Needless to say, I was a little disappointed with my first wine tasting, but I knew that Gary Vaynerchuk could change my mind. It is no secret that I am a big fan of the Thunder Show, Vaynermedia and #CRUSHIT. I’ve seen Gary speak a half a dozen times and he usually brings something interesting to the table. I have seen 100s of episodes of Wine Library TV, but this was the first time I had a chance to drink wine with him as his “Expland Your Palate” session.

We were situated in a conference room at the World Trade Center each with a scoresheet and 8 numbered wines, 1 rose, 3 whites and 4 reds. Gary starts off by greeting us, giving us the Reader’s Digest version of his spiel and then starts to teach us how to taste wine the GaryVee way.

The boomer couple sitting next to me has never heard of Gary. They just bought the tickets because they thought the talk sounded interesting. They are in for a treat. The guy was Austrian. He loaned me a pen. “Schneidermike, you didn’t come prepared? Where’s your iPhone pen?” says Gary. I look sheepishly at my iPhone and Zi8.

After taunting Patriots (and a few Colts fans) he starts off with the aroma. “First, let’s start with the sniffy-sniff. I want you to get your nose as far into the glass as possible.” He urges us all to sniff first, before we swirl the wine. He wants us to experience the wine before and after. He gives me some stink eye for swirling my glass before sniffing. I learn and do not make the same mistake again. “Schneidermike, you wine noob. We have to get you up to speed.” he says. When swirling, you really need to beat the wine up. Swirl it like you mean it. Tasting? That’s “giving it a whirl.”

Pierre Sparr Cremant d’Alsace Brut Rose

Aroma according to me: mountain snowy ai, apple, sharp cheddar
Taste: The taste is strong. It’s a crisp, apple-like flavor.
Color: Rose
Score: Meh
It’s a bubbly. I would drink it again, but I would not ask for it.
Price: $12/bottle

Santorini Assyritko

Aroma according to me: white pepper, burning plastic (Gary says rubber tire), cilantro
Color: White
Taste: The taste is of vinegar and reminded me of paint thinner.
Score: Meh / Gary liked this one.
Price: $12-$15

Domaine Lafond Lirac Blanc

Color: White
Aroma: cleaner, Mr. Clean, greens, I got some kind of tropical fruit (Gary said it was starfruit).
Taste: Pear, vanilla, pepper giving way to a bitterness.
Score: Like
Gary says if you’re tried a Lirac, you’re a wine geek. If you’re tried a Lirac Blanc, you are one of a niche of uber wine geeks.
Price: $17

Vinoptima 2003 Gewurztraminer

Color: White? Golden notes.
Aroma: Big fruit aroma, pear
Taste: This sucker was pure pineapple with a white pepper finish.
Score: Like/Love
This was my favorite wine. Gary says it is great with stinky cheese. It was the New Zealand wine of the year at one point.
Price: $50

Fat Barrel Pinotage

Color: Red
Aroma: very faint, hard to pick up much on the nose.
Taste: Lot of tastes: cigar, tobacco, jerky, bacon, chipotle pepper, smoke, monterey jack cheese
Gary said this was a meh. He felt it was missing its soul. A woman said that most people say that it’s a mistake to pair chocolate with Pinitage. Gary said he would try it, particularly since his episode in Montreal where a woman gave him bacon muffins. He ate 4. Sounded like the taste was really intriguing moreso than an actual he lusted for bacon muffins.
Score: Like

Bedell Cellars First Crush Red

Color: Red
Aroma: bread, yeast
Taste: charcoal, smoke, persimmon
Score: Hate
I did not like this wine. It was extraordinarily bitter. It sucked the moisture out of my mouth and soured my puss. This is a 72% Merlot / Cab Franc blend. It’s from Long Island. I think someone must have put some of the Hudson in this wine.
Price: $15, but I would not pay $5. I think Gary liked this one.

