Wine, Friends and Video Tape

In which we share our first experience on camera

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A while back, before I took up my glamorous new post at BNET, I wrote a freelance piece for them called "How to Survive Dinner with Your Wine Snob Boss." It was a fun but instructional piece that got rave reviews and garnered huge traffic.

After I was hired at BNET, the head of our video department asked if I wouldn't like to make a video version of it. Of course I said yes. We took a somewhat different tack than the written piece, tee-ing it up as an interview with a sommelier who offered tips of choosing wine and wine etiquette.

Our producer, who owns her own small vineyard in Napa, found a suitable sommelier at the tony watering hole Jardinierre, Eugenio Jardim.

When I arrived at the place one morning last month, I was met by Eugenio, an affable Brazilian -- who looked very familiar. The producers had us working so fast, though, that I didn't get a chance to chat him up until there was a break while the crew adjusted the lighting. At this point I pulled out one of my Vinapedia biz cards and explained that the site was a bit of a hobby and a way for me to learn more about wine. Then I asked if Ted Talley sold wine to Jardinierre (Ted is an old friend in the wine business).

Eugenio smiled and said “I’ve known Ted for 20 years…”

Of course we had met before at parties and such, but it had been a long time, since before I had moved to Southern California. So we chatted about our mutual friends, who seemed to grow more legion with every phrase. Talk about a small world.

Watch me with Eugenio in the video, Wine Know-How.