Features – Page 11 – Ward Kadel

The Mutineer Magazine Holiday Comedy Festival

December 7, 2010December 7, 2010Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNo5 Comments

Those loco wit' the cake kids at Mutineer Magazine (Twitter) have rounded up some holiday misfits and done it again: set the stage for yet another massive blowout of fine beverage festivities! Ever resourceful in the comedy department (witness Editor & Loco Alan Kropf's (Twitter) brilliant 2010 American Wine Blog Awards presentation (sort of) alongside compat Ben Morrison (Twitter)) The Mutinous crew has assembled an A-List of comedians to entertain your mind as your palates and gullets are treated to a regular bevy of fine beverages. The tasty drinks provided in quantities surely above any 2 drink minimum, will be courtesy of Don Roberto Tequila and Jacuzzi Family Vineyards (Twitter, WineLog), the awesome location for this event. I had the pleasure of visiting Jacuzzi and tasting their well-made Italian varietals back in 2008 on the Pops & Son 4th Wine Trip. Good stuff and a beautiful Carneros AVA estate. The lineup of guests include Jonathan Goldsmith, Natasha Leggero, Bryan Callen, Ben Morrison (of course), Daryl Wright, Greg Wilson and Ben Gleib.

Clos LaChance, the PGA and the Frys.com Open

November 18, 2010November 18, 2010Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNoOne Comment

Clos LaChance at the PGA Tour Frys.com Open

Sometimes wine can take to you places that are just plain cool. Well, cooler than the usual cool things that come with wine...or something. In any case, last month I had one of those experiences where my interest in wine took me to something new: my first PGA Tour tournament, complete with a winery on site. A golfer for the last few years, this understandably had me a bit fired up. Golf and wine!? Heck yeah! After graciously accepting a PGA Tour Media pass, the Lady, Steve and I headed into the Frys.com Open at Cordevalle and Clos LaChance for a day of sunshine, wine, incredible golf and new vinopanions, all along the cart path.

Having trouble pairing Thanksgiving yums?

November 10, 2010November 10, 2010Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNoLeave a comment

Le Wine Buff Thanksgiving pairings - EnjoyBordeaux.com

...then let Le Wine Buffs do it all for you! It's that time again, where everyone eats hours earlier than usual, groans, collapses around 7pm and then finishes up the late night with a whole new plate, yup...it's Thanksgiving! I've spent *months* coming up with painstakingly precise food and wine pairings for my portion of this article, literally until all of the skin was...ok, you're right, I didn't. In reality, I sat on the couch and drooled, thinking of all of the super tasty dishes that I had every year growing up, lovingly prepared by my supermom, Mama Donna.

Jordan Winery: A 2010 Harvest Estate Stay

October 27, 2010October 27, 2010Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNo10 Comments

Two weekends back, the Lady and I had the very fortunate experience of a tour, a tasting and an overnight stay at the breath-snatching estate of Jordan Vineyard & Winery (Twitter, WineLog) in Alexander Valley. Blessed with a perfect harvest weekend of weather, we we able to visit courtesy of Communications Director (and photographer/videographer extraordinaire) Lisa Mattson. After dropping off the Pug with the parents in Napa, we headed across the valleys in the brilliant morning sunshine. The weather really was tremendous that weekend, sunny, a few puffy clouds and about 80 degrees at its peak. I really had no idea what to expect for the next couple of days however, since the Jordan site didn't really have a whole lot of information about the four suites or homes that were available for overnight visits.

Affordable Bordeaux in 2010: FTW!

October 23, 2010October 23, 2010Vinopanion: Ward Kadel - @drXeNoLeave a comment

I don't think it's any surprise to you fine readers that I'm a big fan of Bordeaux and even work for the Bordeaux Wine Council (CIVB) as one of Le Wine Buff, video broadcasting each week from my vino-abode. Well the kids at Enjoy Bordeaux (Twitter) have hatched an incredibly rad new plan to create some fun on the interwebs, with oh, maybe a prize that might require a flight or two, woot! I don't want to spill alll the deets, but suffice it to say: it will be fun, it will be a contest on their Facebook page launching 11/15/10 (where you currently can see the awesome documentary short of our BDX trip in June), the prize is flippin' awesome and you can get some of the gist by checking out my personal addition to the shizzy after the jump. You'll even find some wines taking home a WKBadge for their efforts. Cheers!