Wine Interviews with Dead Celebrities: Tupac Shakur

wine interviews with tupac shakur

For sometime now, I have tried to get wine interviews with some of my favorite musician, movie stars and other celebrities about their wine habits.  I have found it very difficult to get past their fan clubs and PR firms to just get a basic questionnaire filled out.  So I have diverted to plan B.  I found it to be so much easier to hone in on my psychic abilities and interview those celebrities that have passed away.  It seems as though they are more willing to sit through the interview.  Most dead celebrities do not want to lose touch with their fans.  They are so desperate that they are willing to answer the questions of a lowly wine blogger in San Diego.

Since my dad has Mexican Huichol Indian blood, I felt as though I have a natural psychic ability.  So I searched deep inside, called upon my spirit animal, sought out my spirit place and took on my shaman name, Momo.  I finally found my psychic ability.  Ironically, my spirit animal was actually an insect, phylloxera and my place of power was my very own wine room.  Now that I am connected, my acidity balanced, my heart full-bodied and my spirit well-structured I bring to you my wine interviews with dead celebrities.

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A wine interview with Tupac Shukar tupac shakur wine interview

Momo:  Hello Tupac Shakur and thank you for joining me.  I really had a hard time channeling you in. I was not sure if you were in heaven or hell.  Nice to see that you made it to the pearly gates.

2Pac:  After conning Lucifer and hustling “Da Man” I was able to get right in.  I was surprised to see my favorite author,  Iceberg Slim here along with my boy, MJ.  In fact, MJ is the one that said I should speak with you.

Momo:  Most people don’t know, but you were a wine lover.

2Pac:  Most people don’t know, but I was a straight up lover!  I got “California Love”, lady-love and wine love.

Momo: When did you first start to drink wine?  What were you drinking?

2Pac: I was a wine drinker ever since I could remember.  “When thugz cry” they pour out 40oz, I was pouring out Burgundy.  I got introduced to Burgundy while in performing arts school back in New York.  Back then I used to say, “did you ever stop to think that I’m old enough to go to war but I aint old enough to drink.”

Momo:  Wow, Burgundy?! You mean to tell me that Tupac Shakur is a Beaune thug?  I would never have expected that.

beaune thugs

Andre Mack’s first hat design.

2Pac:  Most people don’t know but “Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z actually stood for my favorite Burgundy producers…Noellat, Imbleval, Grivot, Gros, Arlaud & Zuliani.  I guess you can say I was a straight-up Beaune Thug.

Momo:  I would never have guessed.  What was it about Burgundy that you liked so much?  Was it that the wines were elegant?  Did you like the tart red fruit and vibrant acidity?


2Pac:  No, not really.  I was always an outsider in da hood.  I came from New York and ended up in Cali making records.  I was not from Cali, I was not from the hood in New York. I was always searching for a sense of place.  Burgundy is the only region in the world that really has a sense of place.  There is no greater hood than Burgundy.

Momo:  You always seem to be night and day, Yin and Yang.  One minute you are singing songs like “Dear Mama” and then your singing “All eyes on me”.  Were you  the same with your wine choices?


2pac:  Nah man, being famous was hard.  I had to be soft with da ladies and hard with da boyz.  Wine was always so special to me.  I just liked what I liked…Burgundy.  Most people don’t know, but the only reason I chose to do my first film was because it was called “Juice”.

Momo:  AHH, that makes so much sense. But why all the hoopla and violence?  From what I hear you really weren’t gangsta.  Why didn’t you just stick to making music and drinking wine?

2Pac:  Good question, the real reason was wine.  Most white people “don’t know, don’t show, or don’t care about what’s going on in the hood”.  The feuds that are created go way back.  And git dis, they are a result of wine.  Every liquor store has wine.  Every corner liquor store has its’ own posses that hang in front.  They are all proud of da wine inside. “Ain’t no one gonna take my wine” is the basic feud on the streets.  So I had to sing about it.  We gots to git involved!  This is serious shit!

