Sort of Neat.

Hazy Recollections

Sorry it's taken me so long to write up April's debauchery...I'm only just now recovering from the hangover! (seriously, that was a lotta vino). We tossed back some movie-themed wines with all the style (or at least attitude) of red-carpet divas -- there were homages to Lord of the Rings (New Zealand), Francis Ford Coppola (from his vineyards), Hannibal Lector (you can guess that one, although I forgot the fava beans), Casablanca (the bubbles never stop), and...OK, at that point I was too tipsy to remember the rest. And we worked out our inner silver screen egos with Celebrity Salad Bowl -- thank god no video cameras caught the more embarrassing moments (er, better check youtube to make sure...)

Cheers, y'all! :o)

Esteemed members

Celebrity

Might be the funniest game I've ever played...We impersonated: Neil Armstrong...Lolita...John Travolta...King Kong...Lebron James...Justin Timberlake...Charlie Manson...Tyson Buckford...George W. Bush...Heidi Klum...George Clooney...Don Quixote...Missy Elliot...Paris Hilton...Marilyn Manson...Alfred Schwarzenegger...Bill Cosby...The Pope...Bozo the Clown...Elliot Spitzer (the governor with the sex)...Beyonce...Martha Stewart...Tonya Harding...Marilyn Monroe...Cher...Joe Camel (or was it the Marlboro Man?)...Nicole Richie...Derek Jeter...Laura Bush...Ron Paul...Pee Wee Herman...Flava Flav...Jon Bon Jovi...Chris Rock...Dr. Phil...John Goodman...Luke Skywalker...Ike Turner...Captain Morgan...Stephen Colbert...Eddie Vedder...The Pope (again!)...and, of course, Ghandi.

Queso

the cheese was bought at stinky, bklyn on smith street. they are quite knowledgeable and have various other cheese-related items there (like meats and such) that seemed delectable. they even have that whacky leg o' ham cutter thing that holds the whole leg on it. the same people own "smith & vine" across the street, so you can go back and forth for the perfect pairing. also, smith and vine has an insane collection of scotch. who doesn't like scotch?!

the cheese list (with stinky's stinky rating) is as follows:

USA Cheeses
Folie Bergere (Sheep, 2 stinks)
Red Meck (Cow, 1 stink, and from up the Hudson)
Pawlet (Cow, 2 stinks!)
Red Spruce 5yr Cheddar (Cow, 2 stinks and very popular with BWC)
Hooligan (Cow, 3 stinks and not a huge win for BWC)
Humboldt Fog (YUMMM! Goat, 1 stink)

Italian Cheeses
Calcagno (my fave, sheep, 2 stinks)
La Rossa (this was the one wrapped in the cherry brandy soaked cherry leaves, 2 stinks and a mix of sheep and cow's milks)

Spanish Cheeses
Valdeon (cow, 1 stink, the only blue cheese on the table)
Zamarano (the faux manchego, sheep, 1 stink)


French Cheeses
Brie de Nangis (cow, 1 stink)
Brebirousse d'Argental (sheep, 1 stink)
Comte (cow, 2 stinks)

Oooorrrrganic!

I deem organic wine club a success...thanks to all the particpants! But we left so many unanswered questions. Can the same grape make a red and a white wine? Tannins? Sulfites? How do they use fish to filter wine? The Swiss certifying Italian wines as organic? Why is the postal system so bad in Italy? When does the Ikea open in Red Hook? I don't know about you but I lost some sleep over this last night. Let's see what we can uncover on these!

Thanks for the thrills, and no spills!

Auf Wiedersehen

Inagural Wine Club Meeting

Present at the first meeting of the wine club and the wines that they brought were:

1. Caroline - Five Rivers, Cabernet Sauvignon
   
2. Mike - Angeline Russian River Valley Pinot Noir
   
3. Rachel - La Monica, Montepulciano
   
4. Juan - Vino de Rosa de Jamaica
   
5. Ellie - Riesling, Prinz von Hessen
   
6. Erik - Riesling, Prinz von Hessen
7. Lindsay - Macon-Villages Chardonnay
   
8. Kim - Clos du Bois Cabernet Sauvignon
   
9. Solomon - Prosecco Pisani
   
10. Clare - Vernaccia di San Gimignano Le Rote
    
11. Steve - Hirsch Veltliner #1
    
12. Amy - Benton Lane Pinot Noir
    
13. Jeff - Benton Lane Pinot Noir
14. Jenny - Michel Frere, Cremant de Bouorgogne