Novocain and Wine Tasting, Part 2

Last week, I provided the lead up to the Seghesio Wine tasting event at Vivo in Chicago.  This week's topic is the resolution of the story -- demonstrating how well Novocain and wine tasting go together.

So Monday arrived and I finished my morning tasks at work and then made the trip to the dentist with more than a little trepidation.  I have a confession to make: I hate needles. That's why the whole Novocain bit is problematic. 

I can feel my blood pressure begin to spike as I pull open the door to the dentist's office.  After leading me back to the appropriate room and taking a seat in the old dental barcalounger, there was little to do but open wide and pray that I neither see nor feel the needle.

But, perhaps as a sign of good things to come, it turns out my dentist is an artist in using the Novocain.  He found the right spots and other than a few pinches I felt nothing. And I didn't see the needle at all (some people faint at the sight of blood, others at the sight of a needle).

After a lifetime of dental disasters, I may have found the perfect dentist.  Not that I'm looking for a permanent union but . . .

You see that's because, after about an hour in the chair (mostly with me telling myself to relax), my dentist had to remind me to open my mouth wider because I began to nod off.

Yes. You read correctly.

I know you probably don’t believe it but it's true.  I was actually nodding off as I was getting a root canal.  That's the good news.  The bad news of it all is that the beautiful ceramic crown I so "joyfully" paid for a few short years ago will now have a miserable silver filling in it. 

As with any trip to the dentist, you can't just push the easy button. Of course it came with a temporary filling which meant I still had to go back for the finished product.  I’m not sure if it was a sign but the earliest time I could make an appointment was on April 13^th. 

Friday the 13^th. I really do hope it's not an omen of things to come.

After returning to the office and completing the interview, a friend and I made the trip into the city. In the 90 minutes or so I was in the office, I was practicing drinking water from a glass so as to figure out how not to dribble on myself.  (That's why it was water and not coffee.)

Now I was beginning to get worried.  My mouth was still numb.  Then, I was hoping for a quick trip but those of you who know Chicago traffic know that wasn’t going to happen. For some reason when six lanes become three there tends to be a traffic snarl.

We were headed to Vivo which is in a revitalized area of Randolph Street. This whole area has been under revitalization ever since Oprah developed her Harpo studios there.  I hadn’t heard of Vivo before but there are some really great restaurants in the area.  This one's just been around the longest -- about 20 years.

All the way into the city I was chewing gum.  Yes, I know they tell you to neither chew gum nor drink coffee before tasting wine but I was focused on getting my mouth working.

I think I only bit my cheek twice.  Some of my friends may be smiling because they’re probably shocked I could chew gum and drive at the same time especially with a mouth still numb from the Novocain.

Just in case, my friend who came with me to the event brought along a camera to capture all the action – including the potential wine dribbling that they were counting on as the night’s entertainment.

Dave Messerli, Seghesio Estate Director, and I at Vivo.

When we arrived at Vivo, the tasting was already in full swing.  It was crowded as we made our way up to the 2nd floor bar to begin tasting the wine.

Thankfully that whole gum chewing helped because the Novocain had almost totally worn off.  I was looking forward to renewing some (relatively new) friendships.  I knew that Dave Messerli would be there (that's because he sent me the invite and said he'd be there). As it turns out Brandye, Jill, Dave and Ted made the trip from California to Chicago. 

In March.

I know when they were planning the trip they were rolling the dice because here in Chicago we don’t ever count being out of snow danger until after Mother’s Day.  But with the winter being so mild this year we had a pretty good week for their trip.

As it turned out we were tasting five wines: Vermentino, Sonoma Zinfandel, Home Ranch Zinfandel, Old Vine Zinfandel and the Cortina Zinfandel.  Dave mentioned that the Venom didn’t make the trip. I was a little disappointed because as Ted Seghesio says: "Venom is the antidote to every bad Sangiovese you've ever had." 

The Sonoma Zin was the replacement.  While I love the Venom, the Sonoma Zin isn’t a bad replacement. The 2007 vintage was rated a top 10 by Wine Spectator and other vintages have also been highly rated so even though it's one of their entry level wines, it's always fabulous.

There were some great hors d’oeuvres around as well.  Unfortunately there wasn’t any of the salumi from the Vineyard but it was a great evening nonetheless. Lots of laughter and friends enjoying great wines.



Ted Seghesio and I discussing the Vermentino.

I even had an opportunity to talk with Ted a little bit about the Vermentino.  This Italian varietal is going to be a replacement for the Fiano as Ted felt as though they never got that completely right.  Found in Italy and southern France, Vermentino is an Italian answer to Chardonnay according to Ted.

Even with my lousy palate, I picked up on the oak more than some of their other whites but it's still quite different than a Chardonnay.

But then again, I'm primarily a red wine guy. More than 2/3rds of my wine cabinet is dedicated to red wines.


The Vermentino vines are still relatively young as this is the first release year.  I imagine that as the vines mature, so will this wine. I can't wait to watch this wine develop over time.


One of the benefits of standing at the bar is that I noticed a couple of bottles on the back station.  The thing I love about Seghesio Family Vineyards is their label designs are distinctive and I've learned a thing or two as a result of my association over the years. What I noticed was that there were some bottles that had a slightly different label than those officially being tasted. 

As it turned out, hidden under the counter were a few bottles of the Chianti Station.  I have to say that while I liked all the wines, the Chianti Station was my favorite.  Ted is a genius when it comes to the Chianti-style blends.

It’s too bad that Sonoma is clear across the country from Chicago. I’d love to visit more. I have plans to add the Vermentino to my personal wine cabinet.  If you’re not a member of their wine club, I’d strongly recommend it! Jill can help you out there. 

I was glad to put some faces to the names that I know.  I had met Dave Messerli (the Estate Director) and Ted Seghesio (the Winemaker) last year when visiting the winery.  But I got to meet Brandye Alexander (yes that's her real name), the person behind the Seghesio social media, and Jill Klaus, the Wine Club manager.  

I’m looking at the upcoming Winery events and trying to plan this year’s trip west.  I just booked my flight out for the Annual Seghesio BBQ event.  This year it's Chris Lilly and Dr. BBQ up against the Seghesio team in a BBQ cook-off.  I can't wait.

Not only is it a great opportunity to try out the wines but a chance to spend some time with good friends.  Thanks everyone for a great evening and for producing some truly fine wines.