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arcticfox007 · 3 years

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The Stars Within You

Destiel December Challenge 2020

Day 15: Lights

The conclusion of the main storyline! I do intend on posting an epilogue in a few days to tie up some smaller plot points, but this is the last official prompt. If you haven’t read the rest of the story you can check out my masterlist here or head over to AO3!

Thanks again to everyone who has reblogged, left me comments/likes, given me kudos, and continued to follow this story. I have been blown away by the positive feedback and it has really made my holiday season <3

***

Castiel lets himself feel all of the emotions that had been let loose from his time as a human. It’s a risk, even with everything that’s happened between him and Dean this past week, Castiel is well aware he could be setting himself up for disappointment. He just doesn’t have it in him anymore to resist the feelings pounding at his grace enforced walls. He wants to feel the joy at Dean making a room for him here in the bunker, for telling Castiel that he belongs here. He wants to feel the bubbly happiness at the absurd bee pillow on his bed, the swooping feeling of loving Dean more than he has loved anything for the entirety of his existence. Maybe he’s diving off a ledge with no ability to fly, but he refuses to stop every glorious feeling permeating his being as he drags Dean back to the Christmas tree. He gazes up at the doll version of himself propped up on top of the tree, takes in the Scooby-doo ornaments he’d brought home to make Dean and Sam smile, wrinkles his nose at the truly awful taste earlier Men of Letters had in décor, and indulges in a goofy grin at the lights he and Dean put up together. He dives towards the handful of presents underneath the tree and picks up two small ones carefully wrapped and garnished with curly ribbon. He pockets the smallest of the two, and turns around to press the larger of them into Dean’s hands.

Dean fumbles with it for a moment. He staring at Cas the way they often stare at each other. A moment later and Cas sees the corner of Dean’s lip tick upwards, just enough movement for them to come back to themselves. Cas pulls at the sleeves of his pajamas nervously, urging Dean with a motion to open the present. Cas watches Dean’s nose scrunch up in concentration as he tries to pull apart the curly ribbon. Giddy with the rush of uncontained emotions, Cas rolls impatiently on the balls of his feet. Dean looks up in surprise.

“Dude, are you actually bouncing?” Castiel responds with his trademark stoicism.

“Of course not, Dean. Hurry up.” Dean rolls his eyes fondly at Cas and skips the ribbon to just tear off the paper. He lets the paper fall to the floor and stares at the small potion bottle as his brow furrows in confusion.

“You want to tell me what this is, Cas?” Cas smiles, feeling almost giddy, and then looks boldly into Dean’s green eyes as they reflect the Christmas lights.

“I would like to show you part of my true self. A part you can safely see with the aid of that potion.” Dean’s eyes sparkle, he’s clearly intrigued and Cas’ smile grows more confident. “It will give you partial access to otherworldly sight, similar to what many human psychics can see. With the dosage Sam and I measured out it should last for about a day. It’s somewhat variable dependent on your metabolism. If you decide to take it, I will meet you halfway and manifest a small representation of my true self.”

“Um, okay. Will I have control over this sight, or am I going to be seeing trippy stuff all day?” Castiel snorts.

“Yes, you will have control to an extent. If something else were to work at manifesting you may see it, but most of this depends on me meeting you halfway. Born psychics tend to take years to see anything substantial, much less be exposed to visions.” Dean nods seriously.

“Any other side effects I should worry about?”

“Unlikely, unless you were to go on a hunt. It would make you slightly more aware of ghosts.”

“Alright, good enough. When do you want to do this?” Cas is nervous again for a moment, but silently redoubles his commitment to finding out where this will go.

“Now, but we should go outside to the rooftop. I will require space for this. You may want to get a coat and your boots. I believe it is still snowing.” Dean passes the potion bottle to Cas with an eager grin, and rejoins the angel with his coat and shoes in record time. Cas feels his excitement build as he leads the man he loves to the rooftop where Sam had helped him work on this gift only days before.

“Hey, look, there are lights up here too!” Dean gestures to the string lights propped up on tall stands around the edges of the rooftop. Castiel knows Sam must have put them up and wonders how Sam knew he’d end up doing this at night. Cas silently thanks his friend for the forethought. Dean follows one of the strands back to its source to find the on switch and suddenly the rooftop is softly lit with tiny imitations of the stars in the sky. Cas silently hands the potion back to Dean. It feels as if words aren’t needed in this moment, and Dean must feel it as well. He acts rather than speaking and throws back the potion as if it were a shot.

“Close your eyes, it only takes a moment to go into effect.” As Dean shuts his eyes Castiel pulls of his pajama shirt, draping it on one of the light stands. He inhales the sharp, cold, snow filled air and pulls on his grace. He breaths out as he shifts his much healthier wings further into the mortal realm, adjusting them to best fit his vessel’s frame. He turns away from Dean, too anxious to see his reaction right away. He keeps his wings close to his body, wanting to give his very human companion time to adjust slowly. Despite the shrouds and adjustments between him, the wings are still very much part of his true form and may be a bit overwhelming for a human.

“Can I look? Is it okay? I don’t feel any different.” Dean sounds almost disappointed, perhaps worried that the potion did not work on him.

“You shouldn’t feel different. You can look now.” Castiel hears a soft gasp behind him. “Tell me what you can see, Dean.”

“I – wow Cas… I see you. Your wings. They’re fucking beautiful.” Castiel hesitates for a moment, but allows the wondering lilt to Dean’s voice to sooth his doubts. He turns slowly to see Dean looking at him as if he’d never seen anything better in his life. This look, more than anything, undoes the knots of worry in the angel’s chest and he smiles broadly and unfurls his wings a bit, stretching them towards the stars. A rush of joy runs through his body as he takes in the awe on Dean’s face and the way he reaches out for Castiel without trepidation. Cas takes his outstretched hand and gently pulls him closer.

“I can only make them partially corporeal here. Without the potion they have an impression here, the snow falls on them, I can use them as a shield, but you can’t see them except for a shadow. So, please Dean, tell me what you see. I want to know how much of me you can see.” Cas’ can hear his voice grow smaller with need as he speaks, but he can’t deny how much it means to share this small part of himself with the man he loves.

“They aren’t just shadows anymore Cas. I can see individual feathers; I can see their color – I think. It changes. It’s uh, it’s hard to describe but they look like every color I’ve ever seen shimmering through the blackness of space,” Dean says breathlessly. He seems startled at his own description and laughs softly. “Damn, Cas, they’re so spectacular they’re making me sound fucking poetic. They’re amazing. You’re amazing.”

Cas inhales sharply as Dean looks right into his eyes, something intense and warm in the way he seems to see more of the angel’s true self in his blue eyes than in the wings themselves. Before Castiel can define what he’s seeing, Dean’s eyes dart to his wings again. Cas notices his wings curling in towards Dean and halts them with a thought. Dean looks almost disappointed, making Cas grin.

“You can touch them. If you’d like.” It’s not a question, Cas can tell how much Dean wants to pet his wings. Cas is sure it must seem like an odd impulse to a human, to want to pet what appears to be bird-like wings growing out of an adult man’s back, but Cas wants Dean to touch him. He’s never had a human touch his wings before and he’s curious as to what it will feel like to have Dean’s fingers in his feathers.

“Um, I won’t hurt you, right? I know that, er, birds winds can be fragile, I guess. I know you’re not a bird but they kinda look like -”, Cas cuts Dean off before he starts comparing him to a parakeet.

“You won’t hurt me. Angels are warriors of God, and our wings were built to aid us in battle.” To illustrate this, Castiel raises his wings above his body, snapping them out all at once with a sharp ringing sound.

“Oh. Right. Yeah.” Dean’s eyes have widened at the intimidating display of the angel’s wings as they tower over him, but Castiel takes pity on him and softens his stance, bringing them back down. He curls them loosely at Dean’s side to give him easier access. Not one to hesitate when invited, Dean reaches out and gently brushes his hands through the feathers closest to him.

“Cas… they’re so soft, and warm.” Dean begins to dig his fingers in with more confidence and chases the rainbow of lights reflecting off the obsidian black of Castiel’s wings. At Dean’s continued attention, Cas finds himself relaxing as he lets his head fall on top of Dean’s shoulder. Dean laughs happily.

“I’m glad I could share this with you.” Cas feels strange but happy. He can’t quite describe what the newer emotions are pouring through him, but it is similar to the relief of coming home when you have been away for a very long time. He does manage to catch himself before he literally begins to purr, but he must have made some sort of sound because Dean ceases his exploration of Castiel’s feathers.

“Does it feel okay?” Cas manages to pull himself away from Dean just enough to see his face.

“Yes, I’d imagine it’s like grooming.” Dean chuckles.

“Grooming? That wasn’t what I was expecting you to say.” Cas tilts his head to the side, trying to interpret Dean’s response.

