7 am
Not gonna lie—I’m waking up with a hangover, just like you. Ouch!
7:15 am
Meet pals Charles Bieler and Bobby Stuckey (also hungover) for my favorite Smuggler-Hunter Creek run. It’s so beautiful at this hour. I quickly forget all about last night’s abandon.
8:15 am
Run is done (phew!). I’m caffeinating and noshing on a bagel (poppy seed, please) at ink!
8:30 am
Back to The Little Nell for a shower and to answer too many e-mails before hopping into the day.
9 am
At the reserve-tasting tent to check on how the Champagne is chilling for the first seminar—Dom Pérignon, of course.
9:30 am
Meet with the lovely Nicole Ruvo of Dom and buddy Robert Bohr to go over the last details of our tasting.
10 am
Champagne is poured and we’re ready for our first reserve tasting. First order of business: Get the crowd to throw out the spit cup.
11 am
Now that we’ve got the crowd all wound up and full of bubbly, they can go on their merry way. I exit stage left and make a beeline for the Trade Grand Tasting.
11:15 am
I’ve made it to the tent. Grab a glass and fill it with Fiji water (a sommelier survival secret) before making the rounds. This is a really nice time to catch up with industry friends whom we get to see too seldom.
Noon
Collect French friends Jean-Marc Roulot, Christophe Roumier and Jean-Louis Chave, add a dash of Lewis and POW! Instant party. We take our party to Ajax Tavern—my favorite place—for Double Doubles and Coronas on the patio.
1:30 pm
Check on my next reserve tasting and round up our winemaker, Alvaro Palacios (a force of nature!), and fellow panelist David Lynch, the funniest man in wine.
2 pm
Wines are poured for the next hour with Alvaro and David, unceremoniously turning the crowd’s teeth a deep shade of purple.
3 pm
Send the stragglers out of the tent. It’s time to flip it all in one hour for the last tasting of the day with Lewis Cellars.
5 pm
My sides ache from laughing my ass off as Randy and Debbie Lewis [owners of Lewis Cellars] regale the crowd with their incredible wines and history.
5:15 pm
Jump on the mountain bike with Christophe Roumier. He came all the way from France for two days and I’ve promised him some sweet single track in the Rockies. The Hobbit Trail does not disappoint.
7:45 pm
Adrenaline pumping from the ride. After a quick scrub-a-dub, I’ve made it to Food & Wine’s publisher’s party. Psyched to laugh some more with my favorite friend, Kate Krader.
9 pm
Slide into my favorite booth at Matsuhisa with my French friends in tow. We’re amped for the toro and endless sake (courtesy of Todd Clark) headed our way.
11:30 pm
It’s still early, so we roll to Jodi Larter’s beautiful Cache Cache bar for a little Champagne intermezzo.
12:15 am
Head to Scott Feldman’s 212 House, where the entire Food & Wine world splashes down for a little late-night carousing.
3 am
Make the crawl back to my fluffy bed at The Little Nell, and soon I’m ready to wake up tomorrow and do it all over again.
