#CabFrancDay

Posted on December 8, 2017 by thewineraconteur

That title may look rather bizarre for an old curmudgeon like me. I mean the symbol # for me meant either a number or pounds in weight all of my life, but through my wine blogging journey I have now discovered Instagram and Twitter. Be patient with me, because when it comes to using these iPhones I think that I possess all thumbs, and telephones were something that was attached to a wire leading to a wall or they were wall mounted with a curly cord that always stayed tangled. I was fortunate that when I was a child we actually had a single-family phone number that I can still remember to this day and it had an area exchange for the first two digits and to this day I can not remember the number to my own cell phone.


This is all a preamble to a night on Twitter called #CabFrancDay and Twitter is a modern-day convenience or inconvenience where one can post messages under a certain character count and for a fellow like me that rambles, it is not easy. Lori from Dracaena Wines was the main instigator for creating Cabernet Franc Day to publicize this fine varietal that is finally being accepted on its own. Today’s wine bloggers have it so much easier to learn about wines, than I did back in the dark ages when one had to buy books and hopefully find a wine merchant that was knowledgeable. I am more Twentieth Century, but I may eventually enter the Twenty-first Century. I had to message another blogger that I respect for the simple instructions on how to go about joining into the festivities of this two-hour love fest about Cabernet Franc wines. My first inclination was to open a bottle of Dracaena Cabernet Franc that I had purchased and sent to my daughter’s house in Las Vegas last year before I went to visit the kids and the grandchildren. It appeared to me that Dracaena was going to be the wine of choice from others, so I had to decide on another wine, and we had just had an old-world Cabernet Franc as one of our wines for Thanksgiving. I think that I drove my Bride crazy, but she was game for a glass of this wonderful grape.


I went into the cellar and found something interesting that I thought would be different from what most of the others were going to be touting, and I was right. So, after chilling the wine a bit, I took a photo of the bottle and a glass to show the rich color and I posted it at the beginning of the two hours. I also made sure that I poured my Bride some of it to enjoy as well. It brought back some happy memories of a trip that we had made just to do wine tastings and some fine dining in the Niagara Peninsula of Ontario, Canada. The wine was Jackson-Triggs Grand Reserve Cabernet Franc Icewine 2014 with the Niagara Peninsula VQA. This wine was made using grapes that had naturally frozen on the vines when the temperature drops below -10°C and the juice is gently extracted, because of the concentrated sugar in the grapes. The wine was sublime and very silky. I figured that because I had posted so early my wine selection that it would be lost in the crowd of other posters, but people actually noticed it, and one even asked if it tasted like strawberries. Now everyone has gotten used to the fact that I tend not to use descriptors, but I responded that I thought more like pomegranate, but I neglected to mention with the trademark spice that I enjoy with Cabernet Franc. I must say that the love fest was one of the fastest two hours that I have ever spent, and then I noticed that even the next day I had some notifications about my post, so I guess I wasn’t totally left out in the cold that evening, and afterwards I discovered that even my Bride enjoyed the wine, which I knew she would.

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Cab Franc Day

Posted on December 6, 2017 by thewineraconteur

For years I felt that I was the voice crying out in the wilderness, which is apropos, since my Armenian name translates to John the Baptist, I guess my Grandmother knew me, before I was born. Why do I say that I was the voice in the wilderness? I guess that is because I was enamored with Cabernet Franc years back and I tried to get others to try something new. I have also created a Cabernet Franc devotee with my Bride and I have not told her about the day and will surprise her this evening with something special. In the early days when finding good wines was the eternal quest, I discovered this grape. My wallet was not flush then and to be truthful, my wallet’s status has not changed. I have to applaud Lori and Michael of Dracaena Wines in Paso Robles for spearheading the movement to create Cabernet Franc Day.


In the early days, the most common wines that one could find in Michigan were Clarets and Cabernet Franc was one of the varietals used in blending that made the Bordeaux wines famous. I was even fortunate to discover some red wines from the Loire Valley, namely from Saumur and Chinon. I was even fortunate to have Chateau Ausone which is basically half Cabernet Franc, and I have had Chateau Cheval Blanc which is almost two-thirds Cabernet Franc, so some estates knew a good thing when they had it.


