Red wine drinkers need to chill, and I mean that literally. I know the Chieftain and MasAgua will agree that 72 degrees is much too warm to drink red wine. One of the reasons that it took me so long to get into reds is because most people drink them piss warm. Hey, I live in Texas, it gets hot around here. There’s no need to add to that feeling by drinking a warm beverage. Room temperature in France is a bit different than room temperature in Houston, that’s simple science. And, speaking of science, there’s a really smart man who agrees with me. Eric Asimov wrote this article about chillin’. OK, so it’s not Isaac, but he spells his name the same. Maybe they’re related.

My birthday was on Saturday, and we celebrated with several friends. One of the upsides of being JohnnyWino is that people bring you wine. I have four whites and two reds, all very different. One is a top French from Vintropolis, our local haunt. There’s an interesting Albarino and a fresh Pinot Grigio to try. My neighbor brought me a Coco-Polada from Florida. It is made from fermented pineapple, coconut and oranges; interesting. I have a Chalone Pinot Noir, and received two bottles of Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon, of which there’s only one left (I’ll have to look further into his wines, I really enjoyed the Cab, and I don’t like many Cabs.)

I was really pleased that my sangria was such a big hit. At most parties, the guests will have a glass, tell me how good it is, and drink something else. I made a double batch for Saturday’s festivities. I stopped drinking it by 10:00 because I noticed we were running low. By 11:00 I was making a third batch for the thirsty masses. Sangria has become my favorite party drink, and I enjoy sharing it with others, especially those who have never tried it.

I’d like to thank everyone who participated in my birthday celebration. I received so many encouraging words about this site. It really made all the time and effort seem worthwhile. I really enjoy working on developing JohnnyWino, but you are the ones that really make it work. The Boyds have helped kick off the new advertising campaign with t-shirts for us to wear at wine events. I’ll have some cards made up soon. Please, spread the word. And post comments every now and then. They make my day!

Prince Charles has a car that runs on wine. I want one! Wait a minute, if I have to use wine to run my truck, what am I going to drink? I’m thinking this might be a bad idea after all. What if I drink all the wine and can’t make it to work? Worse yet, what will the neighbors think when I’m siphoning fuel and drinking it at midnight?

I’m all for going green, but not at the expense of wine. Can’t we use something like carrot juice instead?