Upcoming events/cool stuff in this lovely town We live in. See you there.

Wednesday nights (that’s tonight, folks), going on throughout the summer: Mass Happy Hour on the Sunset Strip (via Caroline on Crack)

Thursday night, continuing for a week: GO LAKERS.

Friday nights, going on throughout the summer: Barnsdall Park Wine Tasting with selections by Silverlake Wine. And in a few weeks when Bar Covell opens, We’ll be strolling over there post-party.

Saturday and Sunday afternoon: LA Wine Fest at Raleigh Studios. Get fifteen bucks off the ticket price, by entering the promo code SACHA at checkout.

Tuesday evening, June 22: Bordeaux wine dinner at Canelé Hosted by Los Angeles Wine Tasting.

Saturday evening, June 26: City Listening II: A cocktail party and Stories About LA,  featuring “Barchitecture,” a bar designed by Him.

Not wine related, but a few other Los Angeles related links We’re digging this week:

One of the coolest t-shirts We’ve seen (and the title of a favorite song) from the clever folks at Poketo. (via @Sheigh)

Free entertainment for those stuck on the 405: Superclogger. (via C-Monster.net)

Crazy, gorgeous shots taken from the Goodyear Blimp. (via C-Monster.net)

In a few hours (4 o’clock local Hollywood time, to be exact) We’ll be logging on to a “virtual tasting” with Wines of Chile. There will be a panel of 8 winemakers taking questions from wine bloggers throughout the US, via video conference, or something. They sent Us a bunch of wine in a colorfully taped box with great packaging and marketing materials. Very excited. Is it 4 o’clock yet?

Post all that Chile slurping, We’re heading to the SLS Hotel/Bazaar in Beverly Hills to taste Spanish wines for Great Match. Our double-date partners, D & M, are joining Us, so cocktails at the swanky lobby lounge, Bar Centro, are likely to follow.

All week long there have been a ton of events for Natural Wine Week…We haven’t booked anything yet, but the symposium at LACE sounds awesome.

The Taste California Terroir sounds great too and features a couple of our favorite local wine/food spots: DomaineLA and Lou on Vine (it’s been way too long since We’ve seen these folks). The tasting is being held at beautiful Heath Ceramics, which means not only our taste buds, but our eyes too will be tantalized.

There are also two great tastings coming up at Pourtal, the sweet little wine bar that actually gets Us to travel to the Westside.  A Donkey &  a Goat Winery on May 14th and our favorite Wine Chick, Morgan of Cold Heaven on May 20th.

But wait! There’s more! The LA Wine Fest is coming up on June 5th & 6th on the back lot of Raleigh Studios. We’ve got a special deal for our readers: buy tickets online and get $15 off with promo code: SACHA. Sweet.

Most Young Kings get their head cut off: Awesome design, and He loves it because of His surname and His affinity for public nudity, but that box looks a little too reminiscent of a guillotine for a King. (Painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat)

The day of the most annoying Facebook status updates?: Evidently yesterday was some sort of stoner holiday. We drank wine, as per usual.

And the Mike Brady award for winery design goes to…: We agree with most of the buildings on this list. And Dominus really is so great.

Click on “One for all, all for one”: If only my professor would have used wine to teach physics in college, maybe I would have understood it.

The Minor Fall, The Major Wheeze: Balk’s concern that allergy season is going to effect his drinking habit.

But only for Him: Because no self-respecting woman would ever use a wine opener. (Despite the strange gender bias, We totally want one.)

But only for Her: Possibly the worst packaging We’ve ever seen, it looks like a girly Kleenex box. (Despite the terrible gender marketing and design, We totally want some.)

Can We make the interns do that?: Super great, but We ain’t cutting 175 wine corks in half.

I assume this costs more: This reminds Him of the time He ordered Dom at a bar in China. It was delivered on a platter with sparklers and fireworks. It cost roughly $9 US.

Cool, but…: $12 shipping (!) and severely overpriced, but the real problem is the crowded USB ports on Our MacBook Pros won’t accommodate the size. And did We mention $12 shipping for something that weighs like 5 oz?

We have no problem paying taxes, but this ballot initiative proposed by Josephine & Kent M. Whitney is just ridiculous. It would raise taxes on alcoholic beverages in California by more than 12,000%. To put this in understandable terms, a 12-pack of Bud Light would now cost as much as a Honda Accord. Haven’t these people ever heard of moderation.

Extra Dry Reading: The details of the initiative on ballotopedia.

7 Buck Chuck?:  Dr Vino’s take.

People are scared: Some pretty funny comments on LAist.

Drunk Email the Whitneys your complaints.

On a much cheerier note: We are anxiously awaiting the opening of Bar Covell in Los Feliz by the man striking a very Los Feliz pose above with partner Dustin Lancaster and snacks from Heirloom LA‘s Matthew Poley.

A trend we can’t toast too…and neither can the “hegans,” apparently, booze is off limits. We’re all for going to the gym, but just so We can be more gluttonous.

