New Orleans Saints defensive player Cameron Jordan is an All-Pro smack talker, and this week, he managed to incorporate Cabernet into his trolling routine. After the Saints' 31-26 win over the Carolina Panthers—the team's third of the season—Jordan told locker room reporters he'd have to send vanquished quarterback and fellow winery-surname-sharing player Cam Newton a bottle of wine. "You beat the Carolina Panthers three times in a year, I’m gonna have to send this guy a wine bottle. I appreciate him for being that good ol’ quarterback."
Thanks to Instagram, we know he kept his promise; Jordan posted a photo of said wine—a 2013 Alexander Valley Cabernet from the Sonoma winery Jordan, in an extra-sauvage touch—alongside a shipping label bearing Newton's (team) address. He captioned the photo: "Who would I be if I don't follow through on my word?"
The exchange, born of a rivalry, also helped spark a new friendship. On social media, Jordan Winery got into the mix themselves: "We are huge fans!" Jordan posted on Twitter. "John would like to invite you for an overnight stay at the winery … we do share names, after all. @camjordan94 Go Saints!"
That would be winery owner John Jordan, who told Unfiltered he too would be following through on his word: He's planning to host the player once football season ends. But it's possible the Jordans will meet even sooner: "Our joke is that … perhaps the 'Jordan brothers' can play together on the Saints," wine-Jordan told Unfiltered via email. "I told him that if head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen agree that the Saints need a fairly fit 45-year-old former strong safety in their secondary, I will fly out immediately."
A single bottle was sufficient to send a message to Newton, but Unfiltered wonders if Jordan will have to up his wine-trolling game next Sunday if he beats Minnesota Vikings QB … Case Keenum.
French Laundry Heist Saga Comes to Happy Ending, Except for Guy Going to Jail a Long Time
Winecrime may strike fast, but winejustice takes time. This week's news takes us down Unfiltered memory lane way back to December 2014, when Wine Spectator Grand Award winner the French Laundry got hit by a massive heist: just 76 bottles, but valued at more than $300,000. The treasure chest of bottles, including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and Screaming Eagle, was ultimately tracked down largely intact, with the FBI helping locate the wines in an unwitting collector's stash and match their serial numbers to TFL's.
Also tracked down were suspects Alfred Georgis and Davis Kiryakoz, who were charged with lifting wines from Alexander's Steakhouse in Cupertino and Fine Wines International in San Francisco as well. Kiryakoz was convicted on a count of conspiracy to transport stolen goods and reported for 15 months of hard time back in March of last year. More than three years after the crime, Georgis has now also been sentenced after pleading guilty to the same charge, according to the Press Democrat. So ends another chapter in the annals of winecrime. But for Georgis, a new story begins, and the judge determined that it will last for 37 months. He's also been ordered to pay $585,715 in restitution.
Winery Goats Eat Disposed Christmas Trees, Because No One Else Was Going To
Not to be outdone by recent efforts of beer-swilling fish at a New York brewery/winery, the Peaks of Otter Winery in Bedford, Va., is putting its own spin on sustainability through unusual pet food. As reported by local Virginia station ABC13 WSET, co-owner Danny Johnson encouraged locals to bring their post-Christmas trees to the winery, where his team of goats chows down on the pine needles with the same hearty enthusiasm Unfiltered has for a glass of nice wine (or retsina, perhaps?). Johnson explained his critter-based holiday recycling program thus: "Once they eat it down, and they aren't going to eat it anymore, we got to dispose of it. Sometimes we put them in our ponds, so that our fish can lay eggs in them."
Actor-Winemakers Get In on Golden Globes Champagne Shenanigans
The New Year's confetti has been cleaned up and the discarded Christmas trees have been fed to goats, but that doesn't mean the celebrations need end. Awards season is here! For Unfiltered, this is a cherished time to watch Champagne brands battle to get their bottles in the hands of the glitterati while the cameras are flashing. And at this year's Golden Globes, the Best Performance in the categories of Red Carpet Chug-Off, Backstage Clink and Afterparty Inevitably Thrown at Chateau Marmont were all swept by … Moët & Chandon, everybody! Sure, Moët was a frontrunner, having been the ceremony's official sponsor for over a quarter-century now, but they managed to keep things fresh, with the help of a few celebrity celebrants.
First, on the red carpet, Champagne was dispensed in those fun-sized bottles with funnels attached to the rim—all the better for I, Tonya's Allison Janney to swig from. Inside the Beverly Hilton, the "signature cocktail" was a concoction they called a Moët 75 (like a French 75, but with tequila displacing gin and orange juice instead of lemon).
And finally, at the afterparty (or at least the one Unfiltered heard about), Moët wheeled out the big guns: Jeroboams of Dom Pérignon 2005, enjoyed by Unfiltered pals like gourmand Aziz Ansari and winemakers Kyle MacLachlan and Gia Coppola.
Thief Steals Million-Dollar Vodka, Ditches Diamond-Encrusted Bottle
Last week, a $1.3 million bottle of Russo-Baltique vodka was stolen from a Copenhagen bar called Café 33. A centerpiece of the bar's 1,200-selection "vodka museum," a replica of the bauble made a cameo appearance on the Netflix drama House of Cards a few years back.
Tricked out in gold, silver and a diamond-studded cap, the bottle was created by Latvian luxury armored-car manufacturer Dartz Motorz to commemorate the company’s first Monte Carlo rally car; according to Denmark news station TV2, it was not insured.
But investigators needed not scour eBay; just a few days later, the bottle was found on a construction site … emptied of its contents. Is it possible the thief didn't realize that the vessel was worth more than its contents? Did he or she not watch season three of Netflix's original prestige program? Is this some kind of viral stunt to sell … armored cars? Copenhagen police are still investigating. As for the lost-and-found bottle, bar owner Brian Ingberg told Danish press that it could be refilled with vodka and put back on display. Here's hoping he keeps a closer eye on it this time around.
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