Cheers. . and Jeers

Cheers:
*Sophia-Mini (www.sofiamini.com), sparkling wine in a can, perish the thought? I served these at a party last weekend and probably converted a half dozen people to champagne drinkers (oh, pardon, sparkling wine drinkers). Great product, great package, . . . nice work N-C.
*Camille Seghesio, Kim Frazier (Frazier Winery), Gibsey Beckett (Peachy Canyon) for just being hot. Thank you ladies, we appreciate your pulchritude, we need you out on the road bringing wine to a new generation of US consumers.
*Rosenblum - for throwing a great open house (forthcoming article on the Alameda event) and for keeping it real, in the bottle and on the price.

Jeers:
*Lettie Teague for writing an entire years worth of pretention laden and otherwise utterly worthless articles about the wine world for Food & Wine magazine. Nice work Lettie, your article 'Supermarket Wine Scout' for the April 2004 edition was a masterpiece of anecdotal evidence and specious arguments. Brilliant. Looking forward to an equally banal 2005.
*$27 bottle of Viognier at Imagery Winery (a Benziger 'sister' winery) and to the tasting room staff who were as lively and engaging as a bunch of zombies. C'mon people, $27 for a bottle of Viognier, it's not my fault you insist on putting silly commissioned art on each label, but do you have to pass the cost on? (one saving grace, up the road at Benziger, there are a few hotties on the Benziger family photo in the parking area).