Rock this wine: Tool frontman Maynard James Keenan in Petaluma today

Tool front man Maynard James Keenan in Petaluma hawking wine


maynard.jpgThe worlds of groupie and glass-swirler collide today at Whole Foods Market in Petaluma where Tool’s Maynard James Keenan and winemaker Eric Glomski will appear from 4:30 to 7:30pm Wednesday, Feb. 18.

Keenan, also of A Perfect Circle and Puscifier, may not be the first rocker to start a wine label, but there’s little doubt that his fans are among the most enthusiastic. Maybe not so much about the wine, but certainly about Keenan.

The words “cult-like following” surround the alt.rock legend whose fan-base can best be described as intensely devoted. Intensely. There will likely be dozens of them lined up outside Whole Foods waiting to spot the rocker turned winery owner.
 
Which means some rules around today’s appearance: You don’t buy a bottle of his wine, you don’t talk to Keenan. No cameras, large bags, coats or photography. No one under 21. Keenan will be sitting behind a curtain, so don’t expect to stage rush him either.  Oh, and if you’re smart, you’ll engage him in a little vino talk rather than having him try to sign your unmentionables.

“Generally speaking, the people that are into wine are generally adults and respect people’s space, and it’s not about the person who made it, it’s about the wine,” he said in an interview with The Pulse of Radio. “So there’s definitely a calmer admiration that goes on in those circles.”

Since 2004, the metal front man has been producing wine in Arizona, garnering a respectable 89 points from the Wine Spectator for his 2007 Arizona Stronghold Syrah ($20).  He’s part owner of Caduceus Cellars/Merkin Vineyards and Arizona Stronghold and has a personal collection of more than 6,000 bottles of wine.

Whether they actually drink Keenan’s wine is another question altogether.

“I was trying to explain to some of the kids about what temperature to drink the Tazi at and it was like showing card tricks to dogs,” he told the Yuma Sun after a tasting in Phoenix.

(Quotes lifted from today’s article on Petaluma360.com, our sister site. Thanks guys!)
 

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