Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/376390
6 / the tasting panel / september 2014 UP You might ask, "What took so long?" Gifford's TV persona would never make her a poster child for the temperance movement. But while it might be easy to draw a caricature based on the freewheeling, free-drinking gal you see on NBC's Today show every morning, it really wouldn't be fair. Or accurate. There's way more depth there, just like the wine she's associ- ated herself with. And it's not just a case of a celebrity attaching her name to a product she doesn't really know or care about. Gifford was introduced to the Scheid family through a business connection. The personalities were a good fit (especially with Heidi Scheid); Gifford felt especially good about the product, and off they went into the vineyards. by John Curley Kathie Lee UpFront with The 2011 GIFFT Red Blend offers up red fruit with a backbone that carries through from beginning to end. It's a blend of 42% Merlot, 25% Petite Sirah, 12% Syrah, 10% Petit Verdot and a small percentage of other varieties, estate-grown in Monterey County at Scheid Vineyards. The Scheid clan: son Scott, daughter Heidi and dad Al, with Kathie Lee. PHOTO: JOHN CURLEY PHOTO: SCOTT CAMPBELL