Lately the world has seemed to discover its merits as well. I have enjoyed wines from California, Ohio and even here in Michigan where it seems to be doing quite well. I have even discovered some wonderful Cabernet Franc wines made in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. They have even made some wonderful Ice Wines and I think that is what I may open tonight to celebrate. I hope everyone has the chance to open up a bottle of Cabernet Franc as well.

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Black Friday

Posted on December 4, 2017 by thewineraconteur

The common story that is related about Black Friday is it is the first day of the year that the major department stores show a profit, after all the shenanigans that they play for the first eleven months of the year. I have just about spent my entire career working for independent clothiers, so every day is important and Black Friday is just another day on the calendar. Black Friday has kind of morphed into this crazy day when people feel that they have to shop and it has disrupted the family day known as Thanksgiving. I guess it is because I can remember Blue Laws and days when families actually spend the day together, but retail is no longer the genteel industry that it once was. Thankfully for us, our shopping is done by Thanksgiving Day and we live like paupers to pay off all of the bills in December, so that we can get away in January.


I worked on Black Friday for part of the day and when I got home, it was almost like a repeat of the day before, except that most of the revelers were tired from the extended hours of shopping. The majority of the guests were here the day before, but there were some new faces to come and eat the left-overs, so that nobody would have to cook. We also had Ms. Yoga who came in that day to celebrate the weekend with us and it was her voice that greeted me first when I came in the front door. There was still plenty of food from the day before and I am sure that the dinner was a joyous respite from the travails of shopping at the malls. By the time I got there, they had all eaten and were just commiserating about the day’s adventures.


The dinner was perhaps a repeat, but there were new wines opened and poured. Two of the wines that were featured came from Sonoma County and it appears that they were appreciated. The first wine was from Martin Ray Vineyard and Winery, their 2016 Chardonnay. This was an easy drinking Chardonnay that was a blend of fruits harvested from Russian River, Sonoma Valley and Carneros. The wine was aged for a couple of months in French Oak, of which thirty-five percent were new and the balance were neutral to allow the fruit to shine. The other wine was one that I originally knew when it was made in Napa Valley and now it is produced in Sonoma. The Duckhorn Vineyards Decoy Pinot Noir 2015 was a good serviceable wine, but it is well made large production wine. It was aged for eight months in French Oak of which thirty percent was new. It was a nice dinner and there was not the urgency to leave like the night before and everyone was just savoring the meal and the rest.

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Reds for Thanksgiving

Posted on December 2, 2017 by thewineraconteur

As the race to get everything done for the Thanksgiving dinner, there is always the Joker in the deck. After getting the turkeys out of the roasters and getting most of the side dishes out of the oven, it was time to do the tenderloin. Our family from Kentucky brought up the largest tenderloin that I have ever seen. I mean it was almost large enough to feed the entire grouping with out the turkeys. My Bride’s Sister had marinated the tenderloin before bringing it to the house in a massive bag, that a turkey could have fit in, as I am trying to give you a visual of the size. Most of the crowd vacated the confines of the kitchen to allow us more room. The Chef and the Sous-chef and me, the carver.


The meat was so long and thick that the broiler was not doing it justice, we were afraid that it might char the outer without getting any real reading from the meat thermometer. My Sister-in-Law suggested that we get a Sous-vide system, because she has had great results from hers and she thought it would be a great item for us. Since we didn’t have the system, the common consensus was that I should butterfly the tenderloin. Now before you all start grimacing and questioning our sanity, after cutting the meat that way, it was still thicker than the average tenderloin that we make at the house. So, the two tenderloins cooked perfectly to a medium-rare consistency, with some rare slices for those carnivores that prefer it that way. The meat finished by the time the turkeys were carved and plated and dinner went off perfectly, and major kudos to the Chef and Sous-chef. With that many people for dinner, all of the platters of food were placed on the island in the kitchen, and everyone grabbed a plate and made their dinner plate and found a seat somewhere to eat. After everyone had seconds and some had thirds, the island was cleared and all the desserts were brought out, including a birthday cake for the November honorees. I was so full, that I didn’t even think about pairing wines with dessert.