“Yes, tactile communication for comfort and bonding. The PBS special on primates said it’s called grooming.” At this point Dean is laughing hard enough that he bends over to try and catch his breath.

“Yeah, hah, grooming. I think most people talk about it like that for the non-human primates though, Cas. But I don’t mind ‘grooming’ with you.” Dean smirks and Castiel is still not sure what is so humorous. Regardless, this is his gift to Dean and he is not done yet.

“Dean. Can I touch you with my wings?” Dean’s eyes widen just a bit but he nods his head in agreement. Castiel pulls his wings in and up until he is cradling Dean and they are in a shelter created by his plumage. Dean directs his gaze around the impromptu cocoon and runs his hand lightly over more feathers as they minutely shift in color against a background of darkness.

“Cas, you’re practically a planetarium. It’s like there are whole galaxies in here. I could look forever and never see all there is to see.” As this is one of the better human descriptions of angel true forms, Castiel feels content that he has shown the man he loves much more of what he really is. That Dean shows such quiet wonder at this glimpse of the heart of Castiel makes him feel safe to take another risk, one that means even more. He presses his wings in to bring Dean even closer, until their chests are almost touching. Cas pulls the smaller gift out of his pocket and lays it in Dean’s hand. Dean’s eyes are alight with curiosity as he peels off the paper. He shoves the crumpled paper in his coat pocket and lets the pendant that had been within drop, carefully holding the chain in his fingers. He squints at the pendant, a feather preserved on top of bronze, and then gasps.

“Cas. Is this – is it yours?” Castiel nervously raises his fingertips to Dean’s jaw and slowly raises his gaze to meet Dean’s eyes.

“Yes. It does not retain all of its properties once shed, and it’s once of the smaller ones as it wouldn’t have been possible to make any of the larger feathers as conveniently wearable. It is still a part of me though, a part of my grace, of my true self.” Castiel pauses to make sure Dean understands. Dean’s heart is racing but besides that he seems to grasp the depth of this gift, so Castiel continues. “If you accept this, I can find you if it is with you. If you wear it, I can feel your life, hear your heartbeat. And the feather preserved inside the pendant will exists as long as I exist, no matter where I may be. If there is ever a real need it can even be used to locate me, although it will destroy the feather in the process. If you accept this, it will be part of you and no one else will be able to use it. Do you understand?”

Dean drops Castiel’s gaze to cradle the pendant in his hand, a bit of a dazed look on his face. Cas waits patiently, wanting to make sure this is Dean’s choice.

“Cas. I need to know something, because I don’t want there to be any miscommunication here.” Castiel waits for several minutes as Dean works to find the words he needs. “You say you’re giving me a part of yourself, that it will become a part of me. That sounds like, well, more than a friendship to me. And I’d like to know if I’m getting that right.”

While it’s not exactly a question, Cas understands that he needs to put this in more human terms. “Yes, Dean. You would be accepting that what we have is more than just friendship. I love you Dean. I am content with just being by your side, and if you do not love me the same way nothing has to change. However, these past days have allowed me to hope for more. So, I am offering you more. I am offering you me, if you choose to accept me.” Castiel’s hand has moved up to cradle Dean’s face, but he needs Dean to choose what he wants and does not move further.

“Please don’t cry, Cas.” Castiel is surprised to feel tears drip from his face, he hadn’t realized just how much his emotions were spilling over. Dean wipes the tears away with his thumbs and then he leans in and kisses Castiel.

Cas feels a rush of bliss and his grace warms his wings as he feels more feathers push into existence. He leans into the kiss and wraps his free arm around Dean’s neck as the hand cupping Dean’s faces slides up into his hair. Dean opens his mouth and Cas dives in, the sensation of their tongues touching better than anything Cas could have imagined, although Dean’s hands on his bare waist place at a close second. Too quickly, Dean pulls back to breathe and takes a small step back before Cas can drag him back for more.

“Wait. Just a sec, Cas. Here, I want you to put this on me.” Cas’ eyes widen with surprise and joy, and he thinks that the kissing can wait for just a moment. He takes the chain and pulls the pendant over Dean’s head. Dean pulls his layers away from his neck just enough for Cas to drop the pendant below his undershirt to rest close to Dean’s heart.

“I accept you Castiel.” Dean smiles, glorious in his choice, and his voice is saturated with love as a small flare of grace glows where the pendant hangs. Cas sighs as he can feel Dean’s heartbeat through the new connection, and he watches as Dean takes in the small change in feeling as well.

“You can feel me? I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to.” Dean nods slowly as he presses his hand over his chest.

“Yeah, wow. It’s nothing noticeable I guess, just this feeling of warmth. If I focus on it, it seems to get a little bigger, and I can tell it’s you.” Cas decides it’s time to get back to the kissing part as he feels he may actually be on fire with the amazing feelings coursing through him. Dean participates enthusiastically. Eventually though, Castiel notices that Dean is shivering, even with angel wings around him.

“Let’s go back inside. You should sleep for a while, so we can exchange gifts with Sam in the morning.” Dean frowns in response to this suggestion.

“You said the potion would only work for a day. I want to see your wings for as long as I can.” Cas laughs at the pouting expression on Dean’s face as he grabs his pajama top and switches off the lights.

“Well, I didn’t say anything because I wanted an honest choice from you without bribery, but when you wear my feather you should be able to see them anyway, especially since you said you can feel me through it. You may even be able to see them at times when they aren’t manifested in this realm.” Dean’s face is almost giddy at this news and Cas laughs again. Cas grasps Dean’s hand and this time he doesn’t protest as he’d led back into the warmth of the bunker. Cas takes a moment to push his wings away from the physical realm before going back inside. Dean continues to look behind Cas.

“I can still see them, more like shadows the way I’ve seen them before, or outlines of shadows, but maybe that’s just the potion.”

“Only time will tell, but I believe you will retain the connection. I can manifest them inside later, so you can determine the pendants impact; I just have to be careful and keep them pulled inward.” Dean pulls Cas towards him and kisses him again, this time is softer, and almost hesitant.

“Come to my room? I, uh, I’m not asking for anything else tonight, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to just stay with me until I sleep? If that’s okay, I mean.” Dean stumbles over the words but Castiel is already tugging him in the direction of the bunker rooms.

“I will watch over you when you fall asleep Dean, and I would enjoy doing that while sharing your bed. I would also like to try doing this in my new bed at some point. With my bee pillow.” Dean snorts and Cas smiles happily, wondering what he was so afraid of in the first place. When they reach the room, Dean closes the door behind him and strips down to his boxers, looking at Cas questioningly. Cas mirrors Dean’s actions and then joins him under the covers.

“Cas?” Dean mumbles into Castiel’s chest sleepily.

“Yes Dean?”

“I love you too.” Castiel feels as if he’s flying again, damaged wings or not.

***

@galaxycastiel, @jellydeans, @my-favourite-hellatus, @nguyenxtrang

#destiel december 2020 #destiel december #destiel fic #destiel #supernatural #supernatural fic #castiel #castiel with wings #dean winchester #sam winchester #deancas #casdean #spn #christmas fic #christmas fluff #christmas #love confessions #angel wings #arcticfox007writes

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tunesscribbles · 5 years

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Peter Maximoff x Reader

You Are My Favourite Feeling

AN: It's part of the Reader's ability to be able to sense/feel the aura of other people. You can also see them, if you concentrate on them or if an aura is sending strong impulses. | gender neutral reader

A question you get very often when you try to explain your mutation to someone else is 'What does my aura look/feel like?' And you can never say much more than: 'It's hard to explain', because it is. How do you describe a feeling to someone else? Especially if it's a feeling no one else ever really experiences like you do. It's difficult.

Sometimes, if the person asking is really persistent, you give them at least a vague description of it. For example: There is a difference between human and mutant auras. While of course every aura is different and unique, human auras tend to blend together if you don't concentrate on them too much. That used to be terrifying back when you still went to a normal school. Just this big puddle surrounding you and you did not fit in at all.

Meanwhile mutant auras usually stand out more. There is something about them, that was simply...different. So when you arrived at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters for the first time it was nearly overwhelming.

And in this bright festival of different auras, there was one that interested you the most. You actually can't remember if it was the person or their aura that intrigued you first, or both.

This person happens to be the nerdy, troublemaking speedster that is Peter Maximoff, or your best friend for short.

So when on a rainy sunday evening Peter threw a comic at you from across the room to get your attention and asked you what his aura felt like, you paused for a moment to think. You spent so much time with Peter that you could recognize his aura in less than a heartbeat among hundreds. But could you explain it?

