Changes are a-comin’

Just a quick note to let you know you might be tripping over construction tools around here over the next 6 weeks or so. As we have time (outside of the "real" jobs), we're going to start re-designing this blog with the help of some of our talented graphic designer friends. We might even move to WordPress. Don't worry though – as long as you're getting here via wine-girl.net, you'll find us no matter where we are.

Our first two changes are rearranging the column layout a little (sort of like rearranging the furniture) and upgrading our happy face scale to have a little more depth and dimension.

Cheers!

Paella at Every Place

Remember that awesome birthday party I had where Hector, from Paella at Your Place, came to create amazing paella at my home?

Well, you can have some too. This Friday, Hector will be at Liquor Direct in Fort Thomas from 4-8 pm, cooking up a tasty paella right there in the middle of the store to accompany a Rioja tasting. Just Friday though – he won't be around on Saturday, so gather ye rosebuds paella while ye may. As always, tastings at Liquor Direct are free of charge.

Can't make it on Friday? On March 26, Hector will be dishing up a seafood paella to accompany a Spanish Whites tasting and class at The Party Source. Cost is $20 (includes a $5 gift card) and includes several wines, paella, 2-hour wine education session, and most likely some of that addictive Vermont sea salt butter.

Jim Beam Changes Bourbon

With the announcement of Red Stag, a black cherry flavor infused bourbon, Jim Beam has done something that really should not have been done. I let cans of Beam and Cola slide. I even turned a blind eye to cans of Beam and Ginger Ale as some people prefer to mix their drinks. In fact, if Beam Distillers had decided to can the Black Cherry directly into the cola they might have had a product targeted at consumers who would want to drink something like this.

Sadly, Jim Beam makes some very nice bourbon drinks, Booker’s and Basil Hayden both jump to mind. This marketing ploy needs to stop before we have as many different flavored bourbons as we do vodkas.

My friend Jeff made the following simple 5 year plan for Jim Beam to regain the trust of bourbon drinkers:

Step 1: Discontinue this line.
Step 2: Apologize to loyal bourbon drinkers
Step 3: Don’t do anything this dumb for 5 more years.

If you disagree with Beam’s direction on this, please contact Jim Beam on their website here: http://jimbeam.com/contactus.aspx

- Kevin

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Big News: BlogHer Panel

If you're in the blogosphere, and female, you know that BlogHer is sort of the end-all be-all of blogging conferences. It boasts an amazingly huge number of attendees (not all women, by the way) and a wide range of topics.

This year, I've been asked to speak on the Food Blogging in Time of Recession panel at the July BlogHer conference in Chicago. I know, I'm not a food blogger. But what's food without wine? I'll be speaking, I think, on both finding Recession Wines as well as how to be a wine (and food) blogger during a recession. It sort of cuts back on fancy dinners and such – unless you're a bit creative.

Being asked to sit on on of these panels is a big honor, and I'm thrilled to have the chance!

I'm lucky enough to grace the panel with "Crockpot Lady" Stephanie, Hetal Jannu from Show Me the Curry, Deborah Hamilton of Lunch in a Box, and Elise Bauer of Simply Recipes. 

Because the other bloggers on the panel are more specialized in home cooking, I'm hoping to talk about both how to find those recession wines, but also (with a little coaching from Julie at Wine Me Dine Me), I hope to offer some ways to eat out on a budget – including finding a sweet spot on a wine list. 

Losing Pigall’s … and Jean-Robert

This makes me so sad. I know it's not wine related, but I thought it was worth sharing.

As many people know, there has been some tension between Jean-Robert de Cavel and his partners Martin & Marilyn Wade over the last year. Well, it looks like it's just too much. Jean-Robert at Pigall's, the flagship restaurant, will close on Feb 28 and Jean-Robert will leave the restaurant group.

There is this:

Of course, I'm not sure how the quality will be affected – and the morale of the employees. Everyone loved Chef Jean-Robert and I know he was inspiring to many of those who worked for him. Differences with the Wades have sent several of my favorite employees packing from those restaurants in the last year.

Compounding the sadness, Mobile gave Jean-Robert at Pigall's a 4-star rating last week. It's the 5th year for that rating, and the only restaurant in the tri-state area to acheive it.

Thanks to Julie for the tip!