Maynard wants to touch your palate

So, there’s this wine guy coming to Sacramento on Thursday. Maybe you’ve heard of him: Maynard James Keenan, the frontman for this one band named Tool.

Have you heard of him?

He’s a rock star, but not a chug-a-bottle-of-Carlo-Rossi partier type. And he’s not your average celebrity-turned-business-entrepreneur that simply puts his name on the product. Keenan knows his shit when it comes to wine.

As the owner of Caduceus Cellars, Merkin Vineyards and co-founder of Arizona Stronghold Vineyards, Keenan even gets down and dirty with wine, cultivating the grapes and blending the varieties in the Arizona desert.

“It’s a matter of taking everything you’ve learned and try to use a crystal ball and figure out where it’s going to go, but concentrate on the mouth feel and the structure of the wine,” he explained to SN&R.

Keenan said he enjoys the artistic aspect of winemaking, but doesn’t put much stock into categorizing wines by aromas and flavors. “No one said you had to know everything about every kind of wine,” he said. “All you [have] to know is when you pour the wine into a glass, do you like it or do you not.”

But, of course, he’s hoping you’re going to like his wine. He’ll be at Whole Foods Market to make sure you try it. He’ll even tell you which food to pair with it. That is, if you can see him over what no doubt will be a big crowd.

“Staring at my head, I guess, is part of the process. Maybe that’s what got [people] in the door. But hopefully they’ll go away with a hell of a lot more than meeting a rock star.”

Like walking away with a bottle of wine signed by a rock star? Even better.