Peter's aura was very lively and always appeared to be moving. Sometimes it was nearly buzzing with energy and felt kinda tingly. Like the feeling you get when you skip school for the first time, when the adrenalin of knowing you're doing something forbidden is pumping through your veins along with the excitement and a rebellious sense of freedom. Whenever he's being more childish it feels fuzzy and playful. It's warm but it's a kind warmth. Not like a campfire but rather like wearing your favourite sweater and drinking hot cocoa while being wrapped up in a blanket. The kind of warmth that warms you from the inside out. His aura was soft but it had its fair share of edges, that bumped into each other when he was embarrassed or when his words stumbled upon each other in a hurry to leave his lips when he was talking way too fast. Those edges may seem harmless but they can sharpen and cut when he's really angry. You've never seen him get that furious but you don't want to see him like that either. On the opposite when he gets very happy or excited he turns into a silvery sparkler. No wonder his joy is so contagious, he's just sparkling all over the place! Peter has one of the most open and welcoming auras you ever felt. He has a natural feathery light presence like he doesn't want to take up too much space but at the same time he can make everyone else feel like he owns the world. (Maybe that's because in your opinion he does, your world at least.) Going to Peter after an exhausting day feels like coming home after you spent the day outside when it's summer and too hot to even move and the air conditioning is on inside. Sometimes when you are alone with him it feels like his aura is reaching out towards you, like a gesture of comfort. (For you or for him?)

In one sentence: Peter feels like home.

A second comic was thrown into your face and made you snap back into reality.

“Earth to [Name]? Anybody home or have you all left for the holidays?“, Peter asked and furrowed his brow at you. You blinked a few times.

“Uh, yeah we're here. System reboot.“

“Good, so then did you find an answer to my question on your hard drive?“, he asked curiously.

“...Kind of.“, you said. You couldn't tell him though, not now. Peter may be dense sometimes but even he would notice how deeply you truly cared for him if you told him these exact words. That was like the perfect confession!

“What are you waiting for, tell me!“, he urged impatiently.

You bit your lip. “Maybe later.“ With that you continued to pretend you're reading.

Peter huffed and went back to his comics. “Oh [Name], by the way I know you're not really reading.“

You blushed. “Shut up, Peter Pan!“ His chuckle only caused your blush to darken.

(Sequel and Triquel)

#peter maximoff #peter maximof x reader #quicksilver #quicksilver x reader #x men x reader #reader insert #evan peters #petester mcspeedster #the scribbles

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daydreamingleclerc · 2 years

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Okay I just want to apologize for this, cause I wasn’t aiming this at you or most of the other blogs I’ve seen on here. I was mainly aiming this at the anons I’ve seen trying to start more drama with NY and stuff. And I didn’t know about how many cases there were in Miami so I AM sorry about that. And listen, it’s fine if you pretend you’re Mason’s girlfriend, it’s not hurting anyone and I never meant that, I just meant that if people (the anons I was referring to here btw) are getting mad at any women he’s been near (which is misogynistic) then it’s going too far in my opinion. And yeah I didn’t see you giving out about Jorgi cause I left tumblr while the whole thing was going on cause it was stressing me out a bit to look at so I’m sorry I shouldn’t have assumed that. I do avoid Mason’s tumblr fan base quite a lot because I’m asexual so I don’t really get a kick out of seeing all these fan fictions I try to avoid, but other than that everyone I’ve seen here (bar one I won’t say who, who seemed a lil rude) seemed very nice. I am sorry for that I wrote it very very late at night and it WAS a dumb thing to say, especially since I didn’t really know all the stuff about it. I just saw a lot of people acting like he was a villain because of him being friends with someone, and I just kinda though like “what if people thought that about me when I was blind to it” and it made me sad, that’s all I meant by that. I don’t know if I like Jayden or not I was just saying that sometimes judging so soon on people doesn’t turn out well, half the people I talk to now I thought would be mean but they’re lovely, so that’s all I meant by it, and it’s fine if you don’t like him. For the record I like your blog, and thank you for informing me of all the bits of information I didn’t know there ! And I’m very sorry <3

its okay, i just tend to get very defensive when people don’t listen to me because i’ve stated multiple times that the miami situation is in the past and we should just forget about it. i genuinely get stressed when anons send me inboxes about mason going on holiday because it’s exhausting to deal with not just for me but for my mutuals too and that’s so much of the reason people went off of / have gone off of mason. his fan base need to learn and understand that mason is a grown man with a penis that most probably has a mind of his own and they’re all probably underage anyway so he’s not gonna shag them. it just genuinely infuriated me and i wish people would just shut up about mason and jayden and woody and benny like when are they going to understand i don’t give a fuck about any of it anymore 😭😭😭 but anyway thank you for clearing it up !! everyone is always going to hav their opinions on situations like this which is fine but sometimes anons get overwhelming and it gets exhausting to reply to them <333

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wineanddinosaur · 3 years

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VinePair Podcast: Sparkling Wine Is Having a Moment

December is traditionally the month when wine drinkers think about sparkling wine the most, whether to augment their holiday celebrations or to bring a bit of cheer to cold and dreary weather. However, the incredible range and diversity of sparkling wines now available in the United States make a strong argument to turn sparkling wine into an all-seasons beverage.

To kick of VinePair’s celebration of Bubbly Week, Adam Teeter and Zach Geballe are joined by guest host and VinePair staff writer Tim McKirdy to discuss some of their favorite offerings, why American sparklers are taking off in wine regions all over the country, and how Prosecco, just like Champagne, has turned itself into a luxury brand.

Listen Online

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify

Or Check Out the Conversation Here

Adam: From Brooklyn, New York, I’m Adam Teeter.

Tim: From Queens, New York, Tim McKirdy.

Zach: And in Seattle, Washington I’m Zach Geballe.

A: And this is the VinePair Podcast. And before we get into the podcast, a word from today’s sponsor. This podcast, and Bubbly Week, which is occurring this week, when this podcast is airing, and it’s all about bubbles, and it’s one of our favorite weeks of the year here at VinePair, is sponsored by Luminore by LaMarca, J Vineyards & Winery, and Otello Lambrusco. And with that, we’re on to the pod. So we’re going to talk about bubbly in a little bit, but before we jump into all things sparkling, Tim! You’re our guest host for this week. It’s great to have you, a staff writer at VinePair. Obviously, we’ve explained to you the rules of the game, so what have you been drinking recently?

T: Well, thank you guys for having me on. So, yeah. What have I been drinking recently?

A: Besides tea, obviously. Because I want to say this. I’ve noticed that in every British program I watch recently, there’s a lot of tea consumption. And do you guys really like tea, or is it just a ruse? Do you put it on for the tourists?

T: Well, I would say that’s better than your comment you made to me the other day about dentists and British people. I like tea, but if I’m drinking it for the purposes we normally have hot drinks, to get going in the morning or whatever, I prefer a coffee. But if I need something to warm me up in the afternoon, I will go for an Earl Grey. But I haven’t been drinking a lot of that recently. To return to your original question, as my 10 Instagram followers will know, I tend to drink a lot of Martinis, and I recently discovered a Japanese vermouth. It’s not actually technically a vermouth because it’s made with a sake base, but it’s Bermutto, and I thought that it’s the perfect pairing for some of the range of incredible Japanese gins that are out there these days. So, yeah, I’ve been using that for my Friday night Martini and will probably add a little bit more vermouth then I typically go for, just because the flavor is incredible. I’ll normally go like super dry, just a splash, but yeah, maybe even go up to a two to one.

A: Wait, where did you discover this sake-based vermouth?

T: So this was actually a product I’ve received as a sample and enjoyed, and it was sent to me as a gift by someone. So we were doing the huge vermouth roundup, and I was reaching out to try tons of different sweet vermouths for a different story that I was writing about Negronis, and the person that I was in contact with with like, “Well, you have to try this dry vermouth” because they actually happen to know that I’m a big Martini lover as well. So they sent that along, and it’s wonderful. And it’s hard to glean the name of the producer from the bottle. There’s not too much information on there, but if I get it, maybe we can add it to the show notes.

Z: Or you all can go follow Tim on Instagram, and we can make sure he posts a picture of the bottle there.

T: That’s what I was really aiming for there. You know, you’ve got to follow me now.

Z: Double that follower count for you. We’re going to go from 10 to 20.

A: Seriously Tim, come on, man.

T: It’s an incredible, a really wonderful Martini, and really highlights some of the amazing Japanese gins that are out there these days, too. So yeah, go out there and look for it, there can’t be too many on the market. So if you find one online, it’s probably the same one I’m drinking.

A: Well now I’m jealous, but that’s fine.

Z: Wasn’t that the point of this whole, this whole bit here, Adam?

A: It’s also not the first time I’ve been jealous of Tim, so it’s OK. Zach, what about you?

