Omnivore Atlanta

POPEYES CRUSADER: No, really. I look exactly like that.

A few weeks back, Hardy Wallace (AKA Dirty South Wine) asked me to participate in his Popeyes challenge. The task? Find a wine to pair with Popeye’s spicy fried chicken. On November 18, around the country, folks will get together to try all five wines along with the chicken, and tweet, blog and smack-talk their way to deciding which wine chosen pairs best with the spicy bird.

This was NOT an easy pairing. The spice on Popeye’s spicy chicken is such that it decimates most wines, leaving nothing but alcohol or off-notes on the palate. But with the help of some friends, I burned through over 30 bottles to find the wine. (Special thanks to Aria’s Andres Loaiza who lent his palate and a bunch of bottles to the final tasting. Unfortunately Cliff doesn’t drink, so I couldn’t put his Popeyes expertize to use.) My pick?

Kiralyudvar Tokaji Sec 2005-  Dry Hungarian Furmint

Check out the other picks and rules to the game on Hardy’s blog, and join in on November 18!

(Photo courtesy of CapedWonder.com)

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After months of battling mightily for the wine job of a lifetime, it appears that Atlanta’s own Hardy Wallace, aka Dirty South Wine, has landed Murphy Goode’s Really Goode Job. Well deserved, congrats, we knew we’d picked a winner.

Here’s the full release.

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Last weekend I told you about Dirty South Wine’s quest to land a gig as in-house blogger for Murphy Goode Winery. Now you can watch Dirty’s application video and vote for him. Check it out – it’s part wine geek love, part performance art.

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Our friend Hardy Wallace, AKA Dirty South Wine, is on a mission to get hired by Murphy-Goode Winery for what is basically a six-month party in wine country. If they’re looking for some snobby, boring blogger who will continue to alienate the masses with “ooohhh, wine is so fancy” wine-speak, then Hardy is probably not their guy. But if they’re looking for someone with a sense of humor and some genuinely interesting things to say, as well as an inventive spirit for how to present wine to the public, then they have found their dude. My understanding is that the winery is looking to see how much excitement hopeful bloggers can drum up ahead of time, so help support Hardy by checking out his new blog dedicated to the project at www.goodetobefirst.com, and follow him on Twitter: @goodetobefirst. Go Hardy!!

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Thanks to Frank Bruni at the New York Times for this one (I found this link through his blog): The most disgusting internet ad ever! On a food story! Watch as they crawl all over Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant!

The Atlanta Business Journal reports on Maxim Prime’s departure from The Glenn Hotel.

Hardy over at Dirty South Wine talks about the glut of corporate wine bars, as well as the wine bars in town that make him happy. And he links back to me!! So of course it’s worth reading just for that … but seriously, we share a frustration about the many crappy wine bars cropping up like mad.

Also, check out the Blissful Glutton’s first impression of BLT Steak.

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As Besha reported recently, Hardy Wallace of Dirty South Wine is challenging Atlanta restaurants to create their best pairings of wine by the glass and food for under $25. Mr. Dirty is being assisted by video artist Matt Richardson of RowdyFood and photographer Broderick Smylie.

So far, I’ve found the video of La Tavola the most entertaining. It features Vajra Stratigos in a virtual poetic fugue as he riffs about his wine choice, Enzo di Sette Rue Primitivo, to accompany Chef Craig Richards’ orecchiette with house-made sausage and rapini. You’ll definitely want what they’re drinking and eating:

You can find other videos on Dirty’s site.

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Just received a press release from our friend Hardy over at Dirty South Wine. Seems he’s planning a pairing challenge:

Atlanta, GA — Dirty South Wine, Atlanta’s top wine blog, has announced the 2008 “Riding Dirty” Atlanta Wine Pairing Challenge.  Fifteen of Atlanta’s top  restaurants will prepare a wine and food pairing to be served at their bar for under $25.  The goal of the challenge is to showcase the restaurant’s skill and creativity in wine pairing, while presenting incredible, affordable combinations for  the Atlanta dining public.   Restaurants must choose a glass of wine from their current list of by-the-glass  wines, and the food may be either a small plate or appetizer from their standard menu. The pairings will be served to the judges at the participating restaurants and will be evaluated based on three criteria:  taste, creativity and value.    The judges are:   1.  Matt Richardson (aka Rowdy Food) 2.  Broderick Smylie (ATL photographer http://broderickphoto.wordpress.com/) 3.  Hardy Wallace (publisher of www.dirtysouthwine.com).

All pairings will be chronicled and written up on Dirty South Wine.  At the end of  the challenge, an overall winner will be named, and the 2008 “Riding Dirty” award presented.  Along with the overall winner, several subcategories will be announced as well.   The following Atlanta restaurants have agreed to participate:   Holeman & Finch, Joel, ARIA,  ENO, Woodfire Grill, Toulouse,  VITA, Repast, La Tavola,  Top FLR, VINE, Canoe,  Dogwood, ONE. Midtown kitchen, and the ISAW charity  (International Society of Africans in Wine).  The tastings will occur throughout the month of November, and winners announced on December 3, 2008.  Progress in the “Riding Dirty” Challenge can  be followed at www.dirtysouthwine.com, and updates and news can be followed on Twitter under #dty (for Dirty).

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Dispatch from the North American Wine Blogger’s Conference

By Hardy Wallace (aka Dirty South Wine)

Last weekend, more than 170 people attended the 1st North American Wine Bloggers Conference (www.winebloggersconference.org) in Sonoma County, CA. It was an opportunity for wine bloggers, industry participants, and academics to get together and crush hundreds of great wines while exploring and celebrating the exploding frontier of wine blogging. I know you’re now glued to your computer- because nothing texts party (in all caps) like a 170 people drinking tons of alcohol while updating their blogs and tweeting on Twitter.

The 100-plus blogger attendees knew why we were there. We had to be. This was the Monterey Pop Festival of the wine blogosphere. But what really interested me were the non-bloggers in attendance. The wineries, media, and sponsors. What did they expect? What did they get out of it?

For years, the wine industry has relied exclusively on traditional media, and has been driven by the voices of a few prominent critics. Many of the non-bloggers, must have felt like they were stepping into the DragonCon of the wine world without a good costume.

Friday’s keynote speaker was Gary Vaynerchuk of Wine Library TV. In wine’s new media, he’s part Steve Jobs, part Timothy Leary, and 100% positive energy. Gary’s unique video tastings, his love for Web 2.0, and his wide use of the Twitter platform have brought in millions of hits and propelled him and his store into stardom. Beyond wine, Gary is a hyper-advocate of new technology and a paid speaker on social media. Gary stressed to the bloggers to stop trying to get the wine industry to “Get it.” They either will or they won’t.

(more…)

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