Have you heard of these lost, under-appreciated superheroes, "supertasters"? About 25% of the U.S. population are considered supertasters, meaning that they have at least twice the amount of tastebuds that we boring/regular/average tasters have. Now, if two of you live in a house and your significant other can't describe what he or she tasting as well as you can, that doesn't mean you're a supertaster. That might just mean that your spouse just isn't the sharpest tack in the tackle box.

     But would it be better to be a supertaster? Would you sit there at dinner and just get lost in the millions of layers each bite of gourmet food had, washing over you for hours? Many think the experience of being a supertaster is more likely just the opposite. The subtle spiciness of a dish is for you, too spicy to keep in your mouth. The light acidity of a finessed Cabernet Franc is to you, just pure acidity. A little oak on a nice Spanish tempranillo could be like chugging a vile of vanilla.

     So you supertasters, choose wisely. You average tasters, be happy you can enjoy twice the range of foods and wines that supertastes sometimes cannot. Are you a supertaster? Do you have a friend who insists that they can taste a wine from 4 feet away? Comment below.

     When running a wine store, you obviously engage in many discussions about drinking and the effects of drinking. Everyone has their legendary drunk story and nearly everyone has their own personal hangover cure. We've heard everything from butter and egg sandwiches to peanut butter and a Camel Light (personally, I don't think you can beat a French Dip Melt from Dave's down the street). And many customers claim super-human abilities like:

- I can drink white wine all night and not get a hangover

- it is impossible for me to get a sake hangover

- if I drink two glasses I get a hangover, but I'm fine if I drink more than a bottle

     Well, yes, it is true that some people are affected by the sulfites (1% of the population) and histamines more prevalent in red wine, so the white wine thing could be partially true. Though i'm guessing that pesky 10-15% alcohol thing gets in the way at some point. As for sake, yes, there are little to no preservatives used in most sakes and it is proven that preservatives can add to a hangover. But 'impossible', well.....hmmm...then you're that lost superhero that I've been looking for all my life....I'd like to be your superhero sidekick and I'd like my name to be "The Imbiber". As for the last point, it could be partially true. I'm WAY better at pool after a couple of beers, then terrible after a couple more so I'm sure there can be a sweet spot with alcohol as well.

     Have a hangover cure? Have superhuman tolerance abilities but only on Tuesdays?  Please comment below (and yes, this was totally inspired by a Slate.com article on hangovers).

     There was a very interesting article in the NYTimes earlier this month detailing the growing war between the stroller-set and the S-DANKs (Single Drinkers No Kids). There are two reasons this really caught our attention -- 1.) one of the bars mentioned is The Gate in Parkslope, Brooklyn - a hallowed place in our memories as we used to live two doors away from this glorious drinking establishment and referred to it simply as 'downstairs', and 2.)the laws are drastically different in LA regarding children in drinking establishments and this is often a source of frustration and confusion with our patrons.

     Let's start with the law.  In California, a minor can not enter and remain within an establishment licensed as a bar unless that establishment is considered a 'bona-fide eating place', aka restaurant.  It's especially confusing because, like a handful of other establishments in LA, we look like a retail establishment, but are actually licensed as a bar, front to back.  By law, we have to post 'no one under 21 allowed entry' on our front window and enforce this law to the best of our ability or we could be fined, or worse, lose our license.

     Now let's get to opinion. We hate this law. Eagle Rock is a family neighborhood and as new parents ourselves, we understand a parent's want/need for more places to get out of the house with your child and enjoy a drink in a nice place. In NY, as long as a child under 16 is accompanied by an adult, he/she can enter a bar no problem. Isn't California supposed to be a bastion of liberal thinking? Let the businesses make their own rules and decide whether or not they want to be kid-free or kid-friendly. That would actually allow more small businesses to specialize one way or the other, create more competition, create more jobs, etc. etc. Goodbye for now, high horse.

UPDATED - 2/27/08

     When restaurants offer no, low, or discounted corkage for wine you bring into their restaurants, it's a big deal. The margin on food aint pretty so alcohol usually makes up the difference for them.  So, support these restaurants!  And please, by all means, leave comments below with restaurants we have left out that offer low or no corkage.

CLICK HERE to see the list and interactive map

     There's a great article in the NYTimes today about our nation and its interstate wine shipping laws. In 2005, the Supreme Court made it legal for wineries to ship to most states, but not retailers. Retailers can legally only ship to a handful of states and some of those states you can only ship one case a month, other states you have to give the statealcohol control body a list of wines you will be shipping into their state in the future. Last year I tried to explainto the North Carolina Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission that my time machine was broken and that I really didn't know which wines would be heading their way in the future, but that didn't fly.

     The current laws of alcoholwere born out of prohibition (any of you that have entered CoWineCo with a child have already experienced one of these laws...minors can enter our store but not remain...as if they were going to throw down a sleeping bag and move in). The importer/distributor/retailer model was a way of 'controlling' a seemingly life-threatening substance. Now don't get me wrong, addictions are very serious and alcohol is very different from Sunny-D, but our laws are absurd. In the NYTimes article, Craig Wolf, chairman of the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, says of the dangers of shipping alcohol out of state, "the bottom line is that you whittle away at the system little by little, and what you end up with is what you have in England, where cheap alcohol has led to binge drinking through the roof..." Really? So if I could ship a few bottles of wine to my sisters in Massachusetts for Christmas, I would soon find them splayed out on their front lawns, throwing up while still gripping bottles of neon blue Mad Dog 20/20? Hmmm. The quote makes sense when you consider Craig's position with the wholesalers who stand to lose their grip over the flow of alcohol in our country. Take away the wholesalers and CoWineCo would actually be able to buy from the source, thus lowering prices for the customers. Dear God....what anarchy.

     If only my time machine were working, I'd give Craig a ride into the future and show him that actually, the vast majority of the country is pretty damn good at deciding when to say when.

     CLICK HERE for the full article.