“‘Do you mean creamy, buttery dry or grapefruit dry?” Small wine shops get well deserved props (including a favorite local one of ours: domaineLA).

That’s Gott to be the worst re-branding ever: Taylor’s Automatic Refresher changes its name.

Why We drive ourselves when on a Silverado Trail tasting tour: limo drivers are drunks.

Finally, do you follow “8 Rules for Visiting Tasting Rooms“? Here’s how We stack up:

1. We always pregame (but never with Coors Light, typically with wine).
2. We probably take more than our share of the crackers from the little basket most tastings rooms provide.
3. We only spit when we don’t like the wine, but pours are typically very small so it’s not as though We’re boozing it up.
4. See above. We typically don’t get drunk. At tasting rooms, that is. (And, as mentioned the previous link, you should totally beware of hiring a limo to drive you around.)
5. True that. But We also hate it when the tasting staff gives us TMI–We’ll make our own tasting notes, thanks.
6. Bar hogs are the worst. As are chatty, schmoozing pourers. If a tasting room is two deep at the bar, We turn around.
7. True, but We are paying guests.
8. See above. It’s pretty rare We don’t walk away with at least one bottle if We’ve enjoyed the tasting.

We had not thought (or cared) much about wine shipping laws until We began United Slurps of America. Now we realize it could be a huge thorn in the side of our project. Neither of Us are law experts, but I assume this law is in place to “protect” those under 21; or an outdated holdover law from the days of prohibition. But common sense says that this is stifling small winemakers in states with tougher shipping laws. And really, just require a damn signature and ID to accept the shipment. Isn’t it just that easy? Our conversation went something like this:

She said: Frankly, I don’t think teenagers are searching out obscure varietals from small artisan wineries out of state to get fucked-up on.

He said: Right, that’s for us adults to do.

Here are some links to people who understand this issue a little bit better than Us.

Tom Wark’s Manifesto: It’s long, but read it. Really do.

Hungover Bureaucracy: “PA’s disgraceful liquor laws.” We actually had no problem with getting wine from PA.

Free The Grapes: Get involved, sign the petition.

Wine Without Borders: Really all the info you will ever need.

Bookmark This Link: If you decide you want to break any of these laws.

1. Where is wine going in the next decade?: Other than in my mouth, I’m not sure. But Harmon Skurnik might know.

2. Shameless self-promotion #1:  10 of the top wine blogs. We are in pretty good company, and please don’t hesitate to have us over for dinner–as long as your parents are away.

3. Shameless self-promotion #2: The 9 best new food & drink blogs of 2009. Thanks guys, drinks are on us.

4. Trick or Tweet:  There are a lot of things I hate about Twitter. Drink Nectar illustrates how you guys can make me hate it less.

5. Bourboulenc + Verdelho = Bourdelho: Goes great with crabs.

6. Do you know the importance of a Skypager?: Totally unrelated to wine, but a list I love. My friend and best-producer-in-the-history-of-hip-hop, Dante Ross lists some forgotten hip-hop accessories.

And speaking of Texas, hooch is illegal? Don’t tell that to the cowboy who gave me homemade Sotol and Absinthe out of the back of his truck in Marfa.

We don’t hunt the obits for opportunities, but this sure perfect timing: we’re looking to expand our cellar. Anyone have half a mil we can borrow?

“Birthdays was the worst days. Now we drink Champagne when we thirs-tay.”

We’re not the only ones who found that the truth is inside.

Rosés are red…err, pink. Waxing poetic.

The answer is easy: She likes it when I pull it out. Of the cellar.

We eat out a lot. The following list doesn’t try to be comprehensive, it just highlights some of our local culinary go-to dishes. While we cannot recommend a Century Egg, we highly recommend these dishes from some of our favorite restaurants.

With Pepcid for dessert: poutine and the pig’s ear at Animal.

While we do some laundry: pulled pork sandwich and Hook’s cheddar at Lou.

If She drags Him to BH: grand plateau de fruits de mer at Bouchon.

The only place we eat chicken: chicken and whole branzino at Canelé.

A short walk for small plates: deviled eggs at Barbrix.

Rap music & wine: potted meats in mason jars at Palate. (sit at the bar in the back).

Sit at the bar He built: bacon-wrapped matzoh balls at The Gorbals.

A break from mid-day shopping: Nancy’s chopped salad and ipswich clam pizza at Pizzeria Mozza.

Silky soft pottery, wine, and sweets…ooh la la: Artisans United

Er…wine list, please. (Or: Does that ball gag come in Burgundy?): The Night Marcher

Amongst the other organic compounds he gathered from around his house for the Stains portfolio, 1969, Ed Ruscha included semen, blood, and a few drips of Chateau Latour 1962 (fuzzy picture found here)

Yes, “flaccid” is very, very bad: answering tough wine questions

And, finally, not that She needs an excuse (or help): red wine improves sex drive in women