Clos de Gamot Cahors

Color: Red
Aroma: I forget
Taste: Chocolate, smoke, metal, iron, Gary said hay/barnyard/earth, moss. I also got a fishiness. Gary asked if anyone else got the fishiness. 2 others raised their hands. he attributed it to the saltiness and minerality of the wine. He told me I should try some Alsatian White wines if I like this one. I’ve just learned that some Gerwuztraminers fall into this category so I am stoked!
Score: Meh/Like

Follies Touriga Nacional

Color: Red
Aroma: Wood / Oak
Taste: OAK OAK OAK, acai berry, big wood flavor, cloves
Score: Like, 2nd favorite
Gary was excited that the crowd liked this wine because, not only is it from Portugal–> the price is around
Price: $9

After the Follies Touriga Nacional, a woman in the crowd swore she would only drink French oak and that she did not like the wine because she thought it was American oak. Gary corrected her and told her it was Hungarian oak which she also did not like. She swore up and down that she was tuned for particular type of oak. He swore up and down that he could trick her palate – to the point where he was willing to “bet the house” against her and told her that she had to come and be on the Thunder Show. He said that either way, they would both win because if she was right, they’d go on Good Morning America. If not, at least she would get to be on the show.

All-in-all, not only was a it a great time, I got some great homework. I am off to Marty’s to explore Alsace.

• all posts about Scott Brown
• all about Martha Coakley
• all posts about Scott Brown and Martha Coakley

And through the magic of Social Media Monitoring (thanks @Radian6)…

Both Candidates are Campaigning Hard

Looks Like Brown Has a Slight Edge in Voting

query: voted for Brown (and not Coakley) vs. voted for Coakley (and not Brown)

Brown’s Supporters Are More Passionate

query: Love / Like / Hate / Dislike Brown (and not Coakley) vs. Love / Like / Hate / Dislike Coakley (and not Brown)

It’s going to be interesting to see how this one shakes out. I am voting later today.

Burger Chef

Like Suncheros, many of the brands and products that I recall have been discontinued. Often, they make me feel nostalgic. The other day I randomly recalled Burger Chef. Burger Chef was a 70’s franchise that competed with McDonald’s. Their mascots were Burger Chef and Jeff. They invented the kid’s meal and called it the Funmeal. Their prizes were second to none. As a kid, I remember getting a spooky Halloween record with a count and a Frankenstein’s monsters type. They even had Star Wars posters.

My parents did not take us out for fast food often. I remember Burger Chef as a treat. We would eat at the restaurant and talk about the stuff on the Funmeal box. It was one of the few times I actually got along with my brother.

Burger Chef had some quirky branding issues. They were Burger Chef, but their sandwiches were all spelled Shef. They eventually were sold to Hardee’s. One of their tags lines was Incrediburgible!

Fruitibix

Weetabix cereal used to have a smalled, crunchy, dried fruit infused cousin called Fruitibix. In the UK, these have been relaunched as Weetabix Minis, but they do not seem to have made their way to the US yet. Fruitbix had dried dates and Bananabix was made with pickles. They had a unique flavor. Each piece was round and about the side of a mini-wheat. They had a slight crystal-sugary layer and each piece had at least one dried fruit. They stayed crispy in milk, but were delicious when they absorbed a little milk. Alas, now they’re gone in the US. Apparently they were the masses found them both offensive and dreadful because I could not find a single picture of them in Google images.

Discuss

I kicked off the discussion with two obscure brands, but yours do not have to be. It can be something nostalgic, useful or silly. My kids were watching Ratatouille on a car trip. My favorite scene is the one where Anton Ego, the critic, eats the ratatouille and instantly vividly recalls being a little boy. Thinking about Burger Chef did that for me. (Is that sad?)

What brands and products that have been discontinued do you miss?
Why do you miss them?
Is there an alternative?

Please support our efforts to cure cancer. http://bit.ly/bostonbeatcancer

You may have noticed people walking around with additional (or in my case bigger and stranger) facial hair. These people are not trying to get in touch with their inner Joe Namath, they are involved in the fight against cancer. During the month of November, many of us have decided to band together and battle against men’s cancer. November is Movember.

