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Ask Kathie Lee Gifford about the wines she and co-host Hoda Kotb sip on the fourth hour of NBC's "Today," and it becomes immediately clear that this is a woman who knows wine. She's lived with it her whole life, from a happy childhood in Europe and the United States with a family who celebrated life with a little vino through her partnership (with Scheid Family Wines of Monterey, Calif.) in Gifft wines to her current gig on NBC's iconic weekday morning program, which she's been co-hosting with Kotb for the past eight years. And she has strong opinions on the subject. Take, for instance, her views on the current state of California chardonnays, which she expressed to the winemakers who did her first release. "I just said, 'I haven't liked California chardonnays in so long because they're so oakey, so heavy, so bitter.' I mean, they overshadowed completely any food you would eat with them," she says, "And so I said, 'If you could make a chardonnay for my Gifft wines that taste like the kinds that in the 1970s were California chardonnays, were more like modern-day pinot grigios, they were just delicious and light.' And they said, 'We can do that.' So that's what I'm enjoying in the mornings and Hoda drinks the red blend, which is a blend of 10 different varietals." As for Kotb, she readily admits she isn't nearly the wine enthusiast that her co-host is, adding that her spirit of choice is tequila. But on camera, Gifford's wines are her go-to beverage. "If I'm going to sip a wine on the show, which is what we do because we don't want to get crazy by the last guest, I sip Kathie Lee's red because it's awesome," Kotb says. "I mean, when I order from a restaurant, I usually order a pinot noir or I order a syrah or something. And Kath's is strangely addictive, which is really ticking me off – in a good way – where you're like, 'Oh, I guess I'll have a little more of that.' " Kathie Lee Gifford takes her love of wine to market What book are you currently reading? (Gifford) "I just finished a fascinating book called, 'Who Ate Lunch With Abraham?' It's by a man named Asher Intrater. Fascinating book. ..." What did you have for dinner last night? (Gifford) "I don't eat dinner. I'm a big, big, big lunch girl. I was at Geoffrey Zakarian's restaurant the National in Greenwich, Conn., yesterday, so Geoffrey always takes very good care of me ... ." What is your next project? (Gifford) "I'm just now forming a film company with a very good friend of mine that we haven't even announced yet. ... So I'm looking forward in the next few years to being a part of some very, very exciting film projects." When was your last vacation, where and why? (Gifford) "We have a place down in the Keys, a family home, that we've had for about 20 years. So I took a couple of weeks – I just took my doggie; Bambino and I went – and I have a lot of friends down there. I just had a very, very, very quiet holiday. It would probably be the most boring thing for others. But I lost my husband and my children's father about seven months now, and I just wanted to be someplace quiet and safe and full of memories." BY GEORGE DICKIE Page 8 March 28 - April 3, 2016 Nobody Knows Our Hometown Better! • Carpet • Vinyl • Ceramic Mon.-Fri. 8-5 • Sat. 9-1 65669 US 33 East • Goshen 642-4770 TOLL FREE 1-877-642-4770 Area's Largest Selection of Remnants Large Inventory of Carpet, Laminate, Vinyl, and Luxury Vinyl Tiles! OEC Super Buffet 4024 Elkhart Rd Goshen IN 46526 Tel: 574-875-1298 Elk Lunch Monday-Friday 11am-3pm Adult $7.25 Children 2 years old $1.99 3-6 years old $3.50 7-10 years old $5.00 *Saturday Lunch $7.75 Dinner Monday-Friday 3pm-9:30 pm Adult $10.75 Children 2 years old $2.99 3-6 years old $4.50 7-10 years old $6.00 *Sunday Dinner Price ALL DAY $10.75 SENIOR DISCOUNT 10% PRICE RETIRE WORK Take Control of Your Future 64825 County Road 31 Goshen, IN 46528 1-866-764-1601 www.QualityDriveAway.com See America and Supplement Your Income!! Get Paid to Deliver Vehicles Throughout the U.S. & Canada Retiring Doesn't have to be Scary We Have Vehicles for Every License Type! Call Us Today!

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