The game has been amazing so far and every week a blend of hilarity, excitement, and slight anger is bound to ensue. The hilarity typically comes from the chaotic nature of the game and from the circumstance I like to call “Getting Nailed“. The excitement is all about winning the wine. Questions are coming from all angles, guesses are being made, and someone, somewhere is getting closer to pinning the exact wine. The slight anger usually comes from the runner up at the end of the game. The runner up is always ‘this’ close to winning the wine and their perfect questions typically lead someone else on to the right answer first.

(You may have noticed the use of the word ‘blend’ in the first sentence of the previous paragraph. Unlike traditional media, it is my practice to share with you when a pun was intended. So, I am happy to report that this pun was, in fact, intended).

This week, for the first time, we unveil the current Power Rankings for the players.

Power Rankings – Top 10 – (1/12/2009):

1.		@LuluArroyo	Winner of week 1 and claims to have ‘had a feeling’ that last weeks wine was the Falesco Vitiano Rosso before the game even started. She is undoubtedly very knowledgeable about wine. There’s a slight chance she may be a mind reader, or a member of the CIA.
2.		@fieryonetoo	Winner last week. She was looking forward to it all day and showed up early to take names. Clearly a knowledgeable wine lover and a force to be reckoned with. Check out her solid answers to the interview below.
3.		@GourmetLawyer	Not sure if he’ll show up this week, because last week Walker played the role of ‘runner-up’. He seemed to be all over the secret wine and guessed everything correctly but the vintage. By the time he got the right answer in, it was too late. If he plays again, lookout.
4.		@ErikWahlborg	Week two winner, Erik (aka BuynoWino) is sneaky and resourceful. You best be searching Google and scanning wine inventories during the game, because you know he is!
5.		@WCWineGuy	Solid questions last week and a lot of wine knowledge. Plus, he’s a Chicagoan, so he’s probably just a little bit better than you in general. Check out his blog – good stuff.
6.		@GourmetRambler	Chicago food and wine lover, so this demands bonus points in my book. Not to mention, last week she asked if the wine had “cab sauce and syrah”. Perhaps a typo? Perhaps… Or just maybe a very pointed question to narrow the field down dramatically to only those few select wines produced with the mysterious cab sauce.
6.		@metalmisstress1	Did not participate in the game at all, but very kindly requested a link to our blog during the closing remarks. Clearly sneaky and informed.
7.		@JonSiegler	WineMcGee insider and game moderator. Without him the game would be dramatically more chaotic. While he’s unlikely to attempt to guess the secret wine given his role, there’s a slight chance he could accidentally blurt out the correct answer. For this reason, he is in our power rankings top 10.
8.		@Silverlines	Fellow macaroni and cheese lover. Good questions and involved during the whole game last week.
9.		@Lighty99	According to Twitter- music journalist, online radio DJ, aspiring playwright & NY Rangers fanatic. Don’t know him, but sounds pretty cool.
10.		@forestgrovemom	She’s a mom and her picture appears to be a child picking his/her nose. She’s from Oregon, so could be an outside threat if a secret Oregon wine is chosen.

Getting Nailed

In Twenty Tweet Tuesday, each player can suggest any number of Yes/No questions. We at WineMcGee then choose specific questions to answer that move the game along. Each person is only allowed a maximum of two formal guesses at the secret wine. In order to win, you need to tweet the exact bottle (i.e., the vintage, winery, and marketed wine name or varietals) and include the word “Guess” within your tweet. Our system automatically aggregates and analyzes the questions and guesses to ensure that each person is only allowed two guesses. But don’t include the word “Guess” within your tweet unless it’s a formal guess. It happens to a couple people every week:

No, my friend, you actually have zero guesses left, because you just got nailed.

Last Week’s Secret Wine

Interview with the Winner – @fieryonetoo

Michael. What is the best part about Olive Garden – the never ending breadsticks, or never ending salad bowl?

Maureen. The dressing on the salad rules!

