Max Koch Uncorked

Wine-soaked adventures through a twisted life…

Uncategorized

Man Enough for Whiskey-barreled WINE

Few years ago, I had received a gracious invite to the Next Door Lounge in Hollywood to participate in a very special tasting of various whiskeys. Before I accepted, I seriously had to ask myself…”Am I MAN ENOUGH for whiskey?” The answer might surprise you.  Whiskey for me was always shots over the years at […]

My Bond is Gone

“Sean Connery is the OFFICIAL James Bond! No other Bond is better or greater than Sean Connery! Forget the other Bonds, it’s ALL about Connery!!!” Oh, shut up, Whoever You Are. Clearly, you weren’t 9 years old when you first saw Moonraker at the Topanga Twin theater in Woodland Hills like I was. Connery’s cool, not taking […]

Am I Floundering…?

Am I floundering? I ask myself. I’m telling you, man, at 46 years of age, this middle-age game is rough. I’m starting to have a lot of those “Get off my lawn!” moments and it bothers me a bit. I was always a very edgy, open-minded guy but I feel I have grown very impatient over […]

RIP: Doug Paul

It was shattering for me to learn that my funny-as-hell, winemaking, voiceover buddy Doug Paul – out in Dahlonega, GA. – had passed away this week due to heart failure resulting from pulmonary fibrosis.  Survived by his wife and daughter, Sharon and Mittie, Doug was only 59 years old.   When Nic and I went out to explore […]

“Me & Mr. C” Teaser Trailer

Here is a teaser trailer for the documentary I am making on my high school drama teacher, Robert Carrelli. I’m calling it “Me & Mr. C.” This is a very important project to me and I am having a lot of fun putting this whole thing together. Mr. Carrelli AKA Mr. C was a major influence […]

Herzog Holiday Weekend Film-Fest With Pairings

Everything was going fine last weekend (President’s Day Weekend) until I suffered a terrible and VERY awkward spill in my Pilates class on Saturday morning. The fall wrenched my back out pretty sucky-like and so I was on pain killers and ice for most of the weekend.  BUT THAT DIDN’T STOP ME FROM GOING TO […]

An Immigrant A Day

UPDATE: Today I chose to delete this Instragram account and cease the project. It was a lot of work and the follower count seemed to stall early on at 65. But I did get 28 immigrants drawn and it lasted exactly a month, so that I feel pretty good about. I will continue to support immigration and […]

My 2016 Year-End Wrap-Up

Pop a neck brace on, cuz I’m about to give you some WHIPLASH! All in all, it was another year of frustration, set-backs, neglected goals…and, okay, maybe a few bursts of good fortune. I can also declare 2016 THE most nightmarish year of my lifetime, personally, for politics. Remember those Republican debates…? Also, I’ve never seen so many […]

“Gramps: Beneath the Surface” Now on Vimeo

“In 2006, filmmakers Max Koch and The Counselor went deep into the California desert to spend a weekend with Max’s step-grandfather, Dick Surface. Armed only with a $300 Sony Handi-cam, a lot of beer, and the desire to capture a bit of Dick’s desert life-style, they ended up delving deeper into Dick’s psyche than expected. […]

Thankful for Custom Shelving

Thanksgiving. I love it more and more every year. I’m thankful for a lot of things…but, let’s face it, it’s always more fun to assess what I do have than what I don’t.  Yeah. Thankful for a lotta things. Family. Friends. My pugs. Work. Wine. Good documentaries and horror films. The ocean. Halloween and All […]