With the many wines that were opened for the evening, we eventually got to some red wines. I never know what will be opened until the moment arises and I guess that is the beauty of having a cellar. Two of the reds that we opened, were the wines that she bought here during her last visit when I took her to a special wine shop and she was eager to try those wines. The two wines that she chose for the evening were rather unique and I think she must have been listening to her sister gush a bit about Cabernet Franc. Thierry Germain Domaine des Roches Neuves Les Memoires Saumur Champigny 2015. Thierry Germain was originally from Bordeaux, but he has found a new life in the Loire Valley. While Cabernet Franc is one of the grapes used in Bordeaux it shines in Saumur de Champigny and the winery is bio-dynamic and they only use used oak barrels. Les Memoires is from a separate vineyard plot that was first planted with Cabernet Franc in 1904 near Dampierre, so the vines are quite mature. The wine is fermented for ten to fifteen days, before it is aged for twelve months in oak and then it is bottled and rests for an additional six months before it is sold. The other wine that she really wanted to try was Domaine Sylvain Langoureau Chassagne-Montrachet “Les Voillenots Dessous” 2015 fit the bill nicely. A nice affordable Red Burgundy. Domaine Sylvain Langoureau is a husband and wife team that are making wines in one of the most famous wine regions in the world and of course the French call them garagiste, but I think Le Pin was also considered that in the beginning. This is a couple who are completely hands on, and all the work is by their own toil and they are working with one of the most finicky grapes and Pinot Noir is the grape of Burgundy for red wines. Les Voillenots is another lieux-dits site or locality that some consider should get official recognition in Chassagne-Montrachet, but the wheels turn very slowly for change in that part of the world. While there were other reds for the evening these two had the most interest and they were wonderful, just I thought a bit young, but they worked wonderfully. There was still so much food, that an invitation was proffered that everyone return the next night for left-overs, because of course most of them were going out shopping on Black Friday.

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Anyone for Whites?

Posted on November 30, 2017 by thewineraconteur

There must be an unwritten rule about not being punctual for holiday dinners and after all of these years, you would think that we should expect it. As the house slowly filled up with the Thanksgiving guests, you know that the kitchen became more and more the focal point. As I was waiting to begin carving the turkeys, I was also delegated to get dishes put aside in some semblance of order. Thankfully the day was chilly enough that I could use a table out in the garage to store some of the dishes that needed to be chilled, as we were slowly maxing out the two refrigerators and the chest freezer as well. There was also the yo-yo concept of the toaster oven, first it went down to the basement and then it reappeared. I also could not tell the Master Chef from the Sous-Chef, but as long as they figured it out, I was fine, just trying to control the temperature in the kitchen with opening and closing a window, to make everyone happy.


As the turkeys were done, the humongous beef tenderloin had to be taken from the marinade and placed in the broiler. As I waited for the turkeys to set a while, before carving, I made sure the knife was sharp and that I had plenty of room. Our grandson also called dibs on one of the legs, as I usually carve them as well, so when it was time to start carving, I sliced off one leg and thigh and put it on a plate and told him, he may as well start eating that. Somehow our turkey and Thanksgiving dinner never look like a Norman Rockwell painting and I may not be the most adept carver, but I do get the slicing done and keep the meat looking edible. It is quite a lot of work, first removing the threads that keep the stuffing in place, removing the stuffing to be mixed with one pot of stuffing and not the other one, and keeping the platter lined up with white meat on one end and the dark meat on the other end. Of course, the best perk of being the carver, besides having a Shun knife is getting to try the different cuts of the turkey; you understand that I have to make sure that everything is cooked to perfection. After all of the appetizers and the taste testing of the meats, I really don’t need to put much more food on my plate as I am stuffed.


