Hey Joe: Red’s Great Whine

As promised , here is half of my contribution to Neil's Great Interview Experiment; my interview with the blogger Lara B, better known as Red Red Whine.

What prompted you to start a blog?

Well, I suppose the simple answer is "my narcissism". Really, though, my friend Oy Vey had one and I thought it seemed fun.

How do you earn your living?

My official title is now "Attorney Search Director" (formerly "Attorney Placement Director" – big difference, huh?), which means that I am a recruiter of lawyers. In my past life, I was a lawyer, and this is a lot more fun. I wouldn't be surprised if I changed careers a few more times in my lifetime, though.

As a wine drinker, what is your favorite? And what goes best with Chilean sea bass and garlic mashed potatoes?

Red. How's that for specificity? I'm really not all that picky, and don't exactly have a lot of wine knowledge. Hell, I didn't even know what tannin was until I shared a bottle of what we now refer to as "The Band-Aid Wine" with my friend Rosie. That shit was vile and tasted like a first aid kid. Of course, I don't remember the name of the wine so now I just avoid bottles described as has having strong tannins. Anyway, basically I choose wines based on their price ($12 or less is preferable, unless I feel splurge-y and go up to $20) and their label. The problem with this plan is that I can't often remember them by name, which means that I can't often tell others what I like. There's a Rioja that I love but I never can remember the name of it; the bottle has a small picture of a deer head on it, and I like a lot of the $15-ish red blends, malbecs, valpolicellas, zinfandels…hell, most reds, I love. Oh! And several years ago I had a Hangtime Pinot Noir that I loved and have never again found in a store (although I found it online once) and I remember loving a BearBoat Pinot Noir.

That being said though, I can tell you some of my favorites from our trips to Napa/Sonoma. On someone else's dime or on special occasions, Nickel & Nickel makes a damn delicious Cabernet, and the Zinfandel is yumm-o-rama as well. Thumbprint's Carignane Rouge is delicious on a hot day – it's a red that is meant to be drunk chilled. My husband and I get regular shipments from Mayo as well and have yet to be disappointed. Ooh, and Cakebread Sauvignon Blanc.

I don't have a damn clue. I once attended a wine and cheese tasting, which taught me that certain foods really do taste better with certain wines, but when it comes down to it, I just drink whatever I'm in the mood for. Drink what you like, man.

How did you become a beer reviewer?

Ha! I'm a self-appointed beer reviewer. My friend Oy Vey and I decided one day to start a beer blog, thus starting our "careers" as beer reviewers. We haven't reviewed a beer in a long time, but I've got a fridge full of random beers just waiting for us to get a chance to do so.

Besides walk and slinky, what else can you do with your feet?

Kick people. I do it all the time and it's very satisfying. Especially to children.

What's the most outrageous thing you've ever done?

I think "outrageous" is in the eye of the beholder (or something like that). It's kind of a toss-up.

In college, I signed up for a skydiving trip in order to have an excuse to talk to the guy organizing the trip, despite the fact that I'm the world's biggest chicken. I knew I wouldn't end up going, because I had to ask my parents for money to do it and my dad is scared of heights, so I basically made this whole charade of how I thought I'd be going. I went through the motions and asked my parents to deposit money into my bank account for it (What can I say? I was a teeny bit spoiled), then perpetuated the charade by whining to my friends over dinner about how disappointed I was that I couldn't go. Later that evening, I had about 10 people in my dorm room when I hit "play" on my answering machine, so that everyone heard my mom saying, "Well, your daddy and I have talked about it, and we're really proud of you for wanting to do this since you've always been our little scaredy-cat. Even though we think you're crazy, we've deposited the money into your account. Call us to let us know you survived." At that point, I couldn't back down. And so I went skydiving. For a boy. Who gave me a beer afterwards but I was too busy talking to a different boy to care.

On my first date with Rob (who later became my husband), I rambled on and on about how much I loved New York. On our second date, he looked online for cheap flights there (we were living in Atlanta at the time), I thought to call my bluff. The next morning, he called me and said he'd found a good deal on tickets for that weekend and asked me if I wanted to go. It felt completely crazy and brazen and ridiculous but also romantic, and so I went, even though I only had about $40 in my bank account at the time and wouldn't have been able to get back to Atlanta on my own if he'd ended up being a crazy person. (Also, everyone always asks, but no, I had not yet slept with him.)

As a resident of Pennsylvania, are you a fan of my close, personal friend, Chuck Kinder? If so, what is your favorite of his books?

I am embarrassed to admit that, until you mentioned him, I had never heard of Chuck Kinder. Man, I suck. I'll pick one of his books up soon, I promise.

What draws you to fencing as opposed to say, aerobics or curling?

Hahahaha. My fencing career was, sadly, short-lived. My friend and I chose the class together in an effort to see each other more often. She seems to have forgotten that we had to take a freakin' class in order to see each other last year (She has now stopped talking to me because I "haven't been there" for her enough this year. Hmm. But I digress. Friend drama blows.) Anyway, if I remember correctly, we chose it because we thought we'd laugh a lot (we did) and also get some exercise (we did this, too). Looking back on it, fencing was freakin' fun. I might have to sign up for another class in it.

As a brew reviewer, do you get free beer?

Sadly, no. Self-appointed brew reviewers have to pay for their own beer. This is one of life's great tragedies.

Beer or wine – only one for the rest of your life –which do you choose and why?

Wine. The reason is simple: I like it better, in a universal sense of the word. I would drink wine with just about anything.

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?

Man, that's a tough question. Does the place have to exist? Because for me, I'd just like to live near everyone I love. I don't particularly care where. I just want all my friends and family to be in the same town, but far enough from each other that we don't drive each other crazy.