SENT 4/22/07
Greetings, sippers!
We celebrated having survived the April 2007 nor'easter and the first true day of spring by holding our second wine club meeting. Though it was more sparsely attended than our first meeting, it went extremely well, and we did some serious damage to a very interesting group of wines.
We welcomed two new members: Lorraine Hudson and Michelle Polite. Welcome again, ladies; looking forward to seeing you at future meetings.
We also added an "honorary member": Dorean Rose Pugh, who, though she is not yet of drinking age, was able to participate by rating her own "special" (read: nonalcoholic) wines; and who turned out to be a pretty darn good sommalier! Welcome, Dorean!
And our world traveler, Tracy, brought us some yummy cheeses from Holland -- a hearty swiss, an herb-infused edam, and a shockingly bright-green pesto, all of which served as fine complements to the wines. Thanks again, Tracy!
In other news:
--We decided to table (ha, ha) the discussion of a club name until more of our members are present, so we will revisit at the next meeting.
--We agreed to meet every month instead of every other. No matter how many members are present, we'll still meet, so don't worry if you can't make every meeting. The club will still be around for those who are available and who feel like hanging out, trying some wine, and enjoying some great company and lively discussion.
--Donna has volunteered to host a future meeting, so we will let you know which month we'll convene at her house. If anyone else wishes to host, just let us know.
Okay, on to the important news! Though we had fewer members present, we still managed to sample 11 wines! (Yep, we had some fun!) Here they are, in order of favorites:
The Winner: Calem Late-Bottled Vintage port, 1997. It was sweet, meant for after-dinner sipping, so we saved it for last and were so glad we did. It was hearty, robust and strong, but not at all "winey," and had a deep, bloodred color and full-bodied, leathery aroma. Everyone loved it.
2nd Place: Bartenura Italian Moscato, 2006. A fizzy white, also slightly sweet but not at all cloying, and the taste didn't disappear like some of the lighter whites.
3rd Place: Layer Cake Australian Shiraz, 2005. A big hit with the group. A strong red, chockfull of flavor. We had a really hard time choosing between this one and the other two for first place. We recommend that everyone try it, though it's apparently pretty difficult to find.
Runner-Ups:
Pindar Sweet Scarlett Long Island table red
Estancia California Merlot 2003
Fiano Di Avellino Italian white 2005
Criatalino Spanish Cava (a sparkling white, very dry and "champagney")
We weren't crazy about:
Isonzo del Friuli Pinot Grigio 2004
Kendall-Jackson California Syrah 2004
Toasted Head California Merlot 2002 (though we loved the name!)
We did not like:
Georges Duboeuf French Red Beujolais 2006 (It had a pretty label. Do not be fooled!)
Date for next meeting: Saturday May 26, Memorial Day Weekend (YAY!!!!), 3pm. Evite will go out in the next week.
See you then!
--Navorn
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Saturday, May 5, 2007
Name the Club, Cont'd
SENT 4/1/07
Greetings, fellow sippers--
Just checking in to give an update on the club name. The race is heating up, with more submissions coming in. To recap, here are the suggestions we received originally:
Creative Toastmasters Wine Club
Northeast Wine Ventures
Cirque du Vin Wine Club
And here are the latest submissions:
The Amazing Grape Wine Club
Supporting Casks Wine Club -or- Featured Casks Wine Club
DeVine Company
The last name was submitted by Arthur, and he took the added step of designing a logo, which I've attached. So if we choose that name, we're ahead of the game when we decide to create our own vintage and label!
So we'll discuss at the 4/21 meeting, and perhaps come up with a name we all like.
The evite for the next meeting has gone out, so just a reminder to respond if you haven't already done so.
See you soon!
--Navorn
Greetings, fellow sippers--
Just checking in to give an update on the club name. The race is heating up, with more submissions coming in. To recap, here are the suggestions we received originally:
Creative Toastmasters Wine Club
Northeast Wine Ventures
Cirque du Vin Wine Club
And here are the latest submissions:
The Amazing Grape Wine Club
Supporting Casks Wine Club -or- Featured Casks Wine Club
DeVine Company
The last name was submitted by Arthur, and he took the added step of designing a logo, which I've attached. So if we choose that name, we're ahead of the game when we decide to create our own vintage and label!
