Admittedly, with a distinctive name like “Celebrity Wine Review,” we get the occasional question from a curious fan asking, “Why it is called, ‘Celebrity’ Wine Review? I understand the wine tie-in and see that you do regular reviews on the show, so that makes sense, but where does the ‘Celebrity’ part come into play?” Our show producers like to say that in our book, wine IS the “Celebrity” that we love to give “star-treatment” to on our show. They will also go on to explain that there is an additionally strong “Celebrity” correlation when you consider that the hosts linked to the show, Kelli, Desiree, Erin and myself have all spent much of our lives actively pursuing glamorous (and frankly, often not-so-glamorous!) careers as actors, models and TV hosts in Hollywood. But on occasion, we and our wines do get to share the spotlight with a celebrity of the more conventional definition. To refresh on that definition, I turn to Webster, which offers two possibilities for determining what makes one a “celebrity.” The first says celebrity is “the state of being celebrated.” The second says a “celebrity” is simply “a famous or celebrated person.” In consideration of these two definitions, I think it can be fairly determined that a recent “Celebrity Wine Review” guest was every bit the “celebrity” as defined by both Webster and Hollywood tradition. It was the evening of “Mutineer Magazine’s 2nd Annual Red Carpet Tasting Event” at Club Falcon in Hollywood and wouldn’t you know it, I was running late. Our CelebWine crew was scheduled to cover the red carpet arrivals and I had no idea what or whom to expect. As I pulled up to valet in front of the club, I was met by our producer who rushed me through the crowd lined up down the block and quickly past the bouncers behind the velvet rope. Before I knew it, I was standing on the red carpet under blinding lights, with a group of publicists and Mutineer Magazine staff buzzing around, as our producers rushed to mic me up for camera. “Can you go on right now? He just got here!” asked our CWR producer. “Sure, let’s do it!” I responded enthusiastically, yet a bit frazzled by the whirlwind I’d been caught up in. Before I knew it, I turned to find myself face to face with my notorious red-carpet interviewee, none other than the world renowned Latin Lover-Adventurer, Mr. Dos Equis, himself…that’s right, I was alone on the red-carpet with “the most interesting man in the world!” In my 10 years as a television host, I’ve had the opportunity to interview some relatively interesting people including Michael Buble’, Olivia Newton John, Tony Hawk and Slash but I have to admit, those interactions almost paled in comparison to my eagerness to meet “the most interesting man in the world” in the flesh! I think it’s something about the intrigue, the mystery that the man is cloaked in that makes him something of a challenge to encounter. “Who IS the most interesting man in the world, really? What can be discovered about this iconic alpha-male who appears to lead the privileged life of adventure and conquest that the rest of us regular saps can only dream of?” The opportunity to pull back the curtain and see behind the spell cast by the captivating persona in the popular ad-campaign for Dos Equis Beer, was a “golden moment” in time for me and one that I will gladly let you, my friends, in on… His name is Jonathan Goldsmith and yes, he is an American actor and as he put, “a very fortunate actor” who is often confused with “the most interesting man in the world.” Jonathan clarified he is not “the most interesting man in the world,” he just plays one on TV. Upon first words, I found Jonathan to be a refreshingly humble, down-to-earth guy who refused to take credit for the extreme success he has had for the past 4 years in the role, but what Jonathan also wasn’t saying is that he himself is far from boring. In Jonathan Goldsmith’s world, “home sweet home” is a 50- foot sailboat in Marina Del Rey, California. He is a prolific thespian who has been featured in over 350 television shows, including Dallas, Dynasty and Knots Landing. In addition, he has been very successful in the business world and is a capable outdoorsman, who has twice saved the lives of others in peril. In his free time though, he resorts to rescuing Siberian tigers and coming to the defense of sexually-exploited children overseas through various philanthropic efforts. When asked about his “fine beverage” preference, he was quick to say that beer is by far his favorite drink and of course, it’ll be “Dos Equis” if he’s buying. He went on to admit that he does often enjoy a good glass of wine, but don’t jump to conclusions and call him a connoisseur. He simply likes to drink wine and doesn’t make much more of it than that. He says when buying a bottle to enjoy during a dinner party with friends, he leans toward cabernet as long as it’s not too dry. But if you ever have the opportunity to share a glass of wine with Jonathan, take serious note and don’t even think of serving him merlot…he’s not a fan and may in offense “disarm you with his looks, or his hands, either way.” He went on to add that he recently shared a fantastic bottle of port with a friend that was so delicious they had to run out to the store to purchase a certain type of Stilton cheese to pair with it. Yum! I had a strong feeling “Mr. Interesting,” uh, I mean Jonathan Goldsmith, would have good taste in wine, and most anything else for that matter. ~ CW