DETAILS:
THEME: Leftovers
DATE: 12/6
TIME: 7:00PM (EDT)
HOST: WV69 (PM WV for directions)

ATTENDEES LIST (so far):

1. kkv123
   - 2005 J. Davies Diamond Mountain, Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon
   - holiday baked goods (Abominable Snowman)
   - baguette and some cheese (perhaps a nice sharp cheddar or some gouda)
   - Fromage d'Affinois
   
2. InShadows
   - Queen Anne's Revenge from Duplin Winery
   
3. Loweeel
   - 1996 Ridge PS Geyserville
   - nametags
   - notepads
   - pens
   
4. Loweeel +1 (Rob)
   - extra bottle
   
5. jwhite
   - 2003 Straccali Chianti
   
6. hershelk
   - leftover turkey casserole
   - can of that cranberry sauce
   - 2006 Zolo Torrontes
   
7. spdrcr05
   - 2007 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir
   
8. Tripgrad
   - Zin leftover from Halloween (CT link not available)
   
9. WWV69
   - nice big oven
   - 2006 1er Cru Chablis
   - Turkey chili
   - Fresh Apple Pie, made with the best fruit on the planet, hand picked, upstate NY apples!
   
10. Lasgar
    - 2003 The Islander
    - Mumm Napa Brut Rose
    
11. Lasgar +1

1. iByron
   
2. sonadora
   
3. jjjsuck
   
4. cheron

1. cjsiege

jwhite6114 wrote:Possible dates for the Nov - Dec time frame (starting 5 weeks after #7):
11/15

Pssst... 11/15 is SoCal #4 aka VEGAS, BABY!

Oh, and if it helps any, I'm planning on being out east from 12/20 - 12/30... Not sure at what point I can be in the DC area, but, I'll be out there. Jus' sayin' ...

cheron98 wrote:Pssst... 11/15 is SoCal #4 aka VEGAS, BABY!

Oh, and if it helps any, I'm planning on being out east from 12/20 - 12/30... Not sure at what point I can be in the DC area, but, I'll be out there. Jus' sayin' ...

Is everyone going to SoCal #4? Looks like some of the DC bunch may be, so that may leave us with only December as reasonable dates. Well, chime in with what you can do.

Winter white? I was thinking of "Off the beaten path." -- Lesser known appellations from countries we know.

So Washington in the states, France outside of Champagne/Bordeaux/Rhone/Burgundy, Spain outside Rioja, Italy outside Tuscany/Veneto... etc.

Or maybe "Topsy Turvy: Whites from Red Regions, Reds from White regions" -- so reds from NY/Canada/Germany, Whites from southern Cali/bordeaux/spain/portugal

Loweeel wrote:Winter white? I was thinking of "Off the beaten path." -- Lesser known appellations from countries we know.

So Washington in the states, France outside of Champagne/Bordeaux/Rhone/Burgundy, Spain outside Rioja, Italy outside Tuscany/Veneto... etc.

Or maybe "Topsy Turvy: Whites from Red Regions, Reds from White regions" -- so reds from NY/Canada/Germany, Whites from southern Cali/bordeaux/spain/portugal

Wow! I like both of your suggestions. You and iB may have no trouble with the latter (or the first, for that matter), but these could be quite tricky to pull off. Tricky or not, they would be quite fun!

I would definitely be up for this...would be a lot of fun! I think, IMHO, it would be best if it were inbetween the two holidays (so 12/6 or 12/13, as you will have the most chance for broader participation...including me!!

How about..."the wine you WISH someone would bring to Thanksgiving dinner"? And we could actually have Thanksgiving dinner (or leftovers) as our noshies.

cjsiege wrote:How about..."the wine you WISH someone would bring to Thanksgiving dinner"? And we could actually have Thanksgiving dinner (or leftovers) as our noshies.

mmmm [Cote de] Brouilly!

*coughs in a way that suspiciously sounds like '12/20'*

cheron98 wrote:*coughs in a way that suspiciously sounds like '12/20'*

May be in NJ by then, yo. Federline.

Loweeel wrote:May be in NJ by then, yo. Federline.

I can do that too Jersey is actually the final destination for me, I just have the opportunity to swing do to DC area first before heading to Jersey. But if YOU'RE in Jersey, and I'M in Jersey, and we both happen to have a free evening, PAR-TAY!

all those dates are currently open for me. After mid-Oct my calendar becomes wide open. Help book my weekends, please!

