Wine Tasting

Tom and I decided to have a wine tasting party. The trouble with the once-a-year charity benefit ones is that you have to sample between a hundred wines in a few hours and it becomes overwhelming - we can't spit anything out. Much better would be to have a couple good bottles to savor among a few couples, and then do it again another night. Saturday night at Tom's place began with the decanting of a true Bordeaux, highly ranked by Wine Spectator, to be sipped later at dinner. So, for starters, we began with a Shiraz - a little biting until complemented with Havarti. Then, while the men were tending the ribs over charcoal, the women proceeded to slosh down the Bordeaux. Aghast at this breach of protocol when discovered, we opened a comparison bottle of a California "bordeaux" called Mercury Rising. Though more expensive than the French bottle (which was on sale), it had a metallic smell and an acidic taste, hence the name, apparently. Meanwhile the forgotten ribs acquired a charcoal glaze. Much fun was had in chiding each other but Sunday had to be devoted to rest and replenishing the body with clear fluids.