Best of Unfiltered

Pamela Anderson, Savanna Samson, naked winemakers...and Emeril

Posted: October 25, 2006

Who says wine has to be taken so seriously? Since it's our 10th anniversary online, it's only appropriate that we look at the past 10 years of celebrity wine gossip, bizarre publicity moves and smart-aleck comments we've made in our weekly Unfiltered column. The problem, however, is that we've been making smart-aleck comments about the wine world for only the past two years or so. Therefore, here's a look at some of the biggest stars (whether you love 'em or hate 'em), best quips and general silliness from the past year of Unfiltered. Enjoy.

• We always thought of Pamela Anderson as bubbly. The former Baywatch beauty wed musician Kid Rock over the weekend in St. Tropez. USA Today reported that before the ceremony, Anderson was asked how she's coping with nervousness before the big event. "I have two words for you. Champagne," she said. Well, we have five words for her: "Congratulations." --Posted Aug. 2, 2006

• Emeril Lagasse isn't afraid to show a little skin for charity. At last weekend's Naples Winter Wine Festival auction in Florida, the celebrity chef donated a trip to New York that included two spots at the tasting table on his show, Emeril Live. When the bidding slowed, he kicked it up a notch. "I tell you what," he said to the crowd of 550 guests, chefs and vintners. "If you give me $300,000, I'll have dinner with you in my underwear." He ended up selling two trips at that price. Later, Lagasse offered a truffle dinner that he would prepare along with fellow chef Mario Batali. "This time, you'll be paying to keep my clothes on," Lagasse teased. The lot sold for $240,000, which leaves Unfiltered wondering how much more could have been raised if both Lagasse and Batali had promised to bare a little. --Posted Feb. 1, 2006

We were afraid to ask about Naked Chardonnay, and it turns out we were right to be.

• Unfiltered receives all sorts of strange pictures. Baby photos, birthday photos, wedding photos ... and now, naked pictures. In probably the most bizarre publicity stunt for a new wine--ever--Chaddsford Winery in Pennsylvania is promoting its new Naked Chardonnay (as in, unwooded), by claiming that a naked man has been seen running around its vineyard. Turns out it's just Chaddsford owner Eric Miller posing for the pic to make a point. "I got really bored with my own Chardonnays," said Miller. "They were getting too big and heavy. Now we're just makin' this lean, clean, mean style." The Naked Chardonnay has been in the works for about five years, during which Miller tried different yeasts and cropping levels. "It wasn't simple to make that transition," he said, and neither was doing a nude photo shoot when it came time to launch the new wine. "That little vineyard is right on Route 1, so thousands of people were going past me at the time that picture was taken." Thankfully there were no reports of accidents, but we would just like to point out one thing to Miller: People tend to get naked after they drink the wine, not before it's even made. --Posted Aug. 16, 2006

New and improved Prosecco!

• Party girl Paris Hilton is in the middle of yet another controversy. No, not that kind of controversy. Get your mind out of the gutter. This week, the drama is swirling around Rich Prosecco, a sparkling white wine from Veneto that comes in a gold can, and Hilton's connection to it as the product's new pitch girl. Italy's Road Safety Society is reportedly outraged that Hilton--who was arrested earlier this month after failing a Breathalyzer test when she was pulled over by police in Hollywood--is starring in ads for an alcoholic beverage. To make matters worse, some of Veneto's prosecco producers are protesting the canned variation, insisting it will tarnish the image of their beloved wine. Others, however, say there's no need for sour grapes. "No one gets upset over caviar being sold in a can," Luca Zaia, Veneto's vice president for agricultural affairs, told the Italian news service ANSA. "So I don't see what all the fuss is about." Despite the scandal, Hilton continues her promotional partying spree. On Monday, she dressed as a Bavarian barmaid in Munich to hawk the sparkling beverage, then flew to Veneto via helicopter for a publicity shoot. Not to worry, she wasn't at the controls. --Posted Sept. 27, 2006

The secret's out: Eddie rocks with Siduri Pinot.

• Eddie Vedder of Pearl Jam likes wine. Secret wine. In a recent interview in Rolling Stone magazine, Vedder was asked about the wine he drinks on stage. He only admitted it was red. But we found out that it was actually Siduri Van der Kamp Pinot Noir. The wine is sent to Vedder without labels. We guess that means he's not that into details like alcohol content and government warnings. Yeah, us neither. --Posted May 17, 2006

Kanye West is passing over hip-hop favorites such as Champagne and Cognac in favor of Italian Moscato.

