Wednesday's headline (Fox News): Palin Syrah: Wine Drinkers Balk at a Chilean Wine with Hints of AlaskaFriday's headline (Associated Press): A Syrah Named Palin Gets a Boost from Sarah Palin
Apparently, drinking Syrah from a boutique Chilean winery has become a political minefield in the USA. Republican? Order it by the case. Democrat? Try something else. (Perhaps a beer in the Obama Biden beer stein?)
The whole thing makes me laugh--the idea of politicizing a wine that happens to share the name of a vice-presidential candidate (though it's pronounced differently: Pay-LEEN). Of course, Republicans and Democrats do tend to drink differently: a recent survey of D.C. bartenders showed that Democrats tip better, Republicans are more likely to order their drinks straight up, and it's almost an even split on who arrives early for happy hour.
We buy wine for all kinds of reasons, some of them emotional, and apparently some of them political. I haven't tried the wine so can't speak to its quality, but now I'm curious. Have you tried the wine? Is it any good--even if you lean left?

Fall is the time for football. And with football comes food like buffalo wings, sausages, pizza, and potato chips. And while most guys (and gals - yes, I know you're football fans too) go for cold beer with their football viewing, don't forget that you can also drink wine with these foods too.
If this isn't an American dream story, I don't know what is. Ulises Valdez left the tiny village of Los Cuachalalates, Mexico, for Mexico City at the age of 10 to work for his uncle. After moving around from place to place, he eventually crossed the California border and made his way to Sonoma County's Dry Creek Valley. There, he worked the fields, eventually gained citizenship, struck up a partnership, bought out his partner, and in July of this year, 