So we'll discuss at the 4/21 meeting, and perhaps come up with a name we all like.
The evite for the next meeting has gone out, so just a reminder to respond if you haven't already done so.
See you soon!
--Navorn
Feb - March Wine Club News
SENT 3/20/07
Greetings, fellow sippers!
Now that it's spring (yeah, right!), it's time to prepare for our next meeting. But before we do, let's recap...
Seems like it was ages ago, but at our first meeting we sampled roughly 11 wines. I've tried to put together a list as best I could; please forgive the misspellings.
Malbec Nuevo, an Argentinian red -- a favorite
Cote du Rhone -- a favorite
Schmitt Sohne Riesling, a spatlese -- a favorite
Prosecco Veneto, an Italian white -- a favorite
Montluis sur Loire, a French white -- a favorite
I'M Rose, a Napa Valley rose -- hated it!
Juan Gill, a Spanish red
We also tried a pinot noir that none of us were fond of; don't have the name on me but I remember the label; and a merlot that we also weren't crazy about. So our tastes so far seem to lean toward the whites. It would be great if we could select a favorite each time so we can keep track of our absolute winners.
Now on to new news:
--Going forward, you can just bring one bottle of wine each time instead of two. We had lots of leftover wine from the last meeting (don't worry, it's still here!). Of course, if you'd like to bring more than one, please feel free.
--If you haven't already done so, get yourself a notebook or blank journal and bring it to each meeting so you can write down the wines you taste and your impressions of each.
--My dad, who is a member in absentia, suggested that we come up with a name for the club. He has even suggested a few! We can discuss at next meeting, but in case we are interested, here are his suggestions:
--Creative Toastmasters
--Northeast Wine Ventures
--Cirque du Vin Wine Club (get it? Cirque du Vin??)
Please feel free to suggest your own, if you're so inclined!
--The date for the next meeting is Saturday 4/21. Invitation to follow.
That's all for now. Time to start shopping for the next meeting, so say hello to your wine vendors as you browse their selections. See you in April!
--Navorn
Greetings, fellow sippers!
Now that it's spring (yeah, right!), it's time to prepare for our next meeting. But before we do, let's recap...
Seems like it was ages ago, but at our first meeting we sampled roughly 11 wines. I've tried to put together a list as best I could; please forgive the misspellings.
Malbec Nuevo, an Argentinian red -- a favorite
Cote du Rhone -- a favorite
Schmitt Sohne Riesling, a spatlese -- a favorite
Prosecco Veneto, an Italian white -- a favorite
Montluis sur Loire, a French white -- a favorite
I'M Rose, a Napa Valley rose -- hated it!
Juan Gill, a Spanish red
We also tried a pinot noir that none of us were fond of; don't have the name on me but I remember the label; and a merlot that we also weren't crazy about. So our tastes so far seem to lean toward the whites. It would be great if we could select a favorite each time so we can keep track of our absolute winners.
Now on to new news:
--Going forward, you can just bring one bottle of wine each time instead of two. We had lots of leftover wine from the last meeting (don't worry, it's still here!). Of course, if you'd like to bring more than one, please feel free.
--If you haven't already done so, get yourself a notebook or blank journal and bring it to each meeting so you can write down the wines you taste and your impressions of each.
--My dad, who is a member in absentia, suggested that we come up with a name for the club. He has even suggested a few! We can discuss at next meeting, but in case we are interested, here are his suggestions:
--Creative Toastmasters
--Northeast Wine Ventures
--Cirque du Vin Wine Club (get it? Cirque du Vin??)
Please feel free to suggest your own, if you're so inclined!
--The date for the next meeting is Saturday 4/21. Invitation to follow.
That's all for now. Time to start shopping for the next meeting, so say hello to your wine vendors as you browse their selections. See you in April!
--Navorn
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