Z: To me, the most striking thing that I had this last week, I taught a class about Rioja this past weekend and opened the current vintage, or I guess they’ve just switched vintages, but the 2007 Reserva from López de Heredia, I think we’ve talked about him a little bit already on this podcast before honestly, their Vina Tondonia, which is one of their single vineyard Riojas. And two thoughts struck my mind. One is: I just adore those wines. They’re definitely not the thing that I want all the time. I have to be in the right kind of mood and place for them to work for me, whether it’s the reds or even the whites. But the other thing I’d say is, it reminded me in doing it for this class, it brought back all these memories I had of selling it as a sommelier and how much I had to fight with that wine in a restaurant setting, because it really needs like four or five hours in a decanter before it really is enjoyable. And for me at home, whatever, that’s fine, I’ll open it and then come back to it in the evening when I’m ready, and I actually encourage the people in my class to open it hours beforehand. But boy, it was a pain in the ass in restaurants, and I love the wines, and it’s not meant as a knock on them, but it was hard as a sommelier to explain to people that like, well, really, if you want to enjoy this wine, you should have ordered it four hours ago.

A: Oh my God. Yeah, I’ve only had their wine once or twice. I don’t remember how long it was decanted for.

Z: The white is a little bit more forgiving. The reds are just typically—

A: Oh, you had the red. I thought you had had the white.

Z: No, I have had both, although the red is the one I had the other day, and delicious with time to open, but you gotta plan ahead. It makes sense this past week of Thanksgiving, where all the food you prepare takes a long time to queue up. So it’s kinda like, the wine equivalent to making a turkey or something like that.

A: So can you just explain so what would it be like if you hadn’t given it time? Is it just incredibly tight and there’s nothing there?

Z: And maybe one day we’ll do a podcast topic about some of these wine terms that are hard to define, like “tight,” but basically to me, when I describe a wine that way, what I would say is that the overwhelming sensation of the wines are the structural elements. So the tannins and the acid, it’s kind of the equivalent experience you get sometimes if you have a white wine that’s too cold, where sometimes all you taste is the acidity in the wine and the fruit profile and the aromatics are really muted because the wine is too cold. With reds, serving temperature can affect that, but it’s more often just with wines like that that are aged for a very long time in barrel, and then for very long time in bottle, they just need that time in a decanter, or at least being open on your table or something to really fully start to express themselves. And so when you taste it just freshly opened, you taste nothing but really tart fruit and a lot of tannin and almost aggressively medicinal quality. And then when you come back to it, three, four, five hours later, the fruit is a little bit more generous, although still quite dry. And then you get much more of this savory, but not off-putting notes that you get when it’s just freshly open. So more of the leathery, wood, smoke notes that I really enjoy, but it takes a little while to come out of the wine when it’s just been opened.

A: Interesting. Interesting.

Z: What have you been drinking, Adam?

A: Oh gosh, a few things. Drinking a lot more wine lately, obviously, than cocktails. And beer, ‘cause I love beer. I drank a really great KCBC beer Kings County Brewers Collective, but I forgot the name of it. It was their seasonal this year, but just a delicious, hazy IPA. That was pretty tasty. But then on Saturday night I made fresh pasta with truffles, and I opened a bottle of Cogno Ravera Barolo that was dope. Really, really, really, really good. I think it was our No. 1 of the year two years ago on the VinePair list. And it was just a beautiful bottle. And again, the reason I was asking is because the same thing happened with the Barolo. I popped it and let it sit for like 45 minutes in the decanter, and when we first drank it, it was all tannins still. And then 30 minutes later, it had completely opened. So I guess basically an hour and 15 minutes sitting in the decanter, and then it was beautiful. But it was just crazy how that happens. So, yeah, that’s basically what I’ve been drinking recently.

T: Look at you guys, men of the people, popping out the decanters.

A: Shut up, Tim. Shut up Tim, usually —

Z: Why did you bring Tim on this podcast, again, Adam?

A: Because it’s fun.

T: Actually I saw that, Adam, I think I saw you posting it on Instagram and I was like, wow yeah, that’s the way to spend a Saturday night.

A: No, that was the second bottle. Remember, I texted you this, you messaged me on Instagram. And I was like, yeah, I made a mistake. Like we’re doing a Zoom with some people at 10 p.m. and it’s only 8:30, so I’m going to pop another one. And now that I’ve already had this bottle, I’m going to have another bottle, and continue watching my football game.

T: It’s a whole new meaning to the term double decanting.

Z: Oh my God.

A: Yeah, totally

Z: Tim with the fire today.

A: Always the fire, it’s the best. But it’s funny, ‘cause I really haven’t had a lot of cocktails recently. I love a Martini. Tim has inspired me, but I haven’t made one yet this season actually as it’s gotten cooler, I think I need to later this week. I don’t know if I’ll do it tonight.

Z: I mean, it’s a great week for it. We’re recording this obviously before Thanksgiving and is there a better couple of days to be drinking Martinis at 2 p.m. than on Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week?

A: When you’re with your in-laws?

Z: Hmm, fair enough. I don’t know. You might need the Martini. I’m sure Naomi’s parents are lovely, lovely people.

T: I’d like to think of it like if New Year’s Eve is the Super Bowl of drinking, then Thanksgiving is the playoffs, right? You know, we’re leading in the season, we’re getting there. So, you know, mid-week Martini might be appropriate. Who knows?

A: I agree, Tim. I have another question for you before we jump into today’s podcast, how’s your storage unit doing?

T: My storage unit is brilliant. I wanted to come live from that, but this is maybe not a problem not all of our listeners have, but living in New York, having an incredibly small apartment and basically being confined to that apartment for gosh, eight months now, my girlfriend and I had the realization the other day of “why don’t we get a storage unit?” And it’s honestly a game changer. I got my wines in there that I want to age, you know, it’s temperature controlled. I say my “wines that I want to age,” there’s like 12 bottles, no illusion. But honestly, this is a game changer. If you live in New York, public storage, it’s wonderful. You get a great deal. I highly recommend it.

Z: Do you have a promo code for us, Tim? So we’ll save 10 percent off if they drop your name?

T: 10 pounds off with “McKirdy Martini”

Z: 10 pounds. Oh my goodness. That’s actually funny that you mention that, though. ‘Cause I actually, my wife and I, we rent a house here in Seattle, but with a child it became clear that with Covid and quarantine, it was not big enough. So we actually also rented a storage unit a couple of months ago, and it has also been a game changer in our house because now my wife and I don’t have to fight about how we’re going to find room for anything, any new toy for our son, because we put all the old toys in storage and yeah, I’m team storage locker, too.

T: Yeah, my girlfriend and I said, think of all the things that we can buy direct to storage. It’s brilliant.

A: I can’t. You two are too ridiculous. So let’s jump into bubbles, shall we? Always a fun time of year, always a fun topic. This is one of my favorite weeks of content we do every year. And it’s really awesome that for the past three years, it’s been sponsored by Luminore by LaMarca, J Vineyards & Winery, and now Otello Lambrusco. But it’s a celebration of all things bubbles. I didn’t drink as many bubbles in early Covid just because it didn’t feel like it was a celebratory time, but I’m really ready to drink bubbles now. And just of all kinds, do either of you drink bubbles regularly? And if you do, do you have one that’s a go-to or a kind of style as a go-to? And don’t say Champagnes, Zach. I know you’re a somm, but we don’t need to tell everyone else.

Z: I would say that I do drink sparkling wine, a lot, including Champagne. My wife is a big fan as am I, to be fair. I would say, though, that as far as go-tos, it’s been really interesting. That’s been something that I think has changed a lot for me over the last couple of years. If you had asked me this question a few years ago, I think I would have said Crémant and I would’ve just left it there, and I still drink a decent amount of Crémant. For those who are unfamiliar with Crémant there’s a range of different regional Crémant appellations throughout France that refer to basically wines made in the traditional or Champagne method, but not in Champagne itself. And they can often be really, really good. They’re not usually aged as long as Champagnes. Certainly not as long as vintage Champagnes, but even your standard Champagne bottlings typically spend more time aging than most Crémant, but they’re very good. They’re often very good. They’re serious wines. They’re taken very seriously by the producers in most cases. And they’re obviously significantly more affordable in many cases than Champagne, but for me, actually, I surprisingly, perhaps to myself, have found myself actually gravitating towards drinking a lot more Prosecco than I used to. It started by visiting the region a couple of years ago and having some Prosecco that was — let’s say it was just a different category of Prosecco than I was familiar with from just working as a sommelier and as a wine drinker here in the States. Fortunately, a lot of those wines have become more available in the U.S. over the last few years, or at least here in the Seattle market. And I find myself really enjoying a lot of the balance that you find in Prosecco that is actually sometimes harder to find in a lot of sparkling wines, because the Prosecco is typically not quite as acidic and typically has a little bit more residual sugar. And so it’s a little bit more balanced unto itself, whereas sparkling wine, especially Champagne and Crémant, is delicious and an awesome pairing with a lot of foods, but if I just want to have a glass by itself, I actually find myself more gravitating towards Prosecco and I think that’s something that’s been a broader trend in this country. And that people have realized that if they’re just going to have a glass of something sparkling, I think more than ever before, that thing is Prosecco. And I guess I’ve just caught up with the trend.