My other main duty for the evening was making sure that there was wine ready whenever a glass evaporated. On a busy day like this, I just keep a waiter’s corkscrew in my pocket, because some of the other styles are too bulky, especially when space can be at a premium. As I was plying my avocational trade, one of my Brother-in-Laws mentioned that he had never seen a waiter’s corkscrew being used, as he was more familiar with the two-lever corkscrew, which there are a few scattered around the house, but I am not really partial to the screw, so many seem to mangle corks, rather than gliding smoothly in, hence I have my favorite one in my pocket. There were several Chardonnays that were opened that afternoon including my Bride’s favorite go-to wine that I have written about many times. One of the wines that I opened, because when we bought it, we thought of the non-wine drinkers and they could find this wine very easy and accessible. On our last trip to Las Vegas to see the families there we stopped in Pahrump, Nevada and did a tasting at Sander Winery. Pahrump is known for having two of the four wineries in Nevada, but they are probably more famous for their Chicken Ranch and no, I did not even stop there for a photo-op. The Sanders Winery Chardonnay NV carries and American AVA designation. The fruit for this wine came from vineyards in Santa Ynez and Santa Barbara and was aged in Stainless Steel and Polyethylene vats. For a simple white wine, I still enjoyed the taste that afternoon as I did the first time I tried it at the winery. The other white wine of note that I opened was one that I had just recently had at a wine tasting here in town that I wrote about, and I was thrilled to try, because I have enjoyed every bottle of wine that I have tried from the winery. The one for the serious drinkers was Wrath Estate Winery Ex Anima Chardonnay 2014 from Monterey. The fruit came from their San Saba Vineyard just below the Santa Lucia Highlands demarcation. The wine spent four months on the lees in Stainless Steel and I totally enjoyed the wine at the tasting. The funny thing was, that at the tasting the majority of the participants did not enjoy this wine, but those that I had earmarked it for, did, so I guess my marketing to my target audience was on the money. Here I was already full and we were getting the red meat and the red wines ready.

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I Try

Posted on November 28, 2017 by thewineraconteur

Thanksgiving morning and the house was already a hive of activity. My Bride was preparing for some thirty people to come over for the holiday and I try to keep a low profile, until I am called for. She was concerned, because the largest turkey she could find was an eighteen-pound bird, so she bought an additional turkey breast as well. There was also concern because she had to make two batches of stuffing, because some didn’t want to have any stuffing that had been in the birds, which she normally mixes with the balance of the stuffing that she makes, so she made one complete pot of stuffing that was chaste. She also made her famous Caesar dressing without anchovies, because of some that were allergic to those tasty little fish. She was trying to get some of the dishes prepared early as there was a huge tenderloin to deal with as well, not to mention all of the sides that are needed for the meal.


Some of the guests actually showed up at the proper time suggested, as they were making their strategic battle plans for shopping on the next day. The table in the breakfast nook were covered with the advertisements from the papers, which is fine for them, as our shopping had already been finished, in fact the packages were already wrapped and bundled by families. The day before she had also mailed the cards with the newsletters and had even shipped the parcel for the Las Vegas families as well, she is very organized. If I had one complaint is that the newspaper which normally costs two dollars, charges five dollars for the Thanksgiving issue and I think that is outrageous, considering all the extra income the paper receives for the advertisements any ways. We tried to clear the table to place appetizers out for the punctual guests. We had a pâté that was just wonderful, as I was afraid that I would eat the entire plate along with mustards and cornichons. There were plenty of different cheeses set out, and for the aged white cheddar, we also had drizzled honey on the slices. My problem is that I can usually make my entire meal just from the munchies.


I tried to proselytize the concept of wine to those that usually say that our wines are too dry. I had filled one of the refrigerators with some wines that need chilling and I even put some wine that I thought would win over the nay-sayers. I opened up a bottle of Chateau Thivin Beaujolais Villages Rosé 2016. Chateau Thivin has been around for about six-hundred years and is in the heart of Brouilly in the Beaujolais region. This wine naturally is made from Gamay Noir a Jus Blanc and after the grapes are macerated the juice is left with the skins for a natural coloring and this fruit is from vines averaging fifty years in age. After the one day, the juice is fermented in Stainless Steel to maintain the fruit. It may have been the best Rosé I have had all year and they all agreed to try it, but to wine lovers it was great, but to those on fence, it just was still to dry. Our Daughter-in-Law brought a bottle of wine that was the hit of the early guests. She brought a bottle of Fenn Valley Vineyards Red Currant Wine NV. Fenn Valley Vineyards is from the west side of Michigan near Lake Michigan and they offer a wide range of wines not only made from grapes, but from other fruits as well, plus they are known for the charity events that they host from time to time. This winery in Fennville has a slogan “the lake effect everyone loves” playing off of the fact that the lake effect there in the winter brings extra snow-fall, but during the summer it allows a great climate for growing and harvesting grapes. The red currant that this wine was made from is a member of the gooseberry family and creates a sweeter wine that was a hit for the non-vinifera crowd.  I always think that today’s fruit wine drinker may become tomorrow’s wine drinker.   The Thanksgiving holiday was off to a great start.