Michael. What is your favorite wine accessory?

Maureen. My electric wine opener… it’s my favorite toy (even if the cork gets stuck in there occasionally) … my Eisch breathable glasses run a close second.

Michael. How many times have you made and kept a New Year’s resolution? Did you make one this year (you don’t need to say what it is)?

Maureen. No idea how many resolutions I’ve made and broken… For the first time in a long time I actually did make one this year to try and forgive myself when I’m not perfect (yes I know it’s a shocker that a mere human is not perfect) But I am my own worst critic and I’m going to try and work on that.

Michael. I see you are from Jersey. I promise not to hold that against you. Have you seen the MTV show Jersey Shore? What do you think about it?

Maureen. I’ve only seen the promos… I’ve probably gone to school with these kids parents or aunts or uncles… around here we know not to pay attention to them… but I’m glad the rest of the country finds them entertaining.

Michael. I see you like hockey. How ‘bout them Blackhawks?

Maureen. I am a Ranger fan so I love those underdogs. I like Patrick Kane… and since the BlackHawks are part of the Original Six … I know they stand for REAL HOCKEY!! I’ll root for them as long as they’re not up against the Rangers

Michael. When did you get into wine?

Maureen. Started in College. It always seemed that the people I was around went to wine bars or wine tastings and one day I had a wine that as I like to call it “turned the lightbulb on” above my head. Then I wanted to learn to help others not be intimidated by making a wine choice and it always stuck. I’ve never been one for vintages … I think the best thing about wine is finding that winemaker who may only make 200 cases a year but you can see and taste the passion he’s put into it.

Michael. What is your favorite wine?

Maureen. I am a ZIN person through and through. It is my be all – go to red. I mean I even learned to like Pinot Noir from Zin. (I was at a zin tasting and a a winemaker in Oregon convinced me to try his Pinot…which got me hooked as well). The only wines I don’t like that don’t have a connection to Zin are my local NYS wines – White Zin is not included in this

The recipe is simple, and you can basically just mix the ingredients in some logical fashion and come up with a yummy result. Some would have you whisk the mixture, but just scooping in some sorbet worked fine for me, and it’s the recommended process from Food Network Chef Giada De Laurentiis. And who doesn’t respect Giada and her… uhhh… mixed drinks. This serves two:

Mix the chilled prosecco and vodka and pour into champagne flutes. Scoop in the sorbet, top with mint, and serve often.

Twenty Tweet Recap

Several days before Christmas marked our second Twenty Tweet Tuesday game – our new Twitter-based twenty questions game with a secret wine. You guess, we tell, and the winner gets the chosen wine free! This marked out first game using our custom game dashboard, which pulls together the tweets from everyone playing on one screen for easy viewing and increased fun capacity. With the holidays approaching, it was a sure shot we’d go with something bubbly:

The Wine

Scharffenberger Brut has recently received flying colors from many different publications including Wine Enthusiast and Wine & Spirits magazines. It’s also very inexpensive around $17. We recommend you check it out.

The Person

Michael. Describe yourself in three words.

Erik. Adventuresome, Outgoing, Honest

Michael. Describe yourself in a sentence which must include the word ‘lackluster’.

Erik. My mood can change drastically from a lackluster performance from a Chicago or Purdue sports team.

Michael. What was your favorite original Nintendo game?

Erik. Legend of Zelda without a doubt – best game ever made. Zelda mode is the gift that keeps on giving.

Editors Note: Incorrect. While Zelda was a great game, we’re going to have to go with Contra on this one. I mean, the ridiculous cheat code and the seizure inducing 3D levels? Classic. How about another vote: most disappointing game-ending sequence? Rampage. I remember playing this game from start to finish in my friends basement for two days straight. I’m quite certain we did not eat any food and we just peed our pants when necessary – because there was no ’saving’ allowed. At the end of this process, after essentially just repeatedly pressing A for 40 hours straight, you are awarded with the following screen which disappears after several seconds to show the credits for the game-makers. You bastards.

