So last Wednesday I attended a wine signing event in Henderson. I got two bottles signed by Maynard James Keenan, from Tool, and winemaker Eric Glomski. They've been doing these events a lot lately, mostly around Arizona and nearby cities.I drove clear across Vegas to get to the Whole Foods store in Henderson which I managed to locate without much trouble. On a side note, Henderson is a pretty rich looking city. At least the area I was in. I didn't see any graffiti anywhere and the shopping center I was in seemed pretty high end. There was even a charming, antiquated looking carousel that was in operation right beside the store!
Anyway, upon arriving there was already a long line of people going from the entrance of the store all the way around to the back. I got my place way in the back and worried that I hadn't gotten there earlier. I was relieved to hear event staff tell us that there was plenty of time and plenty of bottles for everyone to get. Alright, now a couple hundred Tool fans/wine enthusiasts and I just had to wait about an hour outside in the chilly November night. They should've popped open some bottles and let us sample them out!
There were seven wines available; some from Arizona Stronghold Vineyard and some from Maynard's own Caduceus Cellars. I made my choices and watched as the line grew longer and longer. By the time I was near the front of the line, people were still getting in line and the event was still scheduled for another hour and a half.
Due to the large number of people, event staff was moving everything along at a fast pace. No cameras were allowed and everyone met Eric and Maynard one at a time. No opportunity for questions. When it was my turn, Eric did most of the talking. He said thanks for being here and passed the bottles on to Maynard who said a simple hello and "enjoy the wine" before I left. Not a big deal; everyone was being passed through and they had a lot of bottles to sign before the event was over. Other than that, I noticed Maynard was wearing a cool orange Puscifer jacket.
I got one bottle of Arizona Stronghold Tazi White. Now, I'm not a big wine drinker but I do like the taste of Riesling wine which makes up 33% of the Tazi according to the description. I'll probably pop this one open some day. Here you can see Eric Glomski's signature on the top of the bottle.
I also purchased one bottle of Merkin Chupacabra, a red wine. The description of it reads:
Our mystery red blend. Think forest, not trees. Think weather, not rain. Stare and the Chupacabra, who dwells in your heart and not in your head, will vanish.
Probably hold on to this one for a while. I should've expected a description like this; it is Maynard.
Maynard's signature:
Now I just gotta learn how to store this wine right. Then open them up for a good reason. Sounds like this wine would go well on a nice trip. :)
