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marky
climber
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Topic Author's Original Post - Jul 17, 2008 - 07:57pm PT
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would he bother with the likes of Trader Joe's two-buck Chuck? How discriminating was he with his wine?
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Russ Walling
Social climber
Out on the sand.... man.....
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Jul 17, 2008 - 08:28pm PT
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if it came in a bottle it was good to go..... Mountian Red I think was his fave.
He came over to my van one night in Camp 4... Indian Sisters in tow.... he says, "hey Fish.... you got a wine opener?" I say, "nope"..... He breaks the neck off the bottle by crashing it against the door of my van... I think he then asked if I had any glasses.
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Blitzo
Social climber
Earth
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Jul 17, 2008 - 10:37pm PT
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It was Red Mountain, Russ. Very cheap!
If it was wine, Warren would drink it! He liked red wine best.
He usually bought it in the gallon jugs.
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john hansen
climber
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Jul 17, 2008 - 10:47pm PT
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There is that classic shot of him on WOEML in a "Christian Brothers "add.
I think they sponsered him on that climb...
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Chicken Skinner
Trad climber
Yosemite
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Jul 18, 2008 - 12:52am PT
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John Hansen, that was Christian Brothers brandy for that climb. He liked Manhattans towards the end, but was always up for a glass of red. Blitzo could tell you a story and I could fill in the blanks.
Ken
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 18, 2008 - 01:25am PT
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I always found it was best to catch him at the beginning of the second bottle.
By the time he was into the third he became belligerent.
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bringmedeath
climber
la la land
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Jul 18, 2008 - 02:07am PT
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Two buck chuck belongs in the trash. Most bottles belong in the trash that I see people drinking. Anything under 15 dollars normally tastes like garbage to me, but there are exceptions. Have no clue what kind of wine warren drank, but I meet very few climbers who spent $20+ on a bottle these days. Plus most people have no clue what to even do with a good bottle of red... oh f*#k now I'm getting pissed... as#@&%es putting it in the cooler... drinking it the second it's opened... AWEFUL!!!!
Warren drank trash if it came in the gallon...
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JEleazarian
Trad climber
Fresno CA
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Jul 18, 2008 - 09:57am PT
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I'm reluctant to call myself a contemporary of Warren's. In 1970, I remember explaining to a friend that Harding was "ancient." He was 48. Now that I'm 57, my definition of "ancient" is evolving.
In any case, Red Mountain seemed to be his standard.
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rmuir
Social climber
the Time Before the Rocks Cooled.
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Jul 18, 2008 - 09:59am PT
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...never saw Warren with anything OTHER than a bottle of jug wine. While I'm sure that Harding wouldn't turn down a two-buck chuck, neither would he back down from a Château Léoville Las Cases 2002. That wasn't the point.
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Prod
Social climber
Charlevoix, MI
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Jul 18, 2008 - 10:46am PT
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L.S.E.D. & F.S. (Lower Sierra, Eating Drinking, and Farcing Society) This website says he was the president. Someone should post up the christian bros ad.
http://www.drinkingsociety.org/honorary.html
Prod.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 18, 2008 - 11:17am PT
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BMD,
if you let red wine breath in a climber's camp your glass will likely be filled with the air.
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Grant Meisenholder
Trad climber
CA
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Jul 18, 2008 - 11:45am PT
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"Plus most people have no clue what to even do with a good bottle of red... oh f*#k now I'm getting pissed... as#@&%es putting it in the cooler... drinking it the second it's opened... AWEFUL!!!! "
Largely agreed, but I will say this: My dad retired and started a winery, so I've had more than ample opportunity to study wine.
There are great under $15 bottles of wine, but they aren't from the big name labels.
Chilling reds isn't a mortal sin; it's actually a great way to make the bouquet come alive as it warms up. Of course you don't want to chill it down to sub-50 temps, but doing so is a better alternative to letting it sit out on a hot day. That will kill the wine fast. The wine should then be opened and let breathe for about 20 minutes while it warms up. If the smell of the alcohol becomes dominant, the wine is too warm
Of course none of this holds with Mountain Red and its contemporaries....
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Blitzo
Social climber
Earth
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Jul 18, 2008 - 12:12pm PT
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I like Far Niente Cab and Silver Oak Cab, around $100.00 a bottle, depending on year.
Stags Leap Cab is good and only about $45.00 a bottle.
Warren wouldn't have noticed the difference between these wines and Red Mountain.
Batso during the first ascent of The Menehune Wall, 1975.
Photo by Blitzo.
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Ahwahnee Bartender
Big Wall climber
Fog Town
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Jul 18, 2008 - 12:28pm PT
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I had the honor of being Warren's Wine Steward (heh, heh) at the Ahwahnee Hotel in 1977. No joke! I was a bartender for my first summer and worked in the dinning room as a wine steward for the next 5 years. Anyway, I believe the occasion was for Warren's birthday but I could be wrong - but it was some big celebration that Harding organized.
He reserved the alcove area in advance, that's the very back of the dinning room that looks directly at Yosemite Falls. The table was a giant 12 top with as many chairs as we could squeeze in and he had all the surrounding tables reserved as well. So around 8:30 PM, all these dirt bag climbers started filing in with loaner sport coats on.
When everybody was assembled I approached the table and went directly to Warren and asked if the table wanted to see the huge Ahwahnee wine list. "Nooooooooo" was his reply. Instead he ordered a number house carafes of red wine which was some rot gut we carried that was poured out of half gallon jugs back at the bar.
He keep me busy that night with many, many carafe refills. But I didn't mind as he was my hero back then. As the night drew on, the entire table was completely hammered by the time the dinning room closed it's two large doors and we told folks that we were closing. Would anyone care to guess who was the very last person to leave?
Yep, 'ol Warren was finally persuaded to take the long walk down the dinning room's red carpet at about 11:30. The mighty red wine had produced the desired effect, but Warren's stride was remarkable steady. Then I saw my chance to pull a sharpened RURP out of my pocket that I had been working on and asked him what he thought. "Show 'em to Porter" was all he said. Then he was gone.
Respect,
Theo
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Jul 18, 2008 - 12:33pm PT
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Isn't the word "sommelier"?
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Blitzo
Social climber
Earth
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Jul 18, 2008 - 12:34pm PT
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That's Warren! We were always the last ones out of the old, dark, M.R. Bar.
I have some stories, maybe I'll share some later.
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Scott Cole
Trad climber
Jackson, WY^
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Jul 22, 2008 - 10:53pm PT
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The best climbing wines always come with a screwtop. Corks are fine, but are subject to dammage and, if you fail to bring the proper tools, you may be required to use Poe's ( Edgar Allen) method of opening the bottle which rarely preserves the delicate boquet of the wine you worked so hard to haul.
Scole
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steelmnkey
climber
Vision man...ya gotta have vision...
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Jul 22, 2008 - 11:24pm PT
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Man, this site brought back some memories of the drive-in back in high school...
http://www.bumwine.com/
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mark miller
Social climber
Reno
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Jul 23, 2008 - 12:17am PT
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Having been fortunate enough to have met the Legend at et.al's, climbing partners digs a few times. I think Piton Ron pretty much nailed it. You had to catch WH at the right time. 2 Days later in the meadows in the early 80's he couldn't recall me. This happened more then once......And I was in the Band and shared a few bottles......
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