Not some connoisseur cat, more some kind of sewer rat

Paul and I got all gussied up and hit the Paso Creek wine tasting at Hotel Indigo last night, with a few solid wines a bit of unwarranted celebrity. I’ve got a bit of a wine background due to my years of restaurant bartending and serving, but I’m not sommelier in training. I figured it wouldn’t matter since it was a passed hors d’oeuvres, grab a glass off a table and walk around kind of event - boy, was I wrong.

As soon as I procured a sample glass of the Cabernet Sauvugnon, a bright and sturdy wine with a vanilla and bramble-fruit center and a peppery finish, the folks in charge surrounded me and started introducing themselves.

“I just love your work, we’re so excited to have you here!”

“What do you think of the cocoa notes in the front?”

“Our VP and head winemaker are here - they’re so excited to hear your opinion of the Cabernet!”

Clearly, we had a case of mistaken identity.

Paul and I excused ourselves from the pepper of questions, citing a desire to “look over the press materials,” and proceeded to nosh on the gourmet pizza and mini burgers being passed. Don’t get me wrong, I did my job - in addition to the above-average Cabernet, the Merlot was really a stellar example of a hearty, deeply concentrated California red. Spices abound and dark, dense fruit flavors like cherry and blackberry virtually explode through the finish, and it’s no wonder the wine has recently been picked added to the snooty, but excellent, wine list at N9NE.

I never did blow my cover by asking who they thought I was, so there was a definite hint of disappointment in the organizer’s voice when she bid us goodbye after less than an hour. Having escaped without totally embarrassing ourselves, we did what any highly trained wine snobs would do after that experience - we walked down the street to Dave & Buster’s and played video games until we won a pack of Sponge Bob tattoos.