Perhaps the image of Sen. Hillary Clinton slamming a shot of Crown Royal during the primaries threw people off. But it shouldn’t have. First of all, how could you be a politician, let alone the first female running for President, without hitting the hard stuff? Second, if you think Democrats are soft wussies who sip Pinot Grigio with their steaks, you might want to check out the recent Gallup poll on the subject.

According to the poll, it is Republicans who are 10 percent more likely than Democrats to reach for a glass of wine. Democrats do prefer the hard stuff, 26 percent over Republicans’ 17 percent. Thirty six percent of Republicans chose wine as their libation of choice, compared to 26 percent of Democrats.

Beer, the great equalizer, was enjoyed evenly by both parties - 41 percent each.

So the question is: Why do you think Republicans prefer wine? My guess is cash and fancy cellars, although we all know you don’t need either to be a wine enthusiast these days. But enthusiasts in Republican states such as Dallas and Tulsa generally do.

Post your hypotheses. I’m curious.

Do you Chow? How about BakeSpace? CookEatShare? Social networking sites for East Bay Corkheads and foodies used to be few, but now we can obsess over the new foie gras (pork belly, right? Does it still go with Sauternes?) in a number of places.

Doesn’t matter if you’re a novice — aka just discovering the creamy goodness of Ici in Elmwood — or a bona fide super foodie who does Noodle Theory for lunch and walks over to Wood Tavern at dinner time (you know who you are). Everyone is welcome.

I like Chow for unusual quick bites (strip club food) and inspired recipes (pressed duck and cherry sandwiches). I like the new BakeSpace for setting up your own online kitchen, and taking a peak into your virtual neighbor’s. I really dig CookEatShare for chef spotlights and even better, sharing their recipes with us. Today, Aug. 13, they happen to be showing off the corn fondue stylings of Left Bank Brasserie’s Roland Passot.

Check them out and share your favorite foodie social networking sites with me.

As I gear up for the Urban Wine Experience at Jack London Square tomorrow, Aug. 9, it’s important to reflect on the East Bay’s roots as a wine region. There was no better reminder of that than last weekend’s dinner at Rosenblum Cellars, which celebrated the winery’s three decades of crafting vineyard-designate wines.

Many, in fact, have roots in Contra Costa vines. The Cline family of Cline Cellars was the first to source fruit from this area, but the Rosenblums were a close second, sourcing Zinfandel and Petit Sirah from Stan and Gertie Planchon’s 40-acre Oakley vineyard for decades.

Thomas Coyne, who was seated at our table, also gets grapes from the Planchons. Half of the vines on the vineyard, which is located on sloping, sandy terrain, are more than 100 years old (it was planted in 1902, according to Stan). They are head-pruned and dry farmed. Yields are typically two tons per acre of uber ripe, premium fruit.

My second favorite wine of the night, paired with braised short ribs from Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen in St. Helena, was the 2005 Kick Ranch Reserve Syrah from Sonoma County. Great balance of fruit and game with moderate tannins and a peppery kick. But my absolute favorite wine was a 1999 Cullinane Vineyards Zinfandel that Jeff Cohn of JC Cellars brought. He made the wine back when he worked at Rosenblum.

The Sonoma vineyard is surrounded by eucalyptus trees, so you get this gorgeous whiff of mint and a finish of oregano. It was breathtaking. I’m telling you, the way to drink (some) of these big wines is to lay them down for five years. If stored properly, they will seduce. The Rosenblums still make a small quantity of Reserve Zinfandel from this vineyard. It’s available only at the winery and runs about $45.

Incidentally, the event was top-notch, but there was an air of bitter-sweetness in the air mixed with nostalgia. As individuals called up to speak consumed more and more wine (or “truth serum” as Jeff and Alexandra Cohn whispered in my ear) those associated with the winery past and present made many references to the winery’s new parent company, Diageo, and its corporate ways. They seemed visibly bummed and concerned about the future.

Just got an email from Mitch Cosentino of Cosentino Winery in Napa. He’s crushing his first grapes today. That’s right. Harvest is very early this year, the earliest on record for Mitch.

He picked from an eight acre block of young Sauvignon Blanc vines in Pope Valley. On the phone, Mitch told me he knew it was time because the flavors were dynamic and intense, which is what he needs out of these grapes. They go into the winery’s Novelist White Meritage.

The crop size is small (about four tons), and he’s pretty sure these are the first non-sparkling grapes to be picked this year in Napa (and some of those were picked just three days ago) and quite possibly anywhere in the North Coast.

“I’ve never picked wine grapes even close to this date,” Mitch said over the phone. The Semilion, which is grown across the avenue and also goes into the Meritage, won’t be ready for at least three weeks, he said.

Ahh, global warming.

I saw this post about France’s latest domestic threat, and it has nothing to do with religious extremists.

According to Time magazine, it seems grape growers in the Languedoc-Roussillon region — where some of my favorite dry rose is produced — who are suffering from overproduction and a bad economy think it’s a good idea to destroy hundreds of thousand of dollars in equipment and property, because, you know, that’s how to get Nicolas Sarkozy’s attention and sympathy.

I agree with the comment at the end of the post. The word terrorism is used too loosely these days. How can it possibly be associated with fermented grape juice? Perhaps when discussing phylloxera. Settle down, Frenchies. Newspapers and automobiles are going down the drain. Wine, on the other hand, is still thriving.

If you enjoyed San Francisco’s inaugural winemakers tasting at Arlequin Wine Merchants last weekend, you’ll want to check out the king of local urban winery events this Saturday, Aug. 9, better known as the East Bay Vintners Alliance’s Urban Wine Experience.

For the third year, the EBVA is hosting its annual group tasting showcasing all 15 of its members, including Rosenblum, which just celebrated 30 years of making wine in the East Bay, plus Dashe Cellars, Andrew Lane Wines and more.

This year’s event will be held at Jack London Square for the first time, and a limousine service will provide shuttle service to and from the Lake Merritt BART station. Pretty sweet and probably accounts for the spike in the price this year: $45 in advance and $60 at the door.

You get a souvenir Riedel glass not to mention wine pairing bites from some of the East Bay’s hottest restaurants, including Glenview’s Bellanico and downtown Oakland’s Franklin Square Wine Merchant. For tickets and more information, visit the EBVA’s web site.

I saw an early screening of “Bottle Shock,” the first of two movies about the 1976 Judgment of Paris, and interviewed some of the cast and filmmakers for my Aug. 6 column. That’s the day the film comes out.

Be warned. It’s entertaining and a welcome replacement for “Sideways,” (it’s about time for new vinocinema, no?) but it hardly follows history. 

The film centers around the tumultous relationship between the Barretts of Chateau Montelena, specifically, founder and owner Jim and his son, Bo. Mike Grgich, who made the winning 1973 Chardonnay that beat out the French, is nowhere. Neither is Patricia Gallagher, who thought up the Judgment, nor anyone from Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars, who produced the winning 1973 Cabernet Sauvignon.

If anything, Warrnen Winiarski’s life has the most compelling, movie-like structure.

There are a host of other falacies, mostly based on stereotypes, in the film but I’ll let you see them for yourself. Read my column on Aug. 6 but be warned: I’m not as syrupy sweet as I usually am.