Eximious Pairing
Sunday, July 8, 2007 by Jason
Every night I sit at my computer and dedicate some time to making comics. I’ll sometimes have a glass of scotch while I work or some beer but, usually, I enjoy a couple of glasses of wine. Robin and I tend to keep around 12 bottles in the house at all times so I'll have something for almost any snack I'm munching on or mood I'm in. I honestly think wine is an integral part of my creative process - it soothes me. It keeps my mind focused. Because of that, I think I'll be adding a new tag to this blog - DrinkyDrink. I'll occasionally talk wine, liquor, and beer - the fuel behind many of my books.
Robin and I went out towards Shenandoah today for a little wine tasting. We ended up hitting four vineyards and brought home seven bottles. She's been taking summer classes and I've been busy traveling so it was nice to just spend some time together, drive out west a bit, leave the cell phones on mute and in the glove box, and just cut loose.
The first vineyard we went to was Linden. This place has been recommended to us several times and we finally got around to going. A decent tasting - $4 per person and there were five wines on the list. I liked the Cabernet Franc but not enough to spend $28 on it. We bought a bottle of their excellent Riesling. I'm not a big Riesling fan, they're usually too sweet for me, but this one had only 2% residual sugar and, as a result, the individual fruits’ smells and tastes really came out. It's a good wine to drink chilled, while sitting outside with the laptop, and snacking on wasabi peas - something with bite to it. I'd prefer to edit action stories while drinking it, I think, because when I'm in a summer environment all I can think about, usually, is explosions and blockbusters. So, Kill All Monsters, essentially.
After the tasting Robin and I sat outside, had some cheese, some wine, and enjoyed the view. But, as mentioned, I kept picturing giant monsters coming over the mountains, knocking down trees and burning the grapes.
Ah...summer.
We stopped at Oasis Vineyards next. It was a standard tasting but only two bucks - mainly because they were out of their brut which was too bad, I was looking forward to it. I did enjoy the Cabernet Sauvignon, however, enough to buy two bottles. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese wines (particularly from Chianti, of course) are my POSTCARDS wines. 
They're indoor wines for me, perfect for reading on the couch (especially if I'm reading used postcards) or taking phone calls in the office. They clear my mind and narrow my focus. POSTCARDS is an indoor book. I buy the cards inside dusty antique shops filled with soft light and minimal air conditioning. I tend to work on the book in the early evening - blinds opened up to let just enough sunlight come in. It puts me in the period - people settling down for the night and taking care of their postcard writing before going to bed. The oak in the wines helps transport me to these simpler times.
It's no surprise that I did most of my POSTCARDS work in the fall and winter - great for staying indoors and enjoying the ambiance out the window without falling victim to the cold.
Rappahannock Cellars was next. They were very accommodating. Two flights to choose from - one for stainless steel wines and one for oaks. I chose the oak-flight and Robin just drank the whites from both flights. We ended up purchasing the stainless steal Chardonnay and the Rose from Rappahannock - two wines that transport me back to childhood, for some reason. I think it's the fruity undertones, they get my brain going and thinking 
about slice-of-life stories and autobiographies. It's the kind of wine I'd drink while working on anything with Chris Stevens - so, at the moment, Dream Compass and the Sam Cooke book. These wines open me up to poetry and music and childhood and 90% of the time that's what Chris and I are talking about.
At Rappahannock we ran into our friends Paul and Warren from Virginia Wine Time. Robin works with Warren and we occasionally go to his wondeful dinner parties. They're true wine connoisseurs - I talk about what wines go well with what comic books while they plan out five course meals with a wine for each item. They host great dinner parties - I make great comics. Means, ends: justified.
Our last vineyard was Gray Ghost. They were having their 13-year anniversary and for ten dollars you received:
1) Unlimited tastings of their Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Victorian White (stainless steel, fruity Chardonnay), Vidal Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Victorian Red (an excellent Rose).
2) One tasting of their Reserve Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer (G-Wine), and Adieu (late harvest Vidal Blanc)
3) $2 off any bottle of wine.
Needless to say - this is where we got drunk. We took full advantage of the unlimited tastings - next thing we know we're eating BBQ sandwiches, chocolate dipped cheesecakes, and rice krispie treats. We ended up buying the Victorian Red and 
White, mainly because they were cheap and sweet and, at that point, sweet was a selling point and cheap is always a bonus. We'll be back at Gray Ghost in November, however, for their 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Gala Release Party so we'll spend more time considering what wines to take home.