A: Interesting. Tim?

T: Yeah. I definitely am a lover of all sparkling wines. I think it’s probably up there with my favorite styles or go-to bottles. It’s something I definitely drink quite regularly. When it’s just a normal week, probably not during the week, but a normal weekend, I will be looking for something in the store that’s a little bit more budget-friendly. Like Zach says, I do tend to find a lot of value in Crémant wines from France. Tons of great American sparklers as our friend Keith Beavers likes to call them.

Z: And only Keith, let’s be clear.

A: Yeah, no, I think he’s onto something, people. I actually think “American Sparkler” is a great name for sparkling wine from the U.S.

T: Let’s make that happen.

A: Let’s make it happen. We’re making it happen.

T: I think Cava as well as is another style of sparkling wine that I think if you know where to look and spend just a couple of bucks extra, I think you can find some amazing wines in there, aged on lees, that are just fantastic.

A: Nice. I mean, it’s interesting. Yeah. I don’t drink as much sparkling wine as I would like to, but I do think I’ve found myself recently drinking a lot more American sparkling wine, like the stuff from, for example, Domaine Carneros, any of those kinds of producers like that are out in California. I think that there’s some people doing really interesting things. Also a lot of the Italian sparkling wine — not just Prosecco, but Franciacorta as well as the stuff coming from other areas that are just really interesting as well. I think that there’s a lot of delicious sparkling wine out there that also is more than just Champagne. And I think the reason I’m saying more than just Champagne is, I would love to drink it all the time. I think it’s absolutely delicious, but I just can’t afford that. For the Champagnes that I enjoy, they’re always well above 60 to 70 bucks a bottle. And it’s very rare that I drink reds or whites that I love that are above 60, 70 bucks a bottle. So to justify that in Champagne all the time is very, very difficult. So I don’t do it. But there’s bottles in the 20s and 30s that are from everywhere else that are equally delicious in the right moment.

T: To your point there, Adam, I think as well with domestic sparkling wine, you named Domaine Carneros. I’d say another go-to for me as well — you’ve mentioned it on the podcast before — but Gruet. I think you manage to capture that Champagne flavor profile. Some might argue that the nuance might not be there as with a $60 bottle of Champagne, but you capture that overall flavor profile. You can also find those wines practically everywhere, which I think is a huge plus. And they’re also budget-friendly. One of my favorite things to do in the “before times,” as we’re calling it these days. So living in Queens, some people might be familiar with some of the neighborhoods here. There’s a neighborhood close to me called Jackson Heights and they have the most amazing momo trucks. So what I would typically do is pick up a chilled bottle of Gruet, go down there, stick it in the larger size of the brown bag, and take along some cups and order some of those momos. And that pairing for me, it’s just one of the most incredible things. It’s something I would normally do to kick off Thanksgiving as well, but I’m not sure that’s going to happen this year, but that is a pairing that we might get onto pairings today, but that’s a pairing that isn’t very classical, but I want to put that one out there and claim it for myself, if I can.

A: Oh yeah. I read about that, that you do that in a publication called Eater, I think. There was an article written about how you do that, but I wasn’t sure if it was you because it mentioned a husband, so I’m not sure if it was you.

T: Well, what can I say? The quality of journalism and reporting these days, fact checking is not what it was.

Z: This is great, though, because I actually think Tim points to a really important story, whether it’s about the American sparklers or just sparkling wine more broadly, which is one of the cool things that we’ve seen emerge, at least I’ve seen I think, and it’s not exclusively the province of America, but I think you’ve seen it here a lot is this interesting approach to sparkling wine that that is there are producers that are making wines that are very much modeled intentionally after Champagne, in terms of the choice of varieties, the winemaking methodology. But you’ve also got producers who are working with almost every variety possible, whether it’s Germanic varieties like Riesling, and Gewürztraminer, and Müller-Thurgau and making sparkling wines from those, or making sparkling wines from other aromatic white varieties like Muscat and people making Pétillant-naturel or Pét-Nat wines here, there’s this incredible range of sparkling wines, and this kind of dovetails with the conversation, Adam, that you and I had with Keith a couple of weeks ago about American wine and some of the exciting places to look at. But one of the things that the U.S. has is a lot of these areas that are newer wine-producing regions that might not be quite suitable for big red-wine production. They’re cooler, they’re wetter, they have higher altitude, but they make for amazing potential spots for sparkling wine. And so this idea of expanding the idea of what sparkling wine means beyond this Champagne paradigm is really exciting to me. And I think those food pairings like the one that Tim discussed with the momos or the incredible range of cuisines that we see in this country. I mean, that is where sparkling wine shines. Besides just as a drink by itself, as I described at the beginning, but yeah as this incredible pairing tool, because sparkling wine itself is so diverse and can work with so many different flavors. And so I found incredible pairings at home with take-out Indian food and some interesting Pét-Nat Lemberger from here in Washington. That was a weird-a** pairing, but I thought it worked pretty well, especially with things like paneer cheese that work with a lot of different flavors. So yeah, the possibility space for those of us who are interested in drinking sparkling wine is really broad, and having a broader canvas of wines to work with is also super exciting.

A: Absolutely. And I think the thing that you’re picking up on that is really cool is just how delicious these wines are with a range of cuisines, and how well they go with a range of cuisines. I think a lot of people don’t think about that that often, right? I think we can blame movies and popular culture for this, but Champagne, or sparkling wine in general, but it all began with Champagne. Now it’s this celebratory drink, right? So you pop it at the beginning of a meal to cheers everyone. It’s the wedding drink when the bride and groom first come on and there’s the toast or whatever, but that there’s a lot more to these kinds of wines and they’re very complex. They have a lot of different flavors and aromas then other wines do that pair really well with even things like steak and roast chicken and stuff. That’s just delicious. You might be like, “Oh, I was feeling a red tonight.” Well actually like, you can do just a really delicious sparkling wine with lots of yeasty notes and a savory quality that makes it the perfect pairing for those kinds of things. I think, yeah, you’re right. The amount of fun that people are having with sparkling wine now is really interesting. I think that’s something that we’ve even seen in the re-emergence of Lambrusco. Like there’s this wine that got a really, really terrible rap in the ’70s and ’80s because the stuff coming over from Italy was just sickly sweet. But it’s a wine that comes from the same region as Parmesan cheese and prosciutto, right? And it’s made to go with those wines when it’s done really well. And it can be delicious and dry and easy to consume, obviously, cause it’s often lower alcohol, but then also just does beautifully with pizzas and does awesome with red meats and things like that and spice. And that’s been really fun to watch people discover that because it’s a great wine to have in your repertoire, along with, you know, whites and reds.

Z: Lambrusco is like the perfect wine for one of the few truly American foods, and that’s barbecue. And we’ve had, I guess we call it a spirited conversation about barbecue and what exactly that word means on this podcast, people can go back and listen to the barbecue wine podcast that we did over the summer to get more detail. I’m not going to reiterate everything that was said there, but I do think it’s important to point out that Lambrusco works really, really well with almost any variety of barbecue. And also is one of my absolute favorite pairings for a dish that I don’t personally have very often, because it’s not really what I do, but a very classic edition in December, which is a Christmas ham. Because as Adam mentioned, Lambrusco is from Emilia-Romagna, which is the salted pork capital of the world. So if you’re going to have salty pork, you should have Lambrusco.

A: It makes sense. It makes sense.

Z: And it is really like the capital of the world. I cannot overemphasize how much cured pork I had in my couple of days in Emilia-Romagna. It was — obscene isn’t even the right word. It was something beyond obscene.

A: I want to go to Emilia-Romagna.

Z: It’s very un-picturesque.

A: I just want to go there for the salted pork.

Z: And actually surprisingly also, and this is a thing that comes up in Italy, they have some of the best bread in Italy, which Italian bread is really hit or miss. Like just absolutely dreadful bread, uh, but Emilia-Romagna’s bread is good. Tim, I have a question for you, because we were talking about the culture and the context in which people drink sparkling wine here. And Adam made a dig about tea earlier, or at least hinted at it. But, I was going to say that I think there’s a perception in this country right or wrong that the Brits are more sophisticated when it comes to wine than Americans traditionally. Is the role of sparkling wine in England functionally different than what it is here? Is that something that’s changed, or what’s it classically like there? Or maybe in the modern day?