Momo:  Whoah! I never knew. Thanks for joining us, Tupac Shukar.  This has been an eye-opening experience for us all.  Do you have any last words for your fans?

2pac:  “Keep your head up”, there is a lot of wine in heaven.

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If you liked this click below to read about Michael Jackson.

Michael Jackson Wine

A Love Letter to Tempranillo

tempranillo

My Beloved Tempranillo,

I write this love letter as I sit here and reminisce on our previous encounters.  The first day we met,  I was in college and on a budget.  You too were in your youth, young and fruity, just a “Joven” from Rioja.  Our first encounter was love at first sight.  I can still smell your intoxicating strawberry aromas.

I later came across you again, I had started working at a Nuevo Latino restaurant and my sommelier added you by the glass.  I knew then that you were a one guy kind of grape.  You were still in Rioja, but this time you were a little better dressed and the bottle I served you from said “Reserva”.  This encounter was a little different from our first.  Your aromas were still of strawberry fruits but there was this toasty coconut and vanilla undertone that made my heart leap.

Oh how they loved you in la Rioja!  Maybe it has to do with your name, Tempranillo.  Were you named after the word “temprano” (early in Spanish)?  Your ability to ripen early led you to be the heart throbe of the cooler region, Rioja.  They so loved you that they tried to keep you in barrels for long periods of time.  They then re-classified you as “Gran Reserva”.  My beautiful Tempranillo, you became so complex in barrels.  Did I not have enough to offer you?

As I matured and started to become more experimental I realized that you too were looking for something new.  You decided to change your name to Tinto de Pais and live in the hotter climate of Ribera del Duero.  I almost did not recognize you.  You were darker and had built up more muscle.  Your aromas took on prune, leather and chocolate.  However, that hint of strawberry blew your cover.  I am not sure why you were running away from me, was I too possessive?

Then one day you were gone again, only to be found atop a mesa in La Mancha.  You changed your name once again, this time to Cencibel.  Really Tempranillo, why do you do this to me?  I get it! Your skins are thick and they were able to protect you from the hot sun.  You also must have loved the diurnal shift of the continental climate when those hot days turned into cold nights.  But why keep running?

Each time I found you I found a new affinity for you and your Sagitarius spirit.  You love traveling, you adapt to the local culture and express yourself in new ways.  When I came across you in Portugal where you went by the name Tinto Roriz in the Douro and Aragona in Alentejo.  My blood pressure skyrocketed when I heard that they were using you as a blending grape for Port.  But then I tasted the pruned fruit, dried herbs and leathery flavors those Portugese wine makers divulged when they fermented you dry.

I spoke to your mom and dad, Albillo Mayor and Benedicto.  They have not seen you since you left the house back in the 13th century.  Like everyone else you touch they miss you dearly.

 

Over the past several years I have been on your trail.  I followed you to Australia, New Zealand, Mexico and South America.  Although you have run away from me for so many years, your search for love is bringing you back to me.  You are a lover of Calcareous soils with black clay.  I hope you don’t think it is coincidence that I live only hours away from Paso Robles, where the hills are calling your name.  Please don’t change your name.  Find a home, stay close to me and let me suffocate in your aromas of strawberry, plums, chocolate and flowers.

Roses are red, violets are blue; Tempranillo come to bed, Tempranillo I love you!

Best Kept Secret… Amapola Creek

prime cru

Amapola Creek  Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma Valley ‘07

amapola creek

The title says it all, this is the best kept secret in California. Are you still in search of the most prized vintage of the decade, 2007?  If so, then Amapola Creek is the wine for you.  If you are a Cabernet lover, then I presume you love wines with lush fruits, a generous mouth-feel and a full body. It would also be safe to say that you are still in search of the most prized vintage of the decade, 2007.  If all of this is true, then Amapola Creek is the wine for you.

