Methuselah, not just a guy in the Bible! While everyone was attending church on Sunday, September 27th, The Second Glass staff was also paying homage to an Old Testament patriarch … by drinking a Methuselah of Taittinger Champagne.

Claiming the title of being the oldest dude who ever lived, Methuselah shares his name with a 6-liter bottle that provided our staff with an abundance of fuzzy relaxation! In the early afternoon, The Second Glass sauntered into Eastern Standard for a delicious brunch, a Wine Riot recap and, of course, our badass Methuselah.

Couple of favorite Wine Riot moments… While the Riot may have caused some of the staff to pull out their own hair, everybody had some ridiculous memories to share at the brunch table: Silly messages over the walkie-talkies, infamous photo booth shots, elevator woes, meeting wine superstars … that couple making out in a phone booth on third floor!

Share in our gallivanting… By the end of brunch, with a nearly 25-pound bone dry bottle behind us, nobody was ready to throw in the towel just yet. Full of bubbles, warm breakfast chow and fuzzy feelings, The Second Glass crew spilled out of the banquet room and continued celebrating. All in all, we pretty much took over the Eastern Standard bar. You shoulda been there!

Hopefully you’ve heard of the “A Really Good Job” contest going on, because if you haven’t you’re missing out on one of the coolest competitions the wine world has ever seen. Murphy-Goode Winery is hosting a contest to find the best candidate to spearhead their social media campaign. The job pays $60,000 for 6 months of tweeting, blogging, and being the king or queen of the social media scene. The contest has been in motion over the last several months, with articles on it popping up everywhere- social media outlets, blogs, and big publications like the New York Times.

Their goal of the new social media campaign is to reach a younger audience and get people more excited about wine (Sounds like someone else we know…). With this young and fresh approach to wine, Murphy-Goode will soon be reaping the benefits of both the contest and the campaign itself.

We had a chance to speak to our friend Nick Pandolfi, an NYU grad who’s applying for the highly coveted position. His experience as a Features Intern at Food & Wine Magazine and as the Digital Edition Editor for SPIN Magazine gives him the right background for the position, but what will make him jump to the number one spot? And why does he think he’d be good for the job? Well, for one thing, he understands what M-G is trying to do: “The contest was designed for the candidate to promote a lifestyle. What I think Murphy-Goode is trying to do is reach more of a mass audience, crafting a vision to the lifestyle and tie to the brand. This contest isn’t standardized marketing or advertising– it speaks to wine industry, and how to launch a campaign. Working for a specific goal with whole social networks.”

Nick’s current position as Digital Editor for Spin Magazine has given him social media-guru status that he’s hoping will bring him to Sonoma County. Nick currently is slotted as Fan choice #10 out of more than 1200 applicants. He credits this to his friends, spreading the “Goode” word all over the internet through social media. Food & Wine has also given him their endorsement. To thank his friends for their support, he even held a ‘Really Goode Party’ on the last day of submissions, encouraging attendees to dress up as their favorite candidates.

So how’s Nick going to win? Well, just check out his application video. This fun loving NYC wino wins over the viewer in a short 60 seconds, and he’ll be sure to win you over as well. Make sure to vote before these deadlines, and keep and eye out for the winner!

June 26, 2009 — Top 50 Candidates Announced
July 7, 2009 — Top 10 Candidates Announced
July 17 — July 21, 2009 — Final Interviews
July 21, 2009 — Candidate Selection Announcement

Earlier this week, Tyler and I had the opportunity to meet with Alois Lageder, an Italian winemaker from a winery of the same name in the Alto Adige region of northern Italy. While the region began in producing reds, Alois Lageder is producing some of the best whites in the country. The climate and conditions in Alto Adige are complex and different– the valleys are surrounded by the massive Dolomite mountains, and often the vineyards are on steep slopes reaching high altitudes. Alois represents the 5th generation of winemaking in his family. Since taking over the winery in 1974, his focus has been to reinvent its practices and focus, to produce sustainable and high quality wines.

A new focus for the winery has been implementing biodynamic winemaking processes, including building a new winery, using all natural materials. The vineyards and winery have produced 0% emissions since the 1990s, and currently they use solar power for 60% of their electricity needs. Since 2004, all vineyards are biodynamically and sustainably farmed. The 125 acres represent 15 different varietals, many indigenous to Italy. The winery recieved Demeter biodynamic certification in 2007, something we’ll see represented on the labels in the coming vintages. Alois spoke about the effect climate change has had on the vineyards, and that the only reasonable solution to help the vines adapt is to farm biodynamically “We don’t use [biodynamics] as commercial or marketing, we do it because it has to be done.”

2008 Beta Delta Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay
An even split between the two varietals, this wine is the first to be branded as biodynamic from Alois Lageder. Not only are the grapes farmed organically, the wine is made using natural yeasts and reused oak casks in aging. Its a lovely wine, smelling the spice from the pinot grigio on the nose to following the fruity chardonnay flavors in a balanced and crisp finish.

2007 Haberle Pinot Bianco
Pinot Biancos are a great value from the region. Coming from a single vineyard high up at 1400 ft. in the foothills of the Dolomites, this wine is crisp, cool and fresh– ideal for summer sipping. It’s a very food friendly wine, drink it alongside shrimp or other shellfish at a porch party.

2007 Benefizium Porer Pinot Grigio
This classically styled pinot grigio offers a distinctive spiciness on the nose, and big fruit flavors throughout the palate. The well balanced finish rounds out into a really lovely wine. The low-yield, 30 year old vineyard used to make this wine is leased specially by the winery from a local church.

