I hope everyone had a happy and healthy holiday season. I apologize for being absent from the blog for so long; as you know, 2009 ended somewhat crazily for some of us. But we did manage to have a great November meeting, where we took a break from the set agendas and brought wines of our choosing; then followed up with our annual holiday party in December, where we revisited the year's favorites. The party was truly lovely and I want to thank everyone who attended; I especially want to thank Mom for making up the goody bags chock full of wine club swag. We handled a bit of club business at the party as well, which I'll summarize below. Now that the holidays are winding down and it's back to the old grind this week, at least we have our next meeting to look forward to, as well as our plans for the year ahead.
2010 is going to be about learning, and the meetings will be geared toward increasing our wine knowledge. The agendas will be more focused and we'll include some new segments that I hope will help us learn while we sip. We will be doing more research and hopefully traveling a little, visiting shops and wine bars, and I really want us to hone our palates and gain more education about the wines we taste. My hope is that by focusing on one varietal at a time, we can more easily absorb each grape's characteristics -- what sets it apart from other grapes, what regions are known for producing them, what vintages are best, and most important, whether we like it and why. Most important, we will taste, taste, taste! By year's end we should know not just that we like merlot or cabernet sauvignon, or that we hate chardonnay, but that we prefer Napa Valley cab sauv, or unoaked chardonnay, preferably an '06 as opposed to an '07. I want us to be fearless in the wine shop and the restaurant, without becoming wine snobs, of course!
Starting with our next meeting we'll introduce two new segments: the blind wine of the month, and the task of the month. The blind wine of the month will be just that--I will bring one additional wine to the meeting that will be tasted blind, and the members will guess what varietal it is. It would be a good idea for you to make tasting notes as you try these so you can remember what you picked up on the nose and in the mouth; this can help you as you taste wines going forward. The task of the month will be an assignment that I give you to complete in the weeks until the next meeting. They will be simple and fun: visit a new wine shop and report back, for example; or pick a new grape you've never tried before; or find a wine that pairs well with a certain food. I'll also try to design tasks to go with the meeting agendas, to reinforce the learning.
Before we do all that, however, at the next meeting -- January 23 -- we'll have our second Wine and Music Pairing. The meeting will be dedicated to our member Donna, whom we lost back in November. We'll do this the same way we did it last year: bring the wine of your choice, and a song that you like to listen to while sipping that wine. We got some amazing pairings last year and I'm still listening to our CD on a regular basis, so I can't wait for this one. I'll send out reminders as the date approaches.
Before I go, don't forget to check out Arthur's podcasts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at good2bdaking.com.
Have a safe and happy 2010, everyone, and remember to Keep Sipping!