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Dinner at Rocky’s

Posted on November 26, 2017 by thewineraconteur

They say that the busiest night of the year in the restaurant trade is the night before Thanksgiving. Most people that are traveling to a destination for the holiday have arrived and since the majority will be cooking that Thursday, everyone wants to have a respite from the kitchen the night before and spend the time with family and guests. I guess we were no different, as the Kentucky clan were up, there was a group of us celebrating the event as well as their wedding anniversary and the birthdays of their two twins, a “two-for” as they say.


They wanted to go someplace different for the evening and asked us to select a venue and we chose Rocky’s of Northville, a place that we have been to often, as it is not far from our home and the hotel where they were staying. Rocky’s is a stand-alone building that looks a little out of the way for the area, as it looks like it should be up-north in Michigan. There is a full grown stuffed bear in a glass cabinet, plus lots of trophy games mounted on the walls. The menu is wide enough to sate most diners. We started off the meal by just ordering plates of fried Calamari with roasted Garlic, Capers, Pepper Rings and Provencal Sauce as well as some plates of Shrimp and Crab Cakes with Pineapple Salsa and Chili Aioli as well as some Fried Brussel Sprouts with a Balsamic glaze and Bleu Cheese. I won’t mention all of the dishes ordered, but my Bride had the Pan Roasted Monk Fish with White Pepper Mashed Potatoes, Asparagus and Herb Tomato Butter. I had a mental debate between the Braised Short Ribs and Roast Duck. Since I knew what the next day’s menu was at the house I went with the Maple Leaf Roasted Duck with Spätzle, braised cabbage, vegetables and a Cranberry-Orange relish.


The beverage part of the meal has to be included, as Man does not live by water alone. We started off with a bottle of St. Francis Chardonnay 2014. This is a Chardonnay from both estate and non-estate vineyards in Sonoma Valley, Russian River Valley, Carneros and Alexander Valley, so hence it carries a Sonoma County AVA. The wine is ninety-six percent  Chardonnay with a touch of Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne and it aged for six months in French Oak. This wine worked very easily with the first part of the meal. The other wine we had was from Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., namely their Cloudline Pinot Noir 2014. This is a Pinot Noir from Willamette Valley and this was the first year that they used twenty-five percent of the fruit from the Rose Rock Vineyard. The wine I thought had good color, but the nose and the body were on the light side from what I expected and but it still worked well for the entrees chosen. It was a fine way to start the long holiday weekend.

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A Syrah and a Merlot

Posted on November 24, 2017 by thewineraconteur

I always look forward to the last wines to be tasted, because by rights, and if the tasting proceeds as it should, the last two should really shine.  This was the case the other night when I did a tasting at D. Vine Fine Wines in Livonia, Michigan.  I go to the tastings whenever I am free on a Tuesday night to discover, I hope, something interesting and perhaps I wouldn’t try as I am walking down the aisle at a wine shop.  I really don’t need any more wines, especially if I listen to my Bride, but as you may have heard, husbands have selective hearing or at least that is what we are accused of.

Wrath Ed Anima Syrah 2014

The fifth wine of the evening was listed as only having nine barrels produced and when I went to the winery they had listed this wine as having two-hundred-twelve cases made and the math seems close enough to me, either way.  The wine they poured was Wrath Winery Ex Anima Syrah 2014 from Monterey County.  I have to admit that I am a bit biased towards this winery and the county, as I seem to have quite a few bottles resting from both the winery and the county.  The fruit for this wine was harvested from their San Saba Vineyard which is just below the Santa Lucia Highlands, a famed AVA sub-region of the county.  This wine was a blend of grapes that were aged in Stainless Steel and neutral oak and the Syrah was very pronounced.  It had very purple bubbles as it was poured and showed extremely long legs and I remarked to the fellow across the table from me, who I might add just passed and is now a full sommelier (and congratulations are in order), that I thought this was would be excellent with a roast turkey.  He cocked one eyebrow as he looked at me, but over the years I have opened a Syrah as one of the wines with that dish.  I am very happy to see that Wrath Winery is getting some shelf space in Michigan.

