wine. What could be better than working outside in the fresh air and drinking wine all day? Before he knows it, he is dirty, wet, cold, and at the mercy of a tank of wine that just might explode and take him with it. So begin Eric's adventures in the world of wine. He gets sunburned, sore, and drunk -- and then does it all over again the next day.
First Big Crush is a story that is as outrageous as it is compelling. Here are tales of first pressings, pruning, and tasting competitions. There are also rowdy nights at the local pub, girls, meat pies, girls, rugby, and tales of hunting wild pig. Along the way, each step of the winemaking process is explained in a way that humans can actually understand. Almost against his will, Eric becomes an expert.