I was thinking maybe some ice wines for the winter theme.. maybe fire & ice theme. fire could be the dark reds that are tart and then the super sweet ice wines.

jwhite6114 wrote:Wow! I like both of your suggestions. You and iB may have no trouble with the latter (or the first, for that matter), but these could be quite tricky to pull off. Tricky or not, they would be quite fun!

I like them both, as well as cj's. France outside of Champ/Bord/Rho/Burg means Southwest, Languedoc-Rousillon, and Loire (amongst others) which are my favorite French regions.

Jason, you're in an area with big wine superstores and numerous well-stocked and learned little wine boutiques. You'd be surprised how easy some of the themes can be. Remember "Something different?"

I'm busy micromanaging #7 though so I'll stay out of the theme selection. ;)

iByron

iByron wrote:I like them both, as well as cj's. France outside of Champ/Bord/Rho/Burg means Southwest, Languedoc-Rousillon, and Loire (amongst others) which are my favorite French regions.

And don't forget Sauternais! Oh, wait...that's one of my favorites.

Theme -- Really off the beaten path:
Austria,
Croatia,
Republic of Georgia,
Lebanon,
Mexico,
Peru,
Romania,
Slovenia,
Tasmania,
Uruguay,
Venezuela,
Zimbabwe...

tripgrad wrote:Theme -- Really off the beaten path:
Austria,
Croatia,
Republic of Georgia,
Lebanon,
Mexico,
Peru,
Romania,
Slovenia,
Tasmania,
Uruguay,
Venezuela,
Zimbabwe...

I like the idea of picking one or a few regions. I like the focus of #7. looking at the list, it might be good to do something like South American Wines (with limits by country) or wines of the former Eastern Block. I wouldn't mind doing something even more focused then that like Italian wines which has a huge number of varietals. There is a learning component to #7 that I like which gets a little lost when there are too many wines or too much variety.

I'm tentatively out for 12/13. Right now, it looks like I'll be in CA for 2 weeks, and that is the bridge weekend. (Altho' I may drop in on the SoCal crew while I'm out that way.)

jwhite6114 wrote:Is everyone going to SoCal #4? Looks like some of the DC bunch may be...

Not to mention WD & WF...

winefarm wrote:Don't count us in for hotel rooms. We have other obligations, but we think we'll make it to the tasting! Sounds like fun! Woot!

jwhite6114 wrote:Is everyone going to SoCal #4? Looks like some of the DC bunch may be, so that may leave us with only December as reasonable dates.

I had truly hoped to go to Vegas, but I honestly don't think I'll get there - I've been so pressed that I haven't even had time to read the thread to find out the details. Don't know if things will clear in time to complete the "research" and "presentation" that are now required for tasting #7, so unless Byron gives me a pass I may not be able to attend that one either. Will a presentation be required for tasting #8 as well?

kkv123 wrote:I had truly hoped to go to Vegas, but I honestly don't think I'll get there - I've been so pressed that I haven't even had time to read the thread to find out the details. Don't know if things will clear in time to complete the "research" and "presentation" that are now required for tasting #7, so unless Byron gives me a pass I may not be able to attend that one either.

Bring some food instead. We would hate to miss you.

hershelk wrote:Bring some food instead. We would hate to miss you.

I already have the wine - it has been winking at me for nearly a month now. I'll gladly hand the bottle off to Loweel to bring. I just don't know if time will permit a "presentation." But if you will all accept me in deadwood status, I'd love to come! A pleasant evening with good wine and good company is one of my favorite things.

kkv123 wrote:I had truly hoped to go to Vegas, but I honestly don't think I'll get there - I've been so pressed that I haven't even had time to read the thread to find out the details. Don't know if things will clear in time to complete the "research" and "presentation" that are now required for tasting #7, so unless Byron gives me a pass I may not be able to attend that one either. Will a presentation be required for tasting #8 as well?

Well, I can't speak for iB, but anything that requires more than 20 - 30 minutes of "research and presentation" has got to be more than anyone is expecting . In fact, I would think even 10 minutes prep time would only be necessary if you are bringing a wine about which you have no clue, already. But maybe this will be just like presentations school, and I'll show up (in my underwear, of course) with a few some post cards from my local wine shop, while everyone else is providing demonstrations of fermentation, and fresh grape samples for others to try.

jwhite6114 wrote:Is everyone going to SoCal #4? Looks like some of the DC bunch may be, so that may leave us with only December as reasonable dates. Well, chime in with what you can do.

I can't go to Vegas...too much going on at work to take the time off. So 11/15 is actually a GOOD day for me!

