It Started Out With a Book Club Meeting

Last month, after a book club meeting, a woman came up to me and introduced herself.  A very friendly sort, and I remembered her because she had contributed intelligently to the discussion.  She paid me a lovely compliment and invited me to her wine-tasting gathering the next day.  I liked her immediately, and since I had nothing planned for that time, I told her I didn’t imbibe but I would accept her invite just to be sociable.

The party was attended by some lovely people, and the conversation was very pleasant.  It was apparent to me that these other people were very familiar with their wines.  In the past, I have enjoyed wine occasionally, but those times became fewer as the years went by. 

The pouring began, and we started with the white wines.  I took a tiny sip – and the woman next to me was gracious enough to finish whatever little was in my glass.  If you have never been to a wine-tasting, there is just a little poured for tasting only.  After 3 or 4 different whites, we next came to the reds.  Never did like the reds, so the gracious woman next to me had a grand old time! 

Chardonnay Wine                   Red Wine

Finally, the last wine choice was poured and the representative from the winery announced he was pouring a very special wine that was a finely blended mixture of a few different wines.  It was a port.  Really?  That was a wine that I had liked, but hadn’t had any for a long time.  It was delicious, and, of course, was to be enjoyed by sipping only.  I did not share that with the gracious woman!  It was time for me to be gracious to myself.  Despite my original determination not to order any wine, I did.

I received the wine (port) today.  Up until this point, it hadn’t occurred to me, “How am I going to open it?”  I have never, NEVER, opened a bottle of wine in my life!  I always had a husband to do the “honors.”  Hmmm.  Rummaged in a kitchen drawer and found it.

How do you work this?  I never watched closely when my husband did it, but I do remember him saying he had to make sure the screw has to be kept straight.  I know, by this time all of you are probably laughing at this woman who wants to sample her new bottle of port, and can’t open the damn bottle.  Well, I fooled all of you.  I somehow, with difficulty, managed to do it and out popped the cork!!

Hello, port.  Happy me!