Michael. How did it make you feel when Structure officially changed their name to Express?

Erik. I can only sum it up with borrowing a quote from Garth Algar: “It’s like a new pair of underwear. At first it’s constrictive, but after a while it becomes a part of you”

Michael. What is your favorite wine that you’ve tried recently?

Erik. Got to enjoy some good wine over the holiday so this is a tough question; probably the 2006 Mount Veeder Cabernet was the best I have had within the past week. I also had some French Champagne for the first time – pretty tasty!

Michael. Have you ever purchased wine online?

Erik. I prefer not to buy wine (hence the nickname) but if I am going to buy I try to support the local establishments. I did recently purchase some wine online for a gift though; buying online just makes it easier if you have to ship the wine.

Michael. The common thought is ‘beer before liquor never been sicker.’ Where do you think wine fits into this equation?

Erik. Beer before wine and everything is fine. It works the other way too!

Michael. What is one thing that you want to do before you die?

Erik. Travel the world.

Thanks to Erik for participating! Erik (aka Buyno Wino on WineMcGee) is currently one of the top contributors to WineMcGee and frequently posts new wine reviews, questions and answers, and his favorite wines of the moment. Check out his profile here: Buyno Wino on WineMcGee. Follow him on Twitter here.

I'm the impressionable young man on the left - yes, the one Ditka seems to care most about.

The Wine

For the first event, I had to choose a wine that meant something to me. Growing up in Chicago, I’ve always been a huge bears fan, and you can’t love the Bears without loving Ditka. There are few men that have the lore of Ditka. He started off as a five time pro-bowler and superbowl champ. Then he decided to give coaching a shot and led the best-defense-ever, best-superbowl-shuffling-ever ‘85 Bears to Superbowl victory. During these years Ditka wore his intense passion and rage on his sleeve, frequently having heart-attacks “just to prove a point”.

Several years later he was inducted to the Hall of Fame by the Board of Selectors; legend has it that this occurred largely out of fear of being destroyed by Ditka. The early 90’s brought the Superfans on Saturday Night Live, and the 2000’s (err 00’s???) marked the arrival of Actor Ditka on Kicking and Screaming. If you haven’t seen it, you should.

So now, with a humble understanding of the lore of Ditka, you will undestand why I chose the 2006 Mike Ditka ‘Da Coach’ Merlot as the first giveaway wine. I’ve only had this wine once, and it only struck me as decent, but you have to start somewhere. Some of the Ditka wines, for example the “Kick-Ass Red”, are said to be pretty darn good, actually. So who are the others that share the lore of Ditka? (3) The guy on the Dos Equis Commercial that is ‘the most interesting man in the world, (2) Chuck Norris, and (1) Ditka.

The Person

Michael. What’s your favorite wine?

Lulu. French (Bordeaux, Burgundy, Champagne, Northern Italian (not in that order!)

Michael. What’s your favorite food?

Lulu. Impossible to answer, savory over sweet but love the combination of the two, add spice and I’m done!

Michael. Do you prefer Friends or Seinfeld?

Lulu. Seinfeld!

Michael. What’s your passion?

Lulu. Learning. Always learning no matter what area it is.

Michael. Ditka versus a humongous snowball, what’s the final score?

Lulu. Ditka. Everytime. Everytime.

Michael. Would you rather eat only bread (butter, cheese, or your favorite spread allowed) for the rest of your life, or drink only wine for the rest of your life (no water or anything else allowed)?

Lulu. Tough one. I love both together and individually but forever is a long time.

Michael. What is your primary motivator to purchase a specific wine? Do you rely on friends advice, wine ratings, like to experiment, etc?

Lulu. I like to experiment. There are so many wines I have not tried. I’m open to suggestions all the time. Motivator is different everytime. Curiousity is one, food match is another, many reasons to love wine!

Thanks to Lulu for participating in Twenty Tweet Tuesday and sharing your answers for our interview! We hope you join us next week for the fun!