Taft Street Merlot 2014

The last wine of the evening was a Taft Street Winery Merlot 2014 from Alexander Valley.  I had never heard of Taft Street and they consider themselves as a “Garagiste,” the term that is used in a slightly mocking manner in Bordeaux.  The winery originally began in a “garage” in Berkley back in 1979 and they are now in Sebastopol.  Here was a wine that for all intents and purposes was a Merlot as there was one percent of Petite Sirah and one percent Syrah and the fruit was harvested from the Hansen Vineyard Ranch.  The wine spent twenty months in oak, and they produced fourteen-hundred cases of this beautiful wine.  I guarantee you that I would have walked right pass this wine without giving it a second glance, but now I know the difference.  I will also take this moment to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving, if you are in the States.

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Bordeaux and Maipo

Posted on November 22, 2017 by thewineraconteur

It is very interesting to see what type of wines are being offered at a wine tasting, especially when there is no theme or featured winery. This happened to be the situation when I last visited D. Vine Fine Wines in Livonia. In a normal slate of wines for a tasting, the wines featured go from white to reds, and from lighter to fuller; and I mention this, not for the seasoned wine drinker, but for those that do tastings infrequently or have just thought about trying it for the first time.


I was a little surprised to see that the third wine for the evening was from Bordeaux. Chateau Pillebart 2015, in hindsight would have been my logical choice for the first of the red wines. Chateau Pillebart is on the slopes of Castlemoron-Albert the smallest village in France and is located in the Entre-Deux-Mers which is the largest sub-region of Bordeaux. This wine is a blend of ninety-six percent Merlot, with three percent Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon making up the balance. This wine was aged in Stainless Steel, instead of oak, so the fruit is forefront, but it still had a light taste, especially when compared to other Bordeaux wines.


The fourth wine of the evening and this one had more body was Echeverria Family Wines Propuesta Red Blend 2013. This wine is from the large Maipo Valley of Chile, and the winery originally was a producer of bulk wine, until they decided to step up their game; they were the first Chilean wine to be sold by Harrod’s of London. This wine is eighty-five percent Cabernet Sauvignon, ten percent Petit Verdot and the balance is Malbec. The wine was aged for eight months in oak and it had long legs and good color and nose, nothing outstanding, but worthy of a second glass.

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Two Crisp Whites

Posted on November 20, 2017 by thewineraconteur

I found that I had a free Tuesday, so off I went to another wine tasting at D. Vine Fine Wines in Livonia, Michigan. This wine shop and wine bar tends to have a wine tasting class almost every Tuesday night, and there are some that make it the night to go tasting. They have assorted wine tastings whenever one wants to venture in, but it is on Tuesday when the tastings are conducted by Lee Hershey and his vast knowledge of wine and his years in the wine trade. I met Lee years ago, when my Bride and I took one of his wine classes during the Culinary Extravaganza at then Schoolcraft Community College and now it is Schoolcraft College and they have one of the finest culinary programs in the state.


The first wine of the evening was from the Wine Cooperative of the Orvieto Community, one of the oldest cooperatives in that particular area of Italy. The cooperative began in 1949 and had thirteen vineyards and it now has one-hundred-fifty vineyards as members. The cooperative also has their own aging and bottling facility and have received official sanction for their wine. The Cardeto Orvieto 2016 was just a crisp white wine that was the perfect way to start the evening off. This wine is a blend of Trebbiano, Gracietto and Chardonnay grapes. The average age of the vines used is twenty-five years. This wine fermented for three weeks and then was bottled where it then aged for four months before it was released. Just a very easy drinking wine and as a side note, if one had several bottles of this wine and lined the labels properly, one would get a panoramic view of Orvieto from an ancient engraving.


The second wine of the evening really caught my attention as I have been enjoying some of their wines for years through the only wine club that I belong to. The Wrath Estate Winery Ex Anima Chardonnay 2014 was a keeper. The fruit came from their San Saba Vineyard that is located just below the Santa Lucia Highlands in Monterey. This wine was ninety-five percent Clone 4 and the balance was from the Kistler Clone and it was a delightful Chardonnay, if I do say. The wine spent four months on the lees in Stainless Steel, so it an un-oaked Chardonnay. Ex Anima means “from the soul” and I felt that it described the passion that I have encountered from other wines from Wrath and they are now a Sustainable Certified winery. The funny thing is that most of the attendees were not enamored by the wine, which allowed me to take some home with me that evening, their loss was my gain.

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