The past few days’ warmer climes are a dead giveaway, but for those who prefer to celebrate by the book: Spring officially begins Sunday.

(If you’re annoyed by the fact that this column so often begins with a reminder as to what holiday or season is on the horizon, apologies. Let it be your constant reminder to drink in season, just as you should eat in season.)

More important than the fact that yesterday was St. Patrick’s Day, or that a certain day this year marks the 244th anniversary of the invention of soda water, the start of spring gives us permission to polish off our brown liquors and move into lighter territory (think gin, tequila, light rum). True, bourbon remains an excellent transitional spirit to be enjoyed in the months warming up to Derby Day in early May, but toasting the equinox deserves a bit more effort.

That said, go out. Yes, this column primarily encourages staying in and trying your hand at drink recipes. This weekend, go out. Yes, in the rain. (It’s part of spring, after all.) Sit somewhere with windows that have the capacity to open up to the elements, even if it’s too cold to do it just yet. Allow yourself to daydream about temperatures that reach into the 60s. No — the 70s. We’re almost there, folks.

This is the cocktail you should drink while you’re waiting: The Soiled Dove at Bangers & Lace (1670 W. Division St., 773.252.6499).

Comprised of silver tequila, dry sherry, agave, lime and grapefruit juice, it’s served in a Collins glass with ice (it’s been a long time since you had a tall drink, no?) and is finished with bitters and black salt. As for that added salt: Don’t let the mention of it conjure images of rock salt-strewn sidewalks. We’re past that now.

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According to a new report from MMA Junkie, number one UFC Middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen will be on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s agenda next week at their May 21st meeting.

Sonnen will likely have to answers questions regarding a therapeutic use exemption he app…

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According to a new report from MMA Junkie, number one UFC Middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen will be on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s agenda next week at their May 21st meeting.

Sonnen will likely have to answers questions regarding a therapeutic use exemption he app…

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According to a new report from MMA Junkie, number one UFC Middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen will be on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s agenda next week at their May 21st meeting.

Sonnen will likely have to answers questions regarding a therapeutic use exemption he app…

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According to a new report from MMA Junkie, number one UFC Middleweight title contender Chael Sonnen will be on the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s agenda next week at their May 21st meeting.

Sonnen will likely have to answers questions regarding a therapeutic use exemption he app…

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Ready for another week of affordable, multi-course meals at top Chicago restaurants?

Heck, yeah. 

Chicago Chef Week is underway, running through Saturday, during which some 52 restaurants will feature three-course lunches for $22 and three-course dinners for $33.

It sounds a bit like Chicago Restaurant Week, doesn’t it? Same prices, and indeed, some of the same restaurants. This week is a bit shorter and has far fewer participants, but you’ll still be able to dine at the likes of Avec, Big Jones, Bistronomic, Boka, C-House, Cibo Matto, Green Zebra, Hearty, Mana Food Bar, MK, Nana, Nightwood, Perennial, Sable, Sepia, Sola, Terzo Piano, Veerasway and Zealous.

You can find all the participating restaurants, and make online reservations, at the Chicago Chef Week website. Clicking on individual restaurants will link you to their respective sites, but as of this morning, very few had bothered to post their Chicago Chef Week menus. Think of it as the thrill of anticipation.

 

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UFC on FUEL TV 3 is set to go Tuesday evening after all fighters on the card tipped the scales at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, VA today.

The event will be headlined with a featherweight fight between Chan-Sung Jung and Dustin Poirier.

Complete results below:

Main…

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Talia’s moment of virtual head-shaking comes in response to a CNBC video featuring Annette Alvarez-Peters, Costco’s head wine buyer, who responds to an interviewer’s query about wine perhaps being more special thant toilet paper or tin foil with: “I don’t think so”.  Alverez-Peter’s conclusion is, “People can look at it that way. But at the end of the day, it’s a beverage.” I suspect that more than a few other lovers of the grape were equally offended upon learning of this view of wine held by the wine buyer at Costco.

Here is a woman responsible for the selection from which vast numbers of Americans will choose their wine. Costco is the leading retailer of wine in America. And she doesn’t think wine is that special…or at least not much more special than toilet paper.

Now, I’m not much of a connoisseur of toilet paper, but, like with wine, I can tell the difference between ordinary toilet paper and superb toilet paper. And I suspect that Ms. Alvarez-Peters is no different than me.

So all this begs a somewhat important question: Does one need to hold a feeling of reverence for wine in order to successfully choose a selection for the buying public? Given what we know about the success of the Costco wine program and about Ms. Alvarez-Peter’s disposition, the answer is certainly “no”.

Though it’s fairly clear from the CNBC video that despite her view of wine being not any more special than toilet paper or tin foil, Ms. Alvarez-Peters does know a little something about wine. But more importantly, she knows a good deal about what her customer base wants from the wine selection in her hundreds of Costco stores around the country and that this knowledge is far more important than possessing a reverence for wine.

So, all this begs an important question: What are the paramount requirements for a professional wine buyer? I think we can break them down to this:

1. Knowledge of your customers’ desires
2. Knowledge of the product
3. Knowledge of buying and market trends

I honestly don’t think that if there is a 4th on that list, that it is likely to be a reverence for wine or the view that wine is any more special than most other consumer products. No matter where I shop for my wine, I don’t need the person putting the wine on the shelf to have any special love for wine. What I need is for them to put the wines on the shelves that I want and understand why I want them. Beyond that, they need to be able to answer my questions and understand why I ask them. I won’t be be clasping my hand in theirs, bowing my head with them, and praising the magnificence of the bottles.

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It happened again.

Nick Diaz no-showed his internet pay-per-view main event BJJ match against Braulio Estima at the World Jiu-Jitsu Expo tonight in California.

There had been rumors throughout the evening that Diaz was not in the building, however it wasn’t until just before t…

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