Once a month, eight enophiles meet for dinner. We each bring a bottle of wine, meeting the criteria of a predetermined theme. It might be grape varietal (shiraz, merlot) specific region (West Coast pinot noir), winemaker (Guigal), or year (1990 Bordeaux). This date is kept free, and few other obligations are allowed to invade this commitment. August was Chablis.
This shot is from my seat, camera on the table.
This shows a contemplative Etherknitter, sitting in front of the Boston Common backdrop. Mort, on the far right, is evidently caught in mid-mouthful.
Wine and fiber are similar passions. They each involve stashes, a hunt for special examples, the promise of future pleasures, and the joy of sharing one's excitement with others so inclined.
The good news? I'll be driving to Rhinebeck, so there will be wine. The bad news? HA! There is no bad news.
Life is good.
GREAT "Q"! That first photo is really fabulous.
Posted by: --Deb | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 04:24 PM
Oh, I wish I wasn't allergic to grapes and wine. Awesome Q.
Posted by: Kat | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 04:44 PM
That sounds so wonderful!
Rhinebeck~SQUEAL!!! :)
Posted by: sandy | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 04:45 PM
That photo is phenomenal! But, let me ask, are we renaming it "Winebeck" this year? Drat, I may have to get a hotel room (or designated driver!) and join you!
Posted by: Marcia | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 05:05 PM
So many of my friends think I am a sad case I just don't get the wine thing. But give me a tasting of fine Scotch (we have a grand selection to choose from and always on the look out to add to the collection) and I would be a happy camper.
But I have been to wine tasting parties and blew my friends away because I could taste the difference and was able to blindly place the wines from finest to down good - but when asked if I now loved wine because I had had these wonderful wines and was able to pick them and understood the underlying flavors etc. - and I replied Ehhh - I think they finally gave up on me :D
Posted by: rho1640 | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 05:35 PM
And you can tell my insomnia has been in a bad period - that was supposed to be --- down to good -- not down good. argh
Posted by: rho1640 | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 05:36 PM
No bad news....perfect! I love that Marcia, Winebeck.
Posted by: Judy | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 05:49 PM
Enophiles and Boston Common. How wonderfully refined! My little gaggle of knitters is driving to Rhinebeck as well, and staying somewhere I seriously hope is within stumbling, er, walking distance of your hotel.
Posted by: Rachel H | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 05:53 PM
That is one fabulous photo, and a great idea. See you in Winebeck! I repeat Sandy's SQUEAL!
Posted by: Norma | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 07:01 PM
Love the wine photos.
Rhinebeck, sigh, someday...
Posted by: Dorothy B | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 07:02 PM
Ahhhhh. Just...
ahhhhh. Beautiful.
It's funny, talking to friends in France who are completely obsessed with wine the way I am with fibre, and they do talk about the varieties of grapes, but the industry and the product are so driven by which tiny piece of land produced the grapes and when it happened. Which side of the dirt road your vineyard is on can make all the difference...
Which, for me, meant that learning about wine was almost entirely geographical :-)
Posted by: Lee Ann | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 07:08 PM
Oh, and Rhinebeck? I'll be there. Same hotel.
You're right, there is no bad news :-)
Posted by: Lee Ann | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 07:09 PM
Wine and Rhinebeck. Count me in!
Posted by: Carole | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 07:11 PM
Ooo, and I'll be in the car, right? There IS no bad news;-)
Posted by: margene | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 07:46 PM
So you are a vineophile!! Drink on!!
Posted by: Cindy D | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 08:05 PM
lovely photo. hmmm i'm thinking that i shlould leave joe home\.
Posted by: maryse | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 09:25 PM
Love the photo of the wine glasses, and the other as well. Wine and yarn, what a lovely group of collections. Unfortunately our wine stash remains in depletion mode as the "deck that ate Dutchess County (NY)" is quickly moving into "deck that ate NY state territory" as we begin construction (yet again) after untold modifications with prices not yet determined, the wine budget remains shot to hell.
Thank goodness a few small yarn purchases have made their way into the stash.
Hopefully by Rhinebeck I will be able to contemplate wine replenishment as well as yarn stash enhancement.
Posted by: Mardel | Sunday, August 20, 2006 at 09:45 PM
I'm so jealous - I can't make Rhinebeck this year and I'm seriously bummed about it. The wine looks wonderful. Love the glass picture.
Posted by: Madame Purl | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 03:08 AM
Wine, how I love it! I took wine tasting classes at the Faculté d'Oenologie (for college credit! Imagine!) when I was in Dijon, but the scope of my knowledge is limited to Reds. Burgundy reds, to be exact.
Posted by: Cheryl | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 07:32 AM
Rhinebeck! I can't wait.
Posted by: Ruth | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 08:53 AM
Someday I need to remember to shut up about the fiber already and make you wax rhapsodic about the wine thing for a bit.
Y'all are at the same hotel as last year for 'beck, yes? When are you heading over, BTW?
Posted by: Kellee | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 10:03 AM
That first picture is fantastic!!! See you at Rhinebeck!
Posted by: melanie | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 11:47 AM
You just gotta love a dinner where there are 6 or 8 wine glasses sitting in front of you.
Wine stash; I love the concept. Mine rivals my yarn stash as well.
Posted by: Lorette | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 02:42 PM
I cannot wait. (Save me a glass...I'll try to bring something good.)
Posted by: Stephanie | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 04:08 PM
I knew there was another reason I like you! Remind me to tell you sometime about the afternoon I spent with a winemaker, restaurantuer and distributer in the back room of a winery-----oh my!
Posted by: lisa Co. Springs | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 07:20 PM
Lovely photo of wine glasses.
I, too, am looking forward to Rhinebeck (maybe even Winebeck) - my first visit! I really should start making lists of desirables now....
Posted by: Lynn | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 07:59 PM
about that driving to Rhinebeck thing...when are you leaving? do you have room for one more...?
Posted by: Kristen | Monday, August 21, 2006 at 10:20 PM
That is an inspired Q! Have a lovely Rhinebeck. :)
Posted by: Chris | Tuesday, August 22, 2006 at 03:21 PM
wine @ rhinebeck I can hardly wait. can we have a party
Posted by: blogless sharon | Tuesday, August 22, 2006 at 04:28 PM
I love that first picture of the glasses, from below. And I love me some wine. I had to chuckle at the wine stash/yarn stash comparison. At the risk of revealing too much, I could not keep a wine stash as I do the yarn. The wine would be much less work to Eff Off.
Posted by: Marcia | Tuesday, August 22, 2006 at 11:47 PM
Four is about the max we've compared, somewhat formally, and that was in addition to the meal. I'd need my friends to bring their own crystal in addition to their entry. It sure is fun listening to different perceptions, kind of like talking about color or art.
Posted by: Melissa G | Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 12:32 AM
great photos! whinebeck, hee! see ya there :-)
Posted by: vanessa | Wednesday, August 23, 2006 at 09:41 AM
58 days and counting...
Posted by: Lucia | Friday, August 25, 2006 at 07:40 AM
I used the word Quaff in a scrabble game with my ex-sister-in-law - landing on a triple word score - she just would not believe me that Quaff is actually a word.
Posted by: abigale | Wednesday, August 30, 2006 at 02:14 PM