• When Unfiltered thinks of hip-hop, we automatically think of Moscato. After years of "passing the Courvoisier" with Busta Rhymes and "pouring the Chandon" with Snoop Dogg, we now know fo', uh, shizzle, that Moscato d'Asti is the new toast for hip hip-hoppers. At least we know now that a press release has pointed out that the trendsetter Kanye West—whose single Gold Digger and album Late Registration have received Grammy nominations—recently ordered some Saracco Moscato d'Asti 2004 for a party in Atlanta. He was also heard on MTV saying, "Please give me a little Moscato and another order of string beans." Given what rappers did for sales of Cristal and Hennessy, can a boom in the Italian sparkler be far behind? On top of Kanye's endorsement, Lil' Kim raps in Lighters Up: "Still over in Brazil, sipping Moscato / You must have forgot though / So I'ma take it back to the block, yo." We're just trying to keep it real. --Posted Dec. 14, 2005

Savanna Samson's new wine...for adults only, of course.

• What do you get on a typical night in a penthouse hotel suite in Manhattan's East Village? Adult-film stars, friends of adult-film stars, people wishing they were friends of adult-film stars and Unfiltered, of course. Recently such a gathering at Hotel Rivington--a party for the DVD release of the HBO documentary Thinking XXX--was made that much more titillating since it was also the introduction of Sogno Due, the white wine from adult-film star/vintner Savanna Samson. Samson, a former dancer at Manhattan, um, "gentleman's" club Scores, and later star of such films as The New Devil in Miss Jones, released her first wine, a red called Sogno Uno, last fall. The blend of Cesanese, Sangiovese and Montepulciano was immediately met with critical acclaim from some quarters. Her encore performance, Sogno Due, a 100 percent Falanghina from 70- to 85-year-old vines planted on their own roots in a vineyard west of Naples, will be available for $25 from retailers in late August or early September. (There were 400 cases made). What did Samson's colleagues think of it? Not sure it's worth asking, since we spotted one partygoer drinking his Sogno Due on the rocks. But hats off--heck, everything off--to Samson for trying to bring a sense of good taste to the adult-entertainment business. --Posted Jun. 28, 2006

Powered by grapes: Bennett Lane owner Randy Lynch and his wine-logoed NASCAR car.

• When Unfiltered recently ran an item on Ravenswood sponsoring a NASCAR team, the people who represent Bennett Lane in Napa were quick to remind us that it was the first winery to sponsor a NASCAR team. In fact, the Bennett Lane grape logo has been emblazoned on vehicles and team outfits since 2003--though winery owner Randy Lynch had an advantage in that he's a former racer himself and owns his own NASCAR West team. Now the Bennett Lane car is even one of five featured in a new documentary called Car Stories, which takes a look at American car-racing culture--something Lynch is trying to change by turning NASCAR-watching beer chuggers into NASCAR-watching wine connoisseurs. But to get wine connoisseurs really hooked on NASCAR, we think it's time for a race between the Ravenswood and Bennett Lane cars. Loser has to drink white Zinfandel. --Posted Mar. 8, 2006

• Sauvignon Blanc is just Sauvignon Blanc, right? Not so, says one New Zealand wine writer. Keith Stewart, wine critic for a weekly magazine called the New Zealand Listener, says that New Zealand wines are so unique they should be called by native Maori names, in a system he calls "Whakararangi." So Sauvignon Blanc would be "Karaka," the Maori word for "fragrant." Red wines would be classified under "Totowhenua," or "earth's blood," and sparkling wines would be "Huka," the word for "foaming." Stewart also proposed that New Zealand classify its wine regions for quality and style just as the French do, though with Maori names, of course. The New Zealand Winegrowers organization has yet to respond to Stewart's proposal, which probably wouldn't exactly help it market the wines overseas, given that many Americans have trouble pronouncing even Sauvignon Blanc. But one person who has made his thoughts known is actor Sam Neill, who owns Two Paddocks winery in Central Otago. Neill told TVNZ, "I just think it is a lame idea that we could do without." That comment probably made Stewart's totowhenua huka. --Posted Nov. 30, 2005

A tattoo of this label might say the wrong thing about you.

• Forget mnemonic devices and flash cards. Paso Robles' Four Vines winery has come up with a new way for wine shoppers to remember exactly which label they had in mind: temporary tattoos. Winemaker Christian Tietje had his artful labels for his "Hedonist" line of wines, including Biker Zinfandel and Heretic Petite Syrah, fashioned into noncommittal body art so people can continue celebrating the winery's self-proclaimed "irreverent attitude" long after the bottle's last drop (or for at least two or three days, with regular scrubbing). Or use the labels as a shopping reminder--whatever works best for you. The tattoos are available by mail order and at the winery, so would-be ink-toting Easy Riders should stow their station wagons in the garage and fire up the ol' chopper. And don't worry, your boss will never know--the tattoos will wash off by Monday. --Posted Oct. 4, 2006