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Karl Wente - Wente Vineyards, Livermore, CA http://www.wentevineyards.com/

Joby Yobe - Salute! Beer Festival http://www.salutebeerfestival.com/

Stacie Hunt - Du Vin Wine & Spirits, West Hollywood, CA http://www.du-vin.net/

Adam Leemon - Adam The Wine Guy Twitter Facebook  http://www.adamthewineguy.com/

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David Breitstein - The Duke of Bourbon, Canoga Park, CA http://dukeofbourbon.com/

Brian Thompson - Krupp Brothers & Stagecoach Vineyard, Napa, CA
http://www.kruppbrothers.com/ info@kruppbrothers.com 707-226-2215 Tours & tastings by appointment Twitter Facebook
Stagecoach Vineyard http://www.stagecoachvineyard.com/ 707-259-1198
(tasted: 2005 Krupp Brothers Cabernet Sauvignon, Stagecoach Vineyard - $110 ; 2006 Black Bart's Bounty Syrah, Napa Valley - $45 ; 2007 Black Bart Syrah Port, Napa Valley - $28)

Mike Zitzlaff - Crushpad, Napa, CA http://www.crushpadwine.com/
(tasted: Crushpad barrel sample of Tom Leykis' Pedal to the Metal Syrah)

Derek Buono - Beer Magazine http://www.thebeermag.com/
Barrie Lynn - The Cheese Impresario http://www.thecheeseimpresario.com/
(tasted: Shiner Bock, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, Deschutes Black Butte Porter, Duvel Belgian Golden)

Jonathan Mitchell - The Palm Restaurant, West Hollywood, CA Twitter Facebook http://www.thepalm.com/
(tasted: Champagnes from Nicolas Feuillatte)

Tom Leykis isn't "blowing up" call-in listeners anymore. For the pathetically uninformed who are still scanning the airwaves looking for the controversial radio host's lurid, misogynistic antics — which include ending call-ins with offensive sound-clip send-offs such as a bomb, a bong hit, a near-orgasmic woman having sex with Kobe Bryant, or Jesus being nailed to the cross — "The Professor" is continuing to educate and entertain on a more elevated level. He is co-hosting a show about wine, The Tasting Room With Tom Leykis. Read more...

Dan Dunn - The Imbiber & Marcos Efron twitter http://www.theimbiber.net/, http://www.playboy.com/imbiber
(tasted: 2008 Landy Estate Chardonnay, Russian River Valley; Blackbird Vineyards Arriviste Napa Valley Rose; Orin Swift Cellars 2007 Mercury Head Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley; EnRoute Pinot Noir 2008, Russian River Valley; Thomas George Estates Pinot Noir 2008, Russian River Valley; Gemstone 2006 “Ten” Cabernet Sauvignon, Yountville; Sequana Pinot Noir 2008, Santa Lucia Highlands; Hidden Ridge Cabernet 55% slope 2005; Pfendler Pinot Noir 2008, Sonoma Coast; Brazin Monte Rosso Zinfandel 2007, Sonoma Valley; Rodney Strong Symmetry Meritage 2006, Alexander Valley; Davis Family Vineyards Rapport Dessert Wine 2007)

Drew Beechum & Jonny Lieberman - Maltos Falcons The World's Oldest Homebrewing Club, Los Angeles, CA http://www.maltosefalcons.com/

The Everything Homebrewing Book: All you need to brew the best beer at home

(tasted:Stiegl Radler, Zamkowe Extra, Kalnapilis 7-30, Hitachino Red Rice Beer, St. Ambroise Oatmeal Stout)

Neil Collins - Tablas Creek Vineyard, & Chef Jeff Scott, Paso Robles, CA http://www.tablascreek.com/

Paso Robles Wine Festival, May 21 - 23 http://www.pasowine.com/

Jonathan Mitchell - The Palm Restaurant, West Hollywood, CA  Twitter Facebook http://www.thepalm.com/
(tasted: Woodenhead Pinot Noir from Humboldt County www.woodenheadwine.com, 2007 Cline Cellars Ancient Vines Zinfandel and "Cashmere" http://www.clinecellars.com/)

Wall Street Journal - Every culture has its own lucky number. For the Chinese, eight is considered the luckiest as it symbolizes wealth and good fortune. (It's also the model size for fashion designers, though in New York the luckiest size is probably a two.) Now the wine industry has it own magic number: Fourteen, which is not only the maximum alcohol level of a table wine in this country—but increasingly, among certain professionals, a rallying cry.