T: Yeah, that’s a great question. And I think, the simple answer is that, in my experience, I don’t think that British culture is in any way more sophisticated when it comes to wine or any other type of drinking, but I should add the caveat that I also grew up in Scotland, as well. So, that’s a whole different story. Just search for Buckfast and read about that. And if you’re not familiar with it, that will reveal some things about us as a nation. So I would say that sparkling wine, I don’t think it does have that connotation as only being for celebrations. It’s definitely present at the celebrations. Any occasion I can remember growing up, getting together as a family, there would always be Champagne there. But I’d say more in recent years, and this is even before I came of drinking age. I remember growing up and Cava being so huge in the U.K. And maybe there was some kind of breakout moment where we were told as a nation, “This is like Champagne, but it’s a lot cheaper.” And then at some point there was a shift. I want to say that it was probably about 12 years ago, maybe a little bit longer, where Cava changed to Prosecco. And you know, through the lens of, “Is sparkling wine only for celebration?” I would say absolutely not. Especially for the majority of the nation. It would stun me if Prosecco wasn’t the best-selling wine in the U.K. You know, maybe rosé or maybe something like Malbec might challenge it, but Prosecco is just so popular, and it’s everywhere, and it’s definitely not like the celebration wine. It’s wine for every day. It’s the wine for when my mum gets together with her friends, or when you go out to brunch with friends, or, I guess all the occasions that we have it here, as well, but it just always seems to be on the table.

A: It seemed to happen in the U.K. and in the U.S. around the same time for some reason. It just popped. Everyone, all of a sudden — obviously Prosecco was here for longer, but it feels like all of a sudden people were aware of it. And they knew it by name. And I think what’s become really interesting, now we’re getting onto the business side, is that yeah, during Covid right while Champagne sales slumped, Prosecco interest and sales continued to stay fairly high, and people were asking for Prosecco by name. So where they might call an American sparkler Champagne, they know now to call Prosecco “Prosecco.” It’s become this thing that is this just massive behemoth that people recognize as like the sparkling wine you can drink all the time. And yes, I mean, if you want to toast with it great, but also if you just want it on a Tuesday night with take-out, and then you want to watch Netflix, it’s a great wine to have, and it’s just been everywhere. And that, I think, has been really interesting. And the only thing I wonder about with Prosecco is like, how much more can it grow? Because it’s just grown so much, but it doesn’t really show a ton of signs of slowing. So, there definitely is still opportunity.

Z: Adam. I have a question for you and for Tim, of course, too, if he has thought about this. So, you mentioned the business side of it and the growth of Prosecco and the fact that it’s now a category distinct from Champagne, and then I guess sparkling wine more broadly. But what I wonder is the thing I haven’t seen a lot of, I’ve seen a little bit of it, but not a lot of it, is producers in the United States or other parts of the world really trying to go after Prosecco’s market share directly. So you see a lot of people pushing other kinds of traditional-method, fully sparkling wines as an alternative. Oh, you know, whether it’s Cava, whether it’s other Italian sparkling wines, whether it’s domestics, et cetera, but you don’t see people saying, “Hey, we’re going to try and make a wine that, flavor-profile-wise, is similar to Prosecco.” Now, maybe that’s because no one else is growing Glera. And so they’re not going to really make something that tastes exactly like it because they’re not growing the grape. But I think a lot of it is maybe that for whatever reason the success of Prosecco, no one has an explanation in the wine world. No one really understands it. They don’t know whether to credit it to the style of wine itself or just it’s relative affordability, and the fact that I guess the name resonates with people, it’s easy for people to pronounce and remember. That stuff matters, too. I don’t know. Do either of you have a read on why you’re not seeing more people making semi-sparkling, tank-method sparkling wines, and trying to push them as Prosecco alternatives?

A: I do. I think that sparkling wine, for the majority of consumers, is a lifestyle beverage. It’s much more similar to rosé than it is to other wines. And so when you’re talking about a lifestyle beverage, you’re talking about what else that wine represents, besides quality-to-price ratio, the grape it’s made from, whatever. Prosecco represents to most American consumers now a posh, Italian lifestyle. It represents this idea of Italy and Milan and what’s really funny is, and Venice, it represents everything. And I remember talking to a few French corporate producers about this last year at a conference. And they’re like, “But we are closer to Milan” and I’m like that’s fine. But we’re Americans, we don’t know where Omaha is compared to where New Orleans is. We don’t. We have a very weird idea about where things are in other countries. And so it’s like, wait, of course Prosecco is closer to Milan, and maybe Rome, too, but it just represents Italy as a whole. And in the same way that Champagne to people represents this posh French lifestyle. Which is why I think Crémant could never really unseat that in most Americans’ minds and make them aware of that. ‘Cause Champagne already represents that to them. So like “the budget-level Champagne from France,” I’m not interested in that. I’m interested in the lifestyle of high-end French culture and fashion and food, and that’s Champagne. Again, right now I don’t know what that could be for Cava. Can you tie that to Barcelona? It’s super close to Barcelona, but no one’s done that yet. No one’s really been able to figure out how to make you connect the culture of that sparkling wine to that lifestyle, because again, I think we’re still, as Americans, unsure of what Barcelona is as a lifestyle place. Whereas Italy and France, we really know. It’s fashion and food and all the things that we love. And that’s why I also think you don’t see American producers trying to copy it, because it’s hard. Like what are you copying? Yes, you can potentially copy the flavor profile and the price, but you can’t copy all the other things that it says about you. And I think sparkling wine is truly a product where Americans think a lot about what it says about them in the same way we think about the fashion brands we wear, or the kinds of furniture we choose to have in our homes or whatever. What’s the initial connection? The “brand-this-type-of-person” connection that people make to say, “Oh, well they drink these brands, they must be this kind of person.” And so it’s very hard to compete against. And like it’s interesting to me that it took the Italians this long to make it click, but they did. And now I think it’s just very strong.

Z: That’s fascinating, Adam. I know we’ve talked about that context or that idea in the context of Champagne specifically as a luxury brand item, but it had never occurred to me that it just is true in a different way for Prosecco — that’s super fascinating.

T: Yeah, I think you both raise really great points there about sparkling wine in general, and I guess certain sparkling wines becoming brands within themselves, right? Like Champagne, Prosecco, maybe Cava to a lesser extent, but I don’t feel like there are many others in the world, right? Like Corpinnat. That’s never gonna break out, or Franciacorta, sorry guys. I don’t think it ever is either. But looking at the business perspectives, Zach, I think there’s another interesting aspect here that someone mentioned to me recently, I can’t remember who I was speaking with. And they were talking about the fact that it was probably a very good idea that, as of late two thousands, the Glera grape was known as Prosecco. And then it was changed so that, when grown within Europe, it needs to be called Glera now. And I think that was a very savvy decision to protect the Prosecco brand, right? Because otherwise what could happen, you could have all these different producers in other countries where maybe they could make wine for cheaper and even undercut the price of Prosecco, use that grape and use it on the labels, and then that could create all kinds of problems for the Italians. So I think that’s an interesting thing to explore a little bit from the business side of things.

A: I don’t know. I think the other thing too, with the American styles, for whatever reason, they are just trying very hard to be either the Champagne equivalent or be so obvious that they’re not, that all I’ve ever seen in an American sparkling wine or in the majority of them — and I’m looking at a few of them on the floor of the room I’m in right now — they kind of copy the look of Champagne. The label, everything, and so you’re like ‘Oh, so this is the Champagne alternative.” And I always wonder, are they doing this in case the consumer doesn’t realize this isn’t Champagne? Or is this really what they’re going for? Or then they’re very modern, right? Ultra-modern-looking labels and things like that, which I also don’t think totally works. But again, it comes to that connection, right? I think if you had a sparkling wine region that was really close to New York, or really close to maybe L.A. or something else that we think of as being super posh, maybe you could have that tie into fashion and that tie into culture that would make it be a much stronger luxury product, but you don’t. And with Champagne or with Prosecco, you have that. And you look at how these packages are designed for both of those kinds of skews, and for the most part, they evoke other luxury brands. I mean, you look at Luminore by LaMarca and that blue, which is beautiful on the bottle, also definitely nods to Tiffany’s. It definitely does, we know that blue. You look at the Mionetto bottle, and it nods to Veuve Clicquot. You look at a lot of these different well-known brands on both the Prosecco and a Champagne market, and I think they just do a much better job than sparkling wine around the rest of the world at positioning themselves as what most consumers consider them to be, which is luxury products.

Z: And the last point I wanna make, ‘cause it ties all those things together in some sense to me, is that one thing I would encourage our listeners to think about is that Prosecco, Champagne, Crémant, Cava et cetera, these are only a slice of what’s possible in this sparkling wine realm. And I think that one of the encouraging things for me, as I mentioned before, is that producers and importers and distributors are starting to see the value in having a really wide breadth of sparkling wine options for people, whether that now includes things like Lambrusco, whether that includes Pét-Nat, whether that includes some other kinds of interesting wines. Whether it’s the variety, the methodology, whatever, sparkling wine is a really diverse category and it’s growing more diverse all the time. And while the classics and the tent-pole styles and icons are still delicious and worth investing in and worth checking out, I do think that one thing that will be exciting in Bubbly Weeks to come, hopefully, is discussing the incredible possibility space that’s still out there that we’re just starting to explore as a broader wine-drinking community.

