New Year's Eve Training Regimen

A close friend, Jim Broderick, told me about 18 years ago that the hardest thing about travelling in France is training your body to eat and drink for 16 hours a day for 2 weeks after a poor night of sleep. Truer words never spoken. So, I'm in training and given that it was New Year's Eve last night, I'm waking up from a hard workout.

Is anything really coincidence? All I know is I've watched Rocky and Rocky II this morning, so there is that training theme in the air. I can positively say, however, that I feel better than Rocky after the first bout with Apollo Creed. Thank God those noisemakers didn't work when my daughter grab one this morning, another lucky day. More coincidence, I was training with my own Burgess Meridith, Jim Broderick, last night. I'll run with Rocky theme, and tell you all, I've got the "eye of the tiger."

I'm not a "smiler", but I have been told I'm generally a "glass half full " thinker. As we were preparing toasts, my wife and I, we getting ready to blurt out "Here's to a better 2010!", when we were reminded by the moustachioed and quietly, ascerbic, yet impossibly optimistic (in the New York style), wine guru that 2009 was pretty "freakin'"  good year for the Perkins family. So let me remind myself, it was a "freakin'" good year and 2010 will be even better!

Ok, back to the training. Do you ever notice that in the movies, the training sequences are dramatic, but short. I'd guess that's because to everybody that isn't really in the room it's boring. Sorry prepared to be bored, Rocky was training when the cameras weren't rolling.

Being  a self-professed wine nerd and minutiae addict here's my version of one-armed push ups:

Hopler Blaufrankisch to set the mood. Fun, festive, and uncomplicated donated to the cause by a worthy sparring partner, Sara Guterbock.

Bellavista Franciacorta to honor those fun, crazy Italians and remind us what New Year's is supposed to be about Bubbles! Clean and vivacious with tantalizing berry aromatics. A solid sparkler that screams "crowded bar in fancy Italian restaurant." Spirited.

Then, 6 different cheeses, prosciutto, and liver mousse to exercise those abdominal muscles.

A single blind tasting was the next event  with RH Coutier Brut, a Brut Reserva Cava (Sorry, Greatmama always said, "If you can't say something nice don't say anything at all." So my policy here will be to leave the underachievers un-named. Plus Rocky didn't like being kicked when he was down.)  and Bruno Paillard Premiere Cuvee Brut. Damn, we were good or maybe the wines just stuck out like "stylistic" sore thumbs. Either way, these tasty morsels didn't fool anyone. It was a split decision, between the richer Coutier and the more crisp and clean Paillard. Admiring both, my vote went to the sublime and ethereal Paillard.

As a side, we put a little Prosecco from San Simone in the ring with the Cava and in my opinion the little Italian street fighter won another easy knockout. It wasn't classy, but it was honest and tasty with beautiful white peach aromatics and bargain pricing. My hat is off ,as always, to the fantastic Brisotto family who make this wine.

Every fighter needs nutrition and while the gumbo I'd been nurturing for 5 days will never be described as ethereal, it was good, earthy, and real. That's the kind of stuff we like in my training camp. The main event never arrives early and I thought we might need another red to cleanse the palate for the big boy to come. Ouch, what a mistake, I just can't wrap my head around tricked up, monolithic, Tempranillo. I guess, neither could my compadres.

Luckily,  Krug Grand Cuvee arrived on the scene.  Nutty, yeasty and infinitely rich and complex. This Champagne had us all thinking wine. A stunner and the winner by KO. I'd say when the bell rang on the last round we came into 2010 with style. Here's to hard training and the New Year!