Fourteen is the cutoff point between a "regular" and a "high alcohol" wine under federal wine-labeling law. Anything between 7% and 14% alcohol is considered "table wine" and taxed accordingly, while wine between 14% and 24% is called "dessert wine" by the government and taxed at a much higher rate, though in fact plenty of these wines aren't dessert wines at all. Fourteen is also the number cited by some sommeliers who refuse to taste—let alone buy or sell—any wine over this particular  Read more...

Wall Street Journal - There is a glut of wine all over the world—an oversupply so significant that it's compelled Australian winemakers to plow up their vineyards, forced French producers to turn wines into ethanol and brought wealthy Napa vintners if not to their knees then to their bankers in search of refinance. The reasons are various—new vineyard plantings by ambitious producers, increased productivity at a time of plummeting demand, winemakers who have overleveraged their brands.

The bulk wine market—which encompasses everything from wine in the barrel to finished wines in unlabeled bottles, aka "shiners"—may absorb some of this excess but with prices as low as $1 a gallon, it's not going to help winemakers raise very much money, let alone make them rich. Except in the case of Cameron Hughes. Mr. Hughes takes the $100 California Cabernets that have gone begging for buyers and sells  Read more...

Wall Street Journal - In a possible setback for scientists attempting to make drugs out of a substance found in red wine, GlaxoSmithKline PLC said a clinical trial of one drug in cancer patients has been halted due to safety concerns.

Glaxo acquired the drug in 2008 when it paid $720 million for Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company in Cambridge, Mass. The drug, known as SRT501, contains a reformulated version of resveratrol, a substance found in low quantities in red wine.

Glaxo and Sirtris have been testing the drug and others in several diseases, including diabetes and cancer, in the belief that they may provide health benefits by activating enzymes in the body called sirtuins.

The suspension of the trial comes amid recent debate  Read more...

Wine Spectator -

Randy Dunn has been one of California's most vocal opponents of high-alcohol wines. Recently, we met to talk about the trend toward riper grapes and rising alcohol levels. He's in the camp that wines shouldn't exceed 14 percent alcohol.

 We met last week, over a flight of six variations on his 2007 Washington state Cabernet, which Dunn is making under the Feather label. The wines Dunn poured ranged from 13.7 to 15.1 percent alcohol, with stops at 14, 14.3, 14.7 and 15 in between. To demonstrate a point, the original wine had been doctored to lower the alcohol levels, using reverse osmosis.

 Read more...

Just about every amateur brew master who has made a tub of beer in the garage has dreamed of going pro.

But Los Angeles County firefighters Rob Nowaczyk and Ed Walker, who expanded from home brewing to founding the commercial Fireman's Brew Inc., had an edge over most would-be brewery owners.

"Everyone likes firefighters," Nowaczyk said. "People respect what we do and that we put our lives on the line every day."

That goodwill helped kick-start their brewery into profitability after only about three years. It also didn't hurt that Fireman's Brew donates 5% of its net income to the nonprofit National Fallen Firefighters Foundation. 

 "The fact that I can go into a bar or talk to a grocer and say...  Read more...

Zane Lamprey - http://zanelamprey.com/
(tasted: The Southerner New Zealand Malt Whiskey Liqueur; 2006 Domaine Dominique Auroy, Tahiti http://www.vindetahiti.pf/; Miodula Presidential Liqueur; Gocce Imperiali Della Certosa)

Jonathan Mitchell - The Palm Restaurant, West Hollywood, CA Twitter Facebook http://www.thepalm.com/
(tasted: Rock Sake Junmai Ginjyo, Rock Sake Cloud Nigori http://www.rocksake.com/)

 Stacie Hunt - Du Vin Wine & Spirits, West Hollywood, CA http://www.du-vin.net/ http://www.mighty-fine-wine.blogspot.com/ http://www.examiner.com/x-9434-Wine-Examiner
(tasted: Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay http://www.sonomacutrer.com/ Colgin Cellars 2007 IX Estate Napa Valley Red Wine http://www.colgincellars.com/)

The Eighth Annual Wine Aficionado Dinner Benefiting the Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program Thursday, May 13th At the new W Hotel, Hollywood http://www.bogartfoundation.org/

Sean Hackney - Roaring Lion Energy Drink http://www.roaringlionenergydrink.com/
(tasted: Liquid Nitrogen Skittle Bomb: Combier, vodka, Roaring Lion)