A: Absolutely. Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful Bubbly Week and you drink lots of sparkling wine. I know I plan to. Tim, thanks for joining us as this week’s guest host. Always a pleasure to have you, sir.

T: Always a pleasure to be here. Thank you both for having me.

A: Yeah man. I mean, I don’t want to keep you away from your tea, so we’re gonna let you go. I’m sure you have a hot pot going with a little bit of a biscuits as well. Everyone, thanks for listening. Leave us a like, comment, review on iTunes, Spotify, wherever you get podcasts. It helps everyone discover the show. Zach, I’ll talk to you next week, man.

Z: Sounds great.

Thanks so much for listening to the VinePair Podcast. If you enjoy listening to us every week, please leave us a review or rating on iTunes, Spotify, or wherever it is that you get your podcasts. It really helps everyone else discover the show. Now for the credits, VinePair produced by myself and Zach. It is also mixed and edited by him. Yeah, Zach, we know you do a lot. I’d also like to thank the entire VinePair team, including my co-founder, Josh, and our associate editor, Cat. Thanks so much for listening. See you next week.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article VinePair Podcast: Sparkling Wine Is Having a Moment appeared first on VinePair.

source https://vinepair.com/articles/bubbly-week-podcast-2020/

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johnboothus · 3 years

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VinePair Podcast: Sparkling Wine Is Having a Moment

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Adam: From Brooklyn, New York, I’m Adam Teeter.

Tim: From Queens, New York, Tim McKirdy.

Zach: And in Seattle, Washington I’m Zach Geballe.

T: Well, thank you guys for having me on. So, yeah. What have I been drinking recently?

A: Wait, where did you discover this sake-based vermouth?

Z: Or you all can go follow Tim on Instagram, and we can make sure he posts a picture of the bottle there.

T: That’s what I was really aiming for there. You know, you’ve got to follow me now.

Z: Double that follower count for you. We’re going to go from 10 to 20.

A: Seriously Tim, come on, man.

A: Well now I’m jealous, but that’s fine.

Z: Wasn’t that the point of this whole, this whole bit here, Adam?

A: It’s also not the first time I’ve been jealous of Tim, so it’s OK. Zach, what about you?

A: Oh my God. Yeah, I’ve only had their wine once or twice. I don’t remember how long it was decanted for.

Z: The white is a little bit more forgiving. The reds are just typically—

A: Oh, you had the red. I thought you had had the white.

A: So can you just explain so what would it be like if you hadn’t given it time? Is it just incredibly tight and there’s nothing there?

A: Interesting. Interesting.

Z: What have you been drinking, Adam?

T: Look at you guys, men of the people, popping out the decanters.

A: Shut up, Tim. Shut up Tim, usually —

Z: Why did you bring Tim on this podcast, again, Adam?

A: Because it’s fun.

T: Actually I saw that, Adam, I think I saw you posting it on Instagram and I was like, wow yeah, that’s the way to spend a Saturday night.

T: It’s a whole new meaning to the term double decanting.

Z: Oh my God.

A: Yeah, totally

Z: Tim with the fire today.

A: When you’re with your in-laws?

Z: Hmm, fair enough. I don’t know. You might need the Martini. I’m sure Naomi’s parents are lovely, lovely people.

A: I agree, Tim. I have another question for you before we jump into today’s podcast, how’s your storage unit doing?

Z: Do you have a promo code for us, Tim? So we’ll save 10 percent off if they drop your name?

T: 10 pounds off with “McKirdy Martini”

T: Yeah, my girlfriend and I said, think of all the things that we can buy direct to storage. It’s brilliant.

A: Interesting. Tim?

Z: And only Keith, let’s be clear.

A: Yeah, no, I think he’s onto something, people. I actually think “American Sparkler” is a great name for sparkling wine from the U.S.

T: Let’s make that happen.

A: Let’s make it happen. We’re making it happen.

T: Well, what can I say? The quality of journalism and reporting these days, fact checking is not what it was.

A: It makes sense. It makes sense.

A: I want to go to Emilia-Romagna.

Z: It’s very un-picturesque.

A: I just want to go there for the salted pork.

T: Always a pleasure to be here. Thank you both for having me.

Z: Sounds great.

Ed. note: This episode has been edited for length and clarity.

The article VinePair Podcast: Sparkling Wine Is Having a Moment appeared first on VinePair.

Via https://vinepair.com/articles/bubbly-week-podcast-2020/

source https://vinology1.weebly.com/blog/vinepair-podcast-sparkling-wine-is-having-a-moment

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lil-smolpubby · 6 years

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Im kin with my Durarara OC, Dorobo, so this is a canon call I guess. You can message me or something if anything seems familiar So uh, here’s some basic info about my timeline and some memories I guess So in my canon I was the adopted kid of Shizuo and Izaya. Basically they used to be together for a small amount of time, for some reason, and adopted me on a whim. Though they realized shortly after that, whoops, they still hate each other, but now they have a kid to take care of, so, yeah. So that meant I switched between houses and stuff. I mainly lived with Shizuo, but I would go to Izaya’s on most weekends and holidays. Shizuo didn’t like Izaya, of course, so he wasn’t to fond of me staying at his house. I remember calling Shizuo, papa and Izaya dad or daddy. I at least thought they were good dads. They weren’t the best, but they tried their best. Papa had trouble with his temper, especially since I tended to do things carelessly and not listen a lot. It was kinda my fault though. He really did try his best though. I remember his cooking was really good. I wasn’t around Dad much, but spending time with him was fun. He was really loving and took me to a lot of nice places. He was busy a lot due to his type of work. I remember when I would come over, I would sometimes spend some time with him in his office before going home since he had to finish up work. I remember I was really naive and reckless. I was reckless cause I didn’t really think of the consequences much, so I got hurt a lot, physically that is. That was mostly cause I liked to urban explore a lot, and I wasn’t careful when doing things like climbing or being around more dangerous buildings. I didn’t really like humans, unlike my dad, due to I found them scary and untrustworthy. Mostly influenced by all the bad stuff I saw on the news and from what I’ve heard from my parents or overheard. I was really interested in cryptids or beings like that, and deemed them better than humans. Which was me being more naive, as I believed I could automatically trust them cause they weren’t human, which led to some really bad experiences. I trusted some humans, that was mostly the adults in my life. Though the few I met who were my age kinda betrayed me I guess?? That’s a dramatic way of saying it but that’s how it felt to me. I tended to get in trouble due to my behavior quite a bit. I didn’t mean any harm with what I did, I was just a really curious person. I usually always felt bad when I did something that had bad results. It usually worried my parents more than angered them since I could get hurt, or sometimes did. Like how sometimes I would be walking in the city with my Papa. He would tell me not to wander off, or to ask if I could go somewhere. Though I would wander off anyways if I saw something that interested me, like a cat, when he wasn’t looking. Cause I usually always thought ‘well it isn’t to far, so it’s okay, right?’ I was also really hyper and childish. I tended to get excited easily and loved to talk and chatter. I didn’t like violence or anything nor did I initiate it. I was really loud, I guess. Like, I would just get real excited and sometimes scream out things. It was mostly just me playing around though and having fun. I also liked to just run around a lot or just move. I didn’t like staying still most of the time. I was always doing things like swinging my legs or just kinda stimming I guess. I didn’t really know how to handle overwhelming emotions though. So if I got anxious or angry, I would just kinda break and shut down, and usually cry. Uh, I liked sweets quite a bit. I had a big appetite in general, and I ate a lot. When going outside, I carried around this mini backpack, which I usually kept things like snacks in in case I got hungry. Like I said I really liked cryptids, and actively tried to find them. Which is why I usually went in abandoned buildings or things of the sorts. I also was homeschooled, well, I went to online school. I had pretty bad social anxiety around people, so uh, it didn’t work out for me well. I went to public school until the start of middle school where I just couldn’t handle it. Elementary school was okay, but uh, yeah. I had a lot of breakdowns, and my parents ended up taking me out of public school. Thus being the reason I didn’t really have any friends, well, human ones anyways I remember liking Celty and Shinra a lot. They were family friends, and I liked visiting them. I thought Celty was really cool due to the fact that she was a dullahan. She was really nice. Shinra was really funny and nice. I remember him helping me a lot with my injuries, mostly the serious ones though I was friends and dated this cryptid names Zakali. I found her in this abandoned building in the basement. We ended up becoming friends and stuff and things went from there. She looked scary, but was nice. I remember finding lots of abandoned files there that I kept. I’m assuming she was experimented on and then something went wrong, I don’t know. I also remember helping her get back to where her home was, which was some forest. I didn’t see her much after that I was also friends and dated this shapeshifter like cryptid who’s name I forgot, but I know it started with M. He was really cool. He kinda ran a gang, but not really. It an organization like thing for cryptids made to look like a gang in case their hiding spot got found out by humans. He was one of the leaders of this protection like organization to help and protect cryptids who lived in the city. Like keep tabs on them and all that stuff. He was mostly serious, and tried to keep me out of trouble. I guess I caused a bit of a hard time for him since he had to get me out of or at least talk me out of a lot of risky situations. I was annoying at first to him, though I guess I grew on him?? I was persistent on being his friend- He was considerably protective of me. He was usually in human form. He wouldn’t ever show me his ‘original’ form cause he said I would find it to scary, even though I said I would be okay. He ‘lived’ in this abandoned warehouse. I met a few other friends there. I remember he told me he was a little over 100 years old, though he said that was apparently young for his species. I liked to tell my parents about all the whole cryptid business. I don’t think they really approved of it, but they didn’t stop me from getting into it.

