Love can inspire incredible works of art, moving songs, beautiful ballets. On The Bachelor, it can spawn whole seasons of clichés. People are now playing drinking games in which every time someone says something cliché about "connections," and "leaps of faith," or anything at all, you have to drink. Pretty hilarious, though you could get dangerously wasted, so proceed with caution on the shenanigans.
But, as much as Ben might spout out trite phrases, he's unique in his love for wine. This is a guy who had wine at the ready with his floor date with Emily, served up way early morning mimosas on the boat, and even hiked with wine in hand with Courtney.
So, to combat all the clichés that come out of Bachelor people's mouths, grapefriend's here to give you interesting wines to go into them. No Chardonnay, no Cabernet — we’re gonna stretch some grape muscle today, and I think our winemaking bachelor would approve.
Cliché Thought #1: Relationships are about overcoming fears, jumping out of planes together and taking a leap of faith. "At that point she was falling not just from a helicopter but, more importantly, for Ben…"
Cliché Wine: Pinot Grigio. This is a light white wine with a little acid, but that's about all you can really say about it.
New Soulmate: Rkatseteli from New York's Finger Lakes region. It has more citrus fruit flavors going on, but retains a delicious, crispy acidity. Go for 2009 Dr. Frank Rkatsiteli, $15.
Cliché Thought #2: Other girls are too vanilla. "They’re not even women, they're girls!"
Cliché Wine: Chardonnay. You're into a medium-bodied white that's fuller and maybe even has some vanilla notes from oak aging. But, lots of versions are so over-oaked that you can't even taste all the yummy apple and pear from the grapes.
New Soulmate: Pinot Gris from Oregon instead. Much fruitier with pear, almond and honeysuckle notes. Pop open some 2010 Elk Cove Vineyards Pinot Gris, $17.
Cliché Thought #3: "I've known it's real from the beginning, but, like, it's really real."
Cliché Wine: Cabernet. You want a heavier red with some good blackberry flavors. Nothing wrong with that.
New Soulmate: Since it's winter, you can go even heavier with a Monastrell from Spain. It has even more blackberries and lots of tannins to make it an intense, bold drinker. Make your heavy red really real. Give it a whirl with 2009 Bodegas Juan Gil Monastrell, $12.
Cliché Thought #4: Together, there's nothing we can't accomplish.
Cliché Wine: Pinot Noir. Though I do love a lighter Pinot Noir, mix it up and maybe you'll strike up a deep connection with another wine.
New Soulmate: Chinon from the Saumur region in the Loire. These have a little bit more of a vegetal quality, and fresh raspberry and violet flavors too. Try 2009 Château de Coulaine Chinon Bonnaventure, $20.
This all said, as much as everyone makes fun of the people on The Bachelor, they have no problem making fun of the people watching The Bachelor either — i.e. themselves. Lots of tweeters commented that it was Monday night, the night before Valentine’s Day, and they were on the couch eating chocolate, drinking wine and watching a cheesy dating reality show. Cliché, but not if you're reading the live tweets, which is an absolutely hilarious form of entertainment in and of itself.
Happy belated Valentine's Day, everyone! I hope you all find your soulmate, take a leap of faith with your heart, and face your fears together.
For more wine fun, head to grapefriend.com!
post a comment