When I am on social media, I very seldom put my two cents in, on someone else’s post.  I think some people think that it makes them appear better than the original poster.  Well, a little while ago, I did put my two cents in, but only because I have a long relationship with the poster, way back when we were just blogging, using the same publisher and since then we seem to be all over the place.  I mention all of this, because this blogger was discussing a sample wine that she was reviewing from Armenia.  Of course, my ears did perk up and I listened to her podcast or at least it was a video.  She is much more adept at using all the tools that are potentially at our finger tips.  As for me, I am lucky to have figured out how to do download or upload my photos and articles.  I mean I am old school, though I did teach myself how to type on an electric typewriter, way back when boys went to drafting class, while the girls went to typing class in Junior High School.  I got sidetracked again, what happened was, I complimented my colleague on a good job pronouncing some Armenian words, now this is from a guy that went to Armenian School two afternoons a week, back in the early Sixties.

My compliments eventually attracted the distributor that had sent the Armenian wine out as a sample.  The distributor asked me, if I would be interested in some samples to review.  I explained that I had reviewed many Armenian wines at a fund raiser, and that unfortunately the people that did the arrangements for the wine tasting, did not consult anyone in the wine trade, and the wines did not sparkle and I was embarrassed when it came to write my reviews and I did include a caveat of what I thought caused the problem.  I also sent links to my articles, as I like to be upfront about such things.  I also directed the distributor to my page where I wrote about my concerns about samples, as I do not go out seeking samples, which seems to be the way quite of few of the “influencers” do it.  I guess the distributor still felt safe enough, dealing with this crazy Armenian to offer to send me some wines to sample.  I mean the wines arrived almost overnight and there were four wines waiting for my reviews.  There was a Sparkling Wine, a White Wine, a Red Wine and a Reserve offering of the Red Wine.

I was flabbergasted (boy is that an old-fashioned word) and I had to figure out what to do with the samples.  Even the distributor was curious, because in a couple of days, I was asked how I liked them, and I said that they were still in the carton; I kind of work slow, but methodically.  After discussing the situation with my Bride, we decided to have an Armenian dinner, so I explained it to the distributor, so that she wasn’t in the dark and thinking that I was not grateful.  We also decided to invite the two best characters in my writings “The Caller” and “The Wine Raconteur, Jr.” and we had to work out a date that would work out for them and their spouses.  We would start off with the Sparkling Wine with one appetizer and then go to the White Wine with another appetizer.  The two Red Wines I thought would be perfect with the main entrée of Lamb and Armenian Pilaf.  “The Wine Raconteur, Jr.” and his wife were making debating between two desserts, and one would be Paklavah.  I joked with him and I had hoped that they were going to use commercial Phyllo Dough for the fifty-two layers and he confirmed that.  I was glad to hear that, because I can remember when my mother (who was not Armenian) first helped my grandmother and the old lady next door to make Paklavah, the older women nixed my mother’s rolling-pin, because, the dough had to be rolled using a broomstick cut at the right length.  I don’t think the broomsticks ever left our old homestead. Instead they made a Muhallabiyeh and instead of Hibiscus and Rose, they went with a Pomegranate glaze topping.  I am excited, because this way, I now have six reviewers for each wine, for the following articles.  I can smell the food already, and I am thinking about the wine as well.