Riotwine founders Josh Duyan and Nathan Kennedy

This is what I hate about wine (or rather, some of the people that sell it/review it/drink it and make that bubbly noise in their mouth much too loudly and too often):

Descriptions like:

This [whatever wine] has a big, juicy, explosive nose of tobacco, cherry cough syrup, balsa wood, herbs and rose petals. It’s deep, with a terrific texture and real elegance. Its mid-palate is opulent, fleshy and redolent of spicy white fruits [ed’s note: what the hell is a spicy white fruit?]. It has sweet tannins in the finish, not to mention pure notes of kirsch, spice and pepper, low acidity, high glycerin levels and a self-involved personality. It’s lacy, yet dense, pure yet chewy, accessible yet elusive, filling the mouth with a plump, hedonistic impression. Anticipated maturity: now–2040 or before death.

I prefer tasting notes that aren’t “redolent” of ego, more in line with this:

General: Lots of blueberry, blackberry and white pepper.
First: Fruit and earth
Last: Vanilla, leather and smoke

The above is a direct description of a Tempranillo from a winecard that Riotwine includes with its wine shipments. The new “modern/young/different” wine-of-the-month-kind-of-club geared towards twentysomethings was launched at the end of last year by the very cute, very nice, SF-based Josh Duyan, Nathan Kennedy and Michael Jeremy. I’m not going to say more, mostly because our website editor told me I need to write shorter blogs and because you can read all about it on their similarly accessible website.

Once you’ve signed up, get yourself to one of their parties. The one I attended with a couple editors from 7x7 was at the unpretentious, relatively new wine bar Amelie. (Click here  to see the photographic proof.) Good wine, good friends: basic concept. Barring Robert M. Parker, I’d guess that’s what most people are looking for and it’s what Riotwine intends to be all about.