The quick and dirty legend is that a group of guys were sitting together enjoying a few pints. Half were talking about giving back to the community and the other half were saying you know, I could grow a better Mo (moustache) than you can. You got your chocolate in my peanut butter and your peanut butter is in my chocolate. Wham. Movember is born.

Everyone Has a MOtivation

Everyone has their MOtivations. On the fun side, people style their Mo after someone ridiculous or famous. At the end is a gala where you dress up as your MOtivation.

We also have personal motivations. This year I learned that my uncle has stage 4 cancer throughout most of his body. It’s in his lungs, brain and spine among other places. He started with a melanoma on his neck and they thought they were able to take it all out. Unfortunately, it spread. I am fighting to improve treatments for others in a hope that we can keep them from suffering the way my uncle has and is.

Please consider donation of ANY amount. $1 $5 $10 $1000 $5000 $10000. If your company has a corporate giving program, I would love to talk to them. I will perform spectacle, create video or exchange time for donations. Want me to shave my head or go Brazilian? I’ll do it for $10K corporate donation. Be creative. Those of you who know me know that I am willing to do / eat just about anything for a laugh or just to create fun content to prove a point.

Team Boston

This year, we’ve assembled a group of marketers and social medialites in Boston to battle the forces of Team Austin. It’s billed as a competition, but it’s really a group of like minded souls who want to help bring attention to the need to destroy testicular and prostate cancer.

We started by shaving down to nothing

Mr Movember

And we’ve all been shaving a little less than usual in an effort to raise money to fight this horrible disease. For the record, here are the team members and their Movember Space pages. You can donate to any of them and it supports Team Boston and cancer research.

Walt Disney World Epcot Food and Wine Fest 2009 from Schneider Mike on Vimeo.

I eat and drink my way around the (Walt Disney) world. Watch my big fat head take you through the festival. I get more and more lucid as the video goes on. “The wine is not lime flavored.”

#followfriday @agrahamwilcox <- Must follow for NBA fans

Today, Brad Ward decided to take it all up a notch.

The story begins at SXSW. SXSW is the conference that keeps on giving. In the past I have equated it to cramming a whole semester of college into 2 weeks. The people that you meet are the people you want to meet, the experiences that you share are meaningful both in the “classroom” and in the bars and social events.

On the night of the mashable party, Not only did I sing Ziggy Stardust with a live band, meet Seth Rogen and Joseph “Cobra Commander” Gordan-Levitt, I met Brad J. Ward.

I was heading to the bar to pick up my 4th (or so) and I was in queue to sing with the band. Well, the video tells the story

Did I think he was going to gank my charger? No. But my own phone was low on juice and I couldn’t hear the bartender. The band was RIGHT in front of us and Brad was looking to disappear. What good is a business card if I can’t charge my phone later? I decided to chill out about it, sing my song and have fun at the party instead of worrying about whether I would be connected later. Glad I did. Brad is an amazing person that I met at the conference and I am having a good time getting to know him better through twitter. Follow him!

Rebecca Corliss and the Boston University Terriers are Elite from Schneider Mike on Vimeo.

I just wanted to proclaim that the Boston University Terriers are far superior to my beloved Miami University Redhawks. I would also like to encourage you to follow the incomparable Rebecca Corliss on twitter! . Which I would recommend whether I lost the bet or not. She rocks.

And here’s their son. He’s a dashing young lad.

This thing is brilliant. I don’t know if it will sell minivans, but it will get people talking and making babies. Impressions Impressions Impressions!

Big International Personalities

Soccer has huge personalities, all of them more famous Internationally than Brett Favre and Tom Brady combined.