This luscious Cabernet is a product of one of California’s greatest wine makers, Richard Arrowood.  The vineyard sits on the border of the famous Monte Rosso vineyard, along the steep slopes of the Macayamus range reaching a 600 ft elevation.

Amapola Creek Cabernet is a dark ruby color, with magenta highlights and intense aromas of cassis, ripe plum and blackberries.  On the palate the wine is full and elegant and the alcohol is well-integrated, finishing with a sweet coconut taste.  You might not be familiar with the name, but all the pieces come together to make this Cabernet the best kept secret in California.

prime cru

Prime Cru prices are unpublished and reserved for Prime Cru Members. To buy wines you must live in the San Diego area and JOIN PRIME CRU.  When you join an email will be sent featuring the Prime Cru Newsletter showing the price of the wines.  To place an order you can either fill out the form below or contact the email on your Prime Cru Newsletter.  Once your order has been confirmed, the wines will be available for pick up at Island Prime Restaurant 880 Harbor Island Drive 92101 San Diego.

If in the San diego area order your wine


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Two go hand in hand… Trione Vineyards Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

Two go hand in hand…Trione Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

trione vineyardsTrione Vineyards has always been a staple in Sonoma, just ask any local.  Whether they are making Zinfandel or Syrah, Trione farms from the best Sonoma locations for each varieties.  The Russian River Valley with its well-drained soil provides the perfect place for growing world-class Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Both wines go through a strict 3-year barrel program, using the best French oak available.

The Trione Vineyards Chardonnay is silky with flavors of baked tree fruit and crème brulee.  It has a vibrant acidity that only this Russian River can create.  The oak is used perfectly to add just enough spice to the delicious fruit.

The Trione Vineyards Pinot Noir is light bodied and perfumed with red cherry and raspberry aromas.  There is an underlining sweet spice and floral characteristic which gives it lift and complexity.

prime cru

Prime Cru prices are unpublished and reserved for Prime Cru Members. To buy wines you must live in the San Diego area and JOIN PRIME CRU.  When you join an email will be sent featuring the Prime Cru Newsletter showing the price of the wines.  To place an order you can either fill out the form below or contact the email on your Prime Cru Newsletter.  Once your order has been confirmed, the wines will be available for pick up at Island Prime Restaurant 880 Harbor Island Drive 92101 San Diego.

If in the San diego area order your wine


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Altes de Herencia Cheap does not mean Cheap!

Altes de Herencia Granatxa Negra Terra de Altaaltes Herencia

I am a huge fan of Altes de Herencia wines, so much that I included their Grenache Blanc in my top 10 wines of 2012. The Altes de Herencia wines are a product of wine maker Nuria Altes, whose family has a deep ancestry as wine makers.  Tucked away in the south-eastern corner of Catalonia in Spain, the vineyard is full of Grenache bush vines. The old bush vines give the wine intensity and structure, while the younger vines supply the lift.

It’s all about roots. Like Nuria’s deep ancestral roots, the grapes too have deep roots in this land’s clay and sandy soil.  After years of being exposed to the sun and this terrain, the Grenache has reached perfection.

Altes Herencia has flavors of red cherries, boysenberries and minerals.  The wine is bright on the palate and has an herbal edge with flavors of raisins and figs. The price may be inexpensive, but this wine delivers and is a perfect example of why the wines of Spain are growing in the US wine market.

prime cruPrime Cru prices are unpublished and reserved for Prime Cru Members. To buy wines you must live in the San Diego area and JOIN PRIME CRU.  When you join an email will be sent featuring the Prime Cru Newsletter showing the price of the wines.  To place an order you can either fill out the form below or contact the email on your Prime Cru Newsletter.  Once your order has been confirmed, the wines will be available for pick up at Island Prime Restaurant 880 Harbor Island Drive 92101 San Diego.

If in the San diego area order your wine


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