#Durarara kin #drrr kin #OC kin #canon call

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artslip · 7 years

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1-92 enjoyyy

😑…. why you do this to me 😂

1) I’d rather not, that’s my mother

2) yup, he’s my friend and he sits next to me in music

3) no I haven’t

4) yea I do have a small issue with trust but I have many people I trust :)

5) I didn’t, I don’t like anyone that way at the moment

6) I’m excited for the school holiday. Just think of all the naps!

7) I went to my dance class

8) I haven’t seen girls get wasted yet, I’m a 15 year old loser XD

9) I guess a certain amount of confidence is cute? Over awkward like me isn’t great XD

10) water

11) I fully trust @kieran-sw and he is the opposite gender

12) all my jeans are skinny even though they’re not full on skinny on me, it’s hard to find the right size for my short ass XD

13) I’m gonna sleep until I’m too hungry to sleep, eat, try to draw, play the ukulele, play the piano, cuddle a cat, scroll through tumblr, watch youtube videos, listen to music and go back to sleep. It’s a busy day XD

14) I have no idea what I’m gonna buy next. Probably food knowing me

15) Im not going out with anyone and I haven’t kissed anyone sooooooo no

16) everyone changes so maybe. But I personally don’t change a lot for some reason? Even my face hasn’t changed much in about 8/9 years or so because looking back at pictures I look pretty much the same and my personality is also pretty much the same and I’m rambling and you get the picture so imma shut up and move on

17) I feel most comfortable talking about everything to @kieran-sw and my friend since we were even smaller @drawsmaddy

18) I’ve never felt so bad that I’ve felt broken but the closest I’ve been to feeling that way was a few days ago?

19) I haven’t no and I’m not planning to

20) I’m starting to realise that mY HAND REALLY HURTS! I damaged it back in March (on my birthday too) by playing against my own team in hockey (I hated them all) and I tackled someone and the impact of my stick clashing into theirs “bruised” my hand. It’s not broken but I think it’s something to do with my tendons. It was worth it though, my team lost each time XD i’m getting my hand checked out in the holidays though so I’ll find out what it is soon XD

21) I am in a good mood >:3c

22) I would love to swim with sharks! I was going to when I was about 4 but I couldn’t swim well back then so I freaked at how deep the tank was. But I can swim now and I would love to try it as I, missed a great opportunity!

23) My dad’s are green, but a different shade. His are more normal, mine are strange XD

24) I want a snack

25) I’d be a bit sad but I’d be happy for them both, and I wouldn’t really say anything. Their life, they do what they want :D

26) ,y current hair colour is a dirty blonde and that’s also my natural colour. I don’t see myself in any other colour, I’d look wierd XD

27) If they didn’t make me laugh then probably not. I’m a jokey person I want someone that I can joke with

28) The last thing that made laugh was my own joke :| I’m one of those people yes, I’m sorry

29) I quite miss @drawsmaddy, I don’t see her very often but when we do meet up its great XD

30) depends what they do.

31) no! @kieran-sw is a great hooman!

32) I don’t have feelings for anyone yet so I guess not because I don’t know him either

33) I’m not, it drink too much. But my dad keeps buying it so now I think I’m addicted to caffeine….

34) at the moment, my cat purring very loudly ^w^

35) I write my working out in pencil and when I’m at home and there’s no pens then I use a pencil because I have more pencils than pens

36) ask future me, she probably still won’t have kissed anyone XD

37) I do. It happens all the time to me. I’m just going about my day and then a dog comes by or a cat sits around somewhere and I’m overwhelmed with love at first sight ♡ (for humans though, no I don’t)

38) My mum

39) a bunch of people in my dance class just now

40) because they didn’t exist :)

41) around June 7th to June 10th?

42) I hug my mum all the time :D

43) honey I am an embarrassment ;)

44) I don’t tan, I’m like paper on a bonfire when I’m in the sun. So I stay so pale that I blinded myself when my arms are uncovered in the sun all year

45) I haven’t had my first kiss

46) no I didn’t actually. I usually do but last night I didn’t for some reason, I just slept

47) My mum, again hehehe

48) I do sometimes. When I’m home alone I do. When someone’s in I don’t. I don’t want to make their ears bleed XD

49) I do dance in the car when I’m travelling and I’m bored and get a burst of energy and have nothing better to do than embarrass my sister in busy traffic XD

50) I have used a bow and arrow and very badly. I’m better at rifles XD

51) I think I was 10 when that was last done

52) not all musicals, I’m obsessed with quite a few ;D

53) Christmas is stressful when I’m getting gifts for friends and getting asked what I want

54) eat a what now?

55) I’m not a pie kinda person. Soggy fruit/meat? No thanks

56) I wanted to be an animator, and I still do!

57) no but kinda? I dunno. Sometimes I guess

58) I do quite a lot yes

59) no I don’t, the only thing I swallow daily is a hayfever tablet XD

60) I don’t like wearing slippers so I don’t wear them. So I wear socks instead

61) I don’t wear a bath robe they get in my way. I wear a jumper like thing instead, it’s so cozy :)

62) I wear pj’s. But if I’m too hot I wear my old PE shorts and a vest

63) a concert that I’ve been a part of? I’ve never been a part of a concert. But I have been in shows in school productions and the local theatres since I was very little XD

64) I’ve never been to any of those, I’m brittish

65) I don’t care, as long as the stuff does its job

66) never had any of them. I’ve actually never heared of fritos either, what are they?

67) I used to eat sunflower seeds a lot. Not anymore though

68) I don’t really have one XD

69) I take Highland. But I used to do ballet, tap and modern dance classes too until I quit because even though I passed all my exams, so they’d never move me up so I’d be stuck with younger kids. Plus a boy kept pinning me into a corner calling me “hot” and i didnt like it and he clearly needed to get his eyes tested because I am definitely not hot, I’m a small potato XD

70) I’m 15, I’m not looking that far forward yet

71) I can. I can also made a triple curl in my tongue to make a clover shape, it’s wierd XD

72) I’ve never had a spelling bee

73) I have, I do that quite a lot actually

74) the maze runner series is quite good. Those are the last books I read and I enjoyed them so I guess those are my favourites XD

75) It depends what it is I’m studying really

76) I don’t burn it at all but a couple of friends do and I like it

77) once? I think?

78) I don’t know, I’ve seen quite a lot of people. I’d probably really wanna go if dodie did one? But I probably wouldn’t be able to go

79) it was one I went to with guiding. Saw a bunch of cool people

80) I don’t drink tea or hot drinks

81) the answer is basically the same as 80’s

82) ooooh… That’s a hard decision… white chocolate chip maybe? There’s so many!

83) I can swim well yes, I even had lifeguard training at one point :D

84) it’s pretty easy to hold your breath without holding your nose, is that a thing? Do people have to do that? Huh, I learned a thing today hehehe

85) I’m quite patient when I want to be. I’m patient enough to get through all these questions so I must be hehehe

86) I don’t know, I’ve only been to 2 wedding receptions and both had a DJ playing some pretty cool songs

87) I win the adults photography competition quite a lot. Never the kids one, I think they tend to go for the school’s photos instead of one’s taken with a big camera and not a tiny one hehehe. The prize is the same anyway

88) despite my ugly face, I wouldn’t have plastic surgery unless I got acid or serious burns on my face and it was necessary

89) ew olives

90) people can do what they want, as long as they’re sure that they’re ready then that’s fine by me. Athough underage sex isn’t really the best idea in my opinion but still, you do what you want, your life, live it how you want as long as it doesn’t effect other people

91) at some point yes I do :)

Finally! That took some time XD

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