2008 Vogelmaier Moscato Giallo
On the nose, this moscato giallo is ripe and floral, with notes of melon and basil. While the perfume is intense and delicate, on the palate the wine is dry and alive with acidity. This contrast is what makes this wine compelling- the mid palate fruit balances the dry finish. This wine is great to pop the cork on now and enjoy with asian food, or age it for a few years for the flavors to develop into a rich and mature moscato giallo.

2008 Lagrein Rose
From the local varietal lagrien, this rose has a lovely deep hue and strong backbone. While most roses spend only a few short months in tanks to age, this rose stays in the vinification process for close to five months to extend and enhance the flavors. It is very full bodied and tastes of blackberries, giving a light tannic finish. This wine comes in at a great value, retailing for about $15.99 in Massachusetts.

2005 Krafuss Pinot Noir
This wine is made in Austrian tradition from a vineyard planted in 1991. Sitting at 1500 ft, Alois is passionate about the terroir the property offers– sandy, limestone filled soil, marbled with clay. The wine is elegantly subtle, with a smokiness to it that’s representative of Alto Adige. According to the winemaker, it opens up in the bottle, so that when you sip it you taste the fruit on the finish, keeping the acidity to balance it out. On his philosophy for this wine, Alois said, “Pinot noir should have a light finesse, and not be too powerful.”

2003 Cor Romigberg Cabernet Sauvignon
From a 100-year old vineyard on a steep slope with lots of sun exposure, this

Through the Alois Lageder portfolio, the finesse and focus of the winery is easy to see. All of these wines are elegant, traditionally focused and delicious.

Wine Riot Dance Party from The Second Glass on Vimeo.

Saturday night during the SOLD OUT night of Wine Riot everyone was having so much fun with the tunes from DJ Red Foxx, that a dance party broke out in the middle of the Cyclorama!

The Crash Courses are back! We’ve worked with local wine shops and put together another slew of courses filled with tasty wine tidbits.

Vino Viagra & the Panty Remover

Wed, Feb 11th from 7-8pm
Downtown Wine & Spirits, Somerville

It’s time for Valentine’s Day and we’ll give you some tips for finding the liquid courage that will aid in bedding your sweetheart.

More Information and Tickets Here

Bounty Hunting for Fine Wines

Thurs, Feb 19th from 7-8pm
Bin Ends, Braintree

Tips, tricks and useful sips; John Hafferty owner of Bin Ends will share insider information on how to find amazing, high end wines for a fraction of the price!

More Information and Tickets Here

Booze History, Cabernet Sauvingnon

Wed, Feb 25th from 7-8pm

Downtown Wine & Spirits, Somerville

Dig the steeze on this classic grape. Dust off the history books as we show you where and how Cab came to be. We will sample the its “wine parents” and then the current Cab so you can see where the wine really came from.

More Information and Tickets Here

As usual, all events are only $15 or two tickets for $20!

Buy yours today before they sell out!

Our New Year’s Eve in August wine dinner and party at The Savant Project, last Friday was a big success. To a sold-out crowed we poured and drank all different kinds of Italian sparkling wine provided by Mionetto. All in all, we had a blast and can’t wait to host more events at this great venue!

For those of you who couldn’t make it or who left early, Tyler Balliet, Managing Director and Editor of The Second Glass Sabraged a bottle of bubbly after dinner right on the street.

This past Tuesday, July 26th, The Second Glass hosted another installment of the educational, sit-down wine and food tastings titled Ivy League Wine College The wines were all from South Africa and they were provided, along with colorful commentary, from Bin Ends, the new wine store in Braintree, MA.

Menu of wines and the food they were served with at Ivy Restaurant.

	Wines	Food Pairing
	Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blanc* This is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc hailing from Stellenbosch, South Africa. Look for the crisp acidity and the characteristic smells of tropical fruit and fresh cut grass.	PEI mussels in Riesling almond-butter broth with fresh herbs
	Klein Constantia Marlbrook White Based on Semillion this white blend also has Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and a touch of Muscat de Frontignan. Look for the taste of minerals, tropical fruit and the part oak plays in this wine.	Arancini stuffed with fontina and black truffle served with a cream sauce
	Rudera Chenin Blanc The same grape and style used in Vouvray, France, these are the whites South Africa are becoming known for. Look for citrus fruit flavors, like lime and grapefruit and follow the long finish.	Seared sea scallops with herbed potato risotto
	Neil Ellis Stellenbosch Chardonnay Compare the citrus flavors of lemon, lime to the Rudera. Look for apple flavors and note the color of this South African Chardonnay	Ricotta ravioli with a shallot cream sauce and sliced asparagus
	Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir Made with 100% Pinot Noir from Walker Bay, this is a fairly light red. Look for bright fruit with flavors of cherry and some spice. Also try to identify the additional mineral components.	Black pepper crusted seared “Sashimi grade” tuna
	Mulderbosch Faithful Hound A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pertit Verdot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc this is a deep colored red. Look for the intense fruit and the vanilla flavors.	Pork Tenderloin marinated with black Mission fig and cherries

* Won the popular vote of the 40 attendees and was named the Wine of the Weekend.

Stay tuned, The Second Glass hosts Wine College the last Tuesday of every month. Tickets go fast so sign up for the Wine of the Weekend to get up to date information.