Smackdown with a Master, or Working Out with Wine
Submitted by Wine Reviews from the Wine School
Tomorrow night, I will do battle with Marco Avigo, Italian Master Sommelier from Penne Restaurant in University City. This is an unexpected turn of events for two reasons. First, this is my second Smackdown against a Master Sommelier; the last one was Christophe Tassan, formerly of Le Bec-Fin, and he won by a sliver. Of course, losing to one of the best in the world was a bit like Rocky losing to, but going the distance against, Apollo Creed–I felt pretty good about myself afterward, despite the slash in the “L” column. Second, Marco has an encyclopedic knowledge of Italian wines, so it would only seem logical to have Frank Cipparone, our resident Italian expert, to represent the Wine School. Alas, he is already committed for the evening, so the duty falls to me. I will be channeling Frank as best I can.
In order to prepare, I have been in training for several weeks now. Biceps curls with 750’s of Barolo. Chest-presses with mags of Barbaresco. Squats with splits of Amarone balanced on my shoulders. I’ll be carb-loading tonight–linguine with red, of course–and trying to get a good eight hours of sleep before Marco and I throw down tomorrow at 7:30. It should be a fantastic night.