We headed back to Arlington and now it's back to making comics, armed with seven new bottles of fuel.
Robin and I went out towards Shenandoah today for a little wine tasting. We ended up hitting four vineyards and brought home seven bottles. She's been taking summer classes and I've been busy traveling so it was nice to just spend some time together, drive out west a bit, leave the cell phones on mute and in the glove box, and just cut loose.
The first vineyard we went to was Linden. This place has been recommended to us several times and we finally got around to going. A decent tasting - $4 per person and there were five wines on the list. I liked the Cabernet Franc but not enough to spend $28 on it. We bought a bottle of their excellent Riesling. I'm not a big Riesling fan, they're usually too sweet for me, but this one had only 2% residual sugar and, as a result, the individual fruits’ smells and tastes really came out. It's a good wine to drink chilled, while sitting outside with the laptop, and snacking on wasabi peas - something with bite to it. I'd prefer to edit action stories while drinking it, I think, because when I'm in a summer environment all I can think about, usually, is explosions and blockbusters. So, Kill All Monsters, essentially.
After the tasting Robin and I sat outside, had some cheese, some wine, and enjoyed the view. But, as mentioned, I kept picturing giant monsters coming over the mountains, knocking down trees and burning the grapes.
Ah...summer.
We stopped at Oasis Vineyards next. It was a standard tasting but only two bucks - mainly because they were out of their brut which was too bad, I was looking forward to it. I did enjoy the Cabernet Sauvignon, however, enough to buy two bottles. Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese wines (particularly from Chianti, of course) are my POSTCARDS wines. 
They're indoor wines for me, perfect for reading on the couch (especially if I'm reading used postcards) or taking phone calls in the office. They clear my mind and narrow my focus. POSTCARDS is an indoor book. I buy the cards inside dusty antique shops filled with soft light and minimal air conditioning. I tend to work on the book in the early evening - blinds opened up to let just enough sunlight come in. It puts me in the period - people settling down for the night and taking care of their postcard writing before going to bed. The oak in the wines helps transport me to these simpler times.It's no surprise that I did most of my POSTCARDS work in the fall and winter - great for staying indoors and enjoying the ambiance out the window without falling victim to the cold.
Rappahannock Cellars was next. They were very accommodating. Two flights to choose from - one for stainless steel wines and one for oaks. I chose the oak-flight and Robin just drank the whites from both flights. We ended up purchasing the stainless steal Chardonnay and the Rose from Rappahannock - two wines that transport me back to childhood, for some reason. I think it's the fruity undertones, they get my brain going and thinking 
about slice-of-life stories and autobiographies. It's the kind of wine I'd drink while working on anything with Chris Stevens - so, at the moment, Dream Compass and the Sam Cooke book. These wines open me up to poetry and music and childhood and 90% of the time that's what Chris and I are talking about.At Rappahannock we ran into our friends Paul and Warren from Virginia Wine Time. Robin works with Warren and we occasionally go to his wondeful dinner parties. They're true wine connoisseurs - I talk about what wines go well with what comic books while they plan out five course meals with a wine for each item. They host great dinner parties - I make great comics. Means, ends: justified.
Our last vineyard was Gray Ghost. They were having their 13-year anniversary and for ten dollars you received:1) Unlimited tastings of their Seyval Blanc, Chardonnay, Victorian White (stainless steel, fruity Chardonnay), Vidal Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Victorian Red (an excellent Rose).
2) One tasting of their Reserve Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer (G-Wine), and Adieu (late harvest Vidal Blanc)
3) $2 off any bottle of wine.
Needless to say - this is where we got drunk. We took full advantage of the unlimited tastings - next thing we know we're eating BBQ sandwiches, chocolate dipped cheesecakes, and rice krispie treats. We ended up buying the Victorian Red and 
White, mainly because they were cheap and sweet and, at that point, sweet was a selling point and cheap is always a bonus. We'll be back at Gray Ghost in November, however, for their 2004 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon Gala Release Party so we'll spend more time considering what wines to take home. We headed back to Arlington and now it's back to making comics, armed with seven new bottles of fuel.
Labels: drinkydrink, jasonrodriguez
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