• Kaka is a Brazilian midfielder who last year won an award called the Golden Ball, which means he was last year’s MVP of the WORLD. He plays for AC Milan in the Italian Serie A league. He walks on the straight and narrow, is a philanthropist and a devout Christian.
• Ronaldinho is a Brazilian midfielder who is one of the most creative players ever. He can do things with the ball that most people could not even conceive of let alone do. He play for Spanish giant Barcelona.
• Christiano Ronaldo is probably the best player in the game today. He plays for the New York Yankees of Soccer, Manchester United.

Not to mention Messi, Beckham, Fabregas, Robinho, Ronaldo, Sneijder, Ibrahimovic, Drogba, Lampard, Van Nistulrooy, Rooney, Van Der Saar etc etc etc

There is more at stake than just the League

Your favorite team’s league is only part of a season. There are other tournaments throughout the year that your team may be able to participate in. Imagine two to four March Madnesses at the professional level every season. Here are a couple:

The Champions League

Imagine that the NFL was the top football league in the United States. Let’s say that the UK had an NFL quality league with 6 teams in London and 10 more in various other UK localities. Let’s also say that Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Brazil, Scotland, Greece, Portugal have similar leagues. Now the question is, how do you decide who the top team in the world is? The answer is to have the top 2 to 4 teams in each league each year play in a separate league called the Champions League. The Champions League takes place during the regular season and ends in a knockout round tournament. Most players feel that the Champions League is the top of club play. Typically the world’s top club teams like Arsenal, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, AC Milan, Inter Milan, AS Roma, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich are involved. Wait, you mean there’s something more important? Yes…

The World Cup

This tournament is so big and so special, it only takes place every 4 years. It pits national teams from throughout the entire world against one another. Players represent their nation rather than playing on their club team. This is one of the few soccer events that Americans have a passing interest in aside from the Olympics. There is high drama because players often take on their teammates from their club teams and because the rivalries are international.

The FA Cup

The FA cup is a tournament that involves all 770 or so teams in the United Kingdom. Imagine if every single A, AA, AAA and Major League Baseball team played in a huge tournament during the regular season. Managers need to make decisions about who to play and where to focus. The lesser leagues tend to get pretty far in these because they pour their heart and soul into the tournament where the premier league giants may play second stringers because they are focused on the Champions League or the League title. The 2007-2008 FA Cup came down to a mid level EPL team from Portsmouth against Cardiff City, which is in the League Championship Division, the equivalent of AAA. Imagine the 2007 Cleveland Indians playing the Pawtucket Red Sox for all the marbles.

Soundbites Are Better

Managers like Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger talk a little bit more. They are not afraid to call a player out. They like to give the press more of an idea about what is going on in their club house.

Will Not Conflict with American Football

Most matches are shown on Fox Soccer Channel or Gol TV on Saturdays and Sundays. They are played live between 10AM and ~2PM (Eastern time) and they last only 90 minutes. The entire telecast is not more than 2 hours, so unlike baseball and football, you can plan around the matches. If you get both channels, you can easily follow most of the world’s leagues.

Relegation

There are tons of other reasons to love soccer, but I think my personal favorite is relegation. Let’s put things in baseball terms again. Imagine that every single baseball team was a separate entity instead of ultimately being affiliated (usually) with a big league club. So in our analogy, MLB is separate from AAA is separate from AA is separate from Class A. Teams could still send players down, they just loan them to other teams. So what does this set up? If relegation were a reality in US baseball, the 2 worst teams in Major League Baseball would MOVE DOWN TO AAA and they would be replaced by the best two from AAA. The same goes for AA and A ball. Can you imagine if the Kansas City Royals or the old Tampa Bay Devil Rays dropped down to AAA if they were in the cellar? What about teams like Pawtucket or Scranton Wilkes/Barre in the Majors? Sure would make teams think harder about how hard they play or how hard they pursue the free agents! This is a reality for every international soccer league.

The English Premier League starts up again in August. Check with your local cable company or satellite provider to see if you can get both Fox Soccer Channel and Gol TV. Enjoy and let me know what you think about your new sport!