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January 19, 2008
N&F Wine Tasting Party
There's one thing about wine tastings that I could never quite get used to.
It the part where you're expected to expectorate into a plastic spittoon. (You can get a really nice stainless one from the U.K. for about $300.) Talk about a waste of a perfectly good Cabernet....
I know. If you don't spit, people might think you're some kind of a lush. But what if no one else is spitting? Who goes first? After all, having fluid pass by your lips in the wrong direction seems to violate every etiquette fiber in your body.
It's conceivable that a real wine critic like Robert Parker spits out more wine than the amount that makes it down his esophagus. I read somewhere that he won't attend a tasting event without a spittoon at the ready.
I think I have a solution -- The next time you throw a wine tasting party, pay a couple people (preferably female, because men are always spitting, anyway) to be the "expectorating instigators." That'll get the wine-tasting party going!
Flashback to 1968. I was the high school yearbook photographer, so I had "unlimited access." I wandered down to the football practice field with my Rolleiflex. Coach Redman, a big, beefy guy, was chewing out his team, as usual. "All right you GIRLS! I'm gonna teach you how to SPIT! When you spit, you want to spit UNDER the chin guard! Not ON the chin guard -- because it'll drip and make a big mess!"
Anyhoo, there was a wine-tasting party as a fundraiser for the Near & Far Aid Association the other night -- a night not fit for man nor beast, I might add.
For the record -- there were things there that I think were supposed to be the spittoons -- they were bottle chillers. I didn't see anyone using them as spittoons (or to chill anything, for that matter), but there was a huge crowd there -- 125 or so -- so getting near the wine table was like getting to the beer concession at the last Manchester United-Newcastle match. So there might have been some serious expectorating going on that I didn't know about.
Here are some pictures from the event....
Here's Lori Sprows from Southport. Donna Craft from Easton and Patty MCDermott from Newtown.
That's Lisa Dalinka from Westport and Rachelle Glick from Weston.
Sulu Grant from Westport. I think she's wearing one of her creations.
Dan Zelson of Southport, Heather Dermont from Weston and Ian Dalimla from Westport.
That's travel guru Fred Waugh, with Jill Mullen and Jeanette Linsey
From left are supporters Alson Ashman, event co-chair; clothing magnate Bob Mitchell; Patty McDermott of U.S. Trust, Bill Tommins (ditto) and Jill M. again.
Here's Ariane Mermod of Greens Farms (she hosted the bash last year) and Emily Gordon. Ariane's horse, Ben (I think), is doing well, she said.
Emily again, with Lisa Zelson of Southport, one of the co-chairs, and Harriet Baldwin, the hostess.
Posted by john on January 19, 2008 9:30 PM