So it's been a while since we've talked dates for this gathering. It seems to me that November is pretty well out given the holidays and the Las Vegas gathering. That leaves December, and I would think pretty much just the first two weekends:

12/6
12/13

I cannot do 12/13 ... so 12/6 is my vote.

jwhite6114 wrote:So it's been a while since we've talked dates for this gathering. It seems to me that November is pretty well out given the holidays and the Las Vegas gathering. That leaves December, and I would think pretty much just the first two weekends:

12/6
12/13

I cannot do 12/13 ... so 12/6 is my vote.

Both work for me. Let's try to get a date out of WD and WF, though

Loweeel wrote:Both work for me. Let's try to get a date out of WD and WF, though

Are they really heading this way? If so, then YEAH!

jwhite6114 wrote:So it's been a while since we've talked dates for this gathering. It seems to me that November is pretty well out given the holidays and the Las Vegas gathering. That leaves December, and I would think pretty much just the first two weekends:

12/6
12/13

I cannot do 12/13 ... so 12/6 is my vote.

Either day works fine for me at this time.

Hi, I've been lurking on wine.woot for a while now but don't post. I live in Alexandria and may be able to come (I won't know my schedule for any day till about a week before hand), so whatever is best for everyone else gets my vote.

Anyways, I read NoVA/DC #7 and saw you guys past on 09/27. There is a virigina wine festival that weekend that was a lot of fun last year if anyone is interested.

http://www.virginiawinefestival.org/

Thought I'd throw this out there, if you didn't know about it and wanted something to do.

jjjsuck wrote:Hi, I've been lurking on wine.woot for a while now but don't post. I live in Alexandria and may be able to come (I won't know my schedule for any day till about a week before hand), so whatever is best for everyone else gets my vote.

Anyways, I read NoVA/DC #7 and saw you guys past on 09/27. There is a virigina wine festival that weekend that was a lot of fun last year if anyone is interested.

http://www.virginiawinefestival.org/

Thought I'd throw this out there, if you didn't know about it and wanted something to do.

Also this coming up weekend is the NoVA Fall BrewFest. So pick your poison.

Unrelated to the reply I would like the date to be solidified. I am contemplating on going on the NYC #6 since it's the wines of Italy, but I need to know a date for both so I can plan accordingly.

Bump

Loweeel wrote:Bump

L -- have you had any communications with WD or WF? I have not seen anything, but am guessing that you may have more info.

If a theme hasn't been set yet, I'd humbly suggest Sparklers given the holiday season.

sonadora wrote:If a theme hasn't been set yet, I'd humbly suggest Sparklers given the holiday season.

Hooray! I concur with enthusiasm!

sonadora wrote:If a theme hasn't been set yet, I'd humbly suggest Sparklers given the holiday season.

Not to disagree with one of my favorite people, but we did just have a sparkly tasting in May... Not that I don't like sparkly, but don't we want to cover new ground before returning to "sparkle plenty"?

Loweeel wrote:Not to disagree with one of my favorite people, but we did just have a sparkly tasting in May... Not that I don't like sparkly, but don't we want to cover new ground before returning to "sparkle plenty"?

I was kinda hoping for a battle of the tete du cuvees. :-) But I understand that others do not necessarily share my enthusiasm for effervescence. [You try to lure people to the Dark Side - I just want them to find their Happy Place!]

But if everyone wants to investigate 'Wines of South America' or 'Vineyards Beginning with the Letter Q' I'll gladly suffer along. Compromise is essential to a long and happy life.

kkv123 wrote:I was kinda hoping for a battle of the tete du cuvees. :-) But I understand that others do not necessarily share my enthusiasm for effervescence. [You try to lure people to the Dark Side - I just want them to find their Happy Place!]

But if everyone wants to investigate 'Wines of South America' or 'Vineyards Beginning with the Letter Q' I'll gladly suffer along. Compromise is essential to a long and happy life.

I'm fine with a theme that includes/fits sparklies, just not an all-sparkly tasting so soon after the last one.

But if I'm in the minority, I am happy to accede to the dictatorship of the sparklitariat.

Loweeel wrote:I'm fine with a theme that includes/fits sparklies, just not an all-sparkly tasting so soon after the last one.

But if I'm in the minority, I am happy to accede to the dictatorship of the sparklitariat.

I agree -- just like L is most certain to bring a PS to whatever theme (I still want to see him pull this off for a "white" event ), there's surely a way to work a sparkler into any theme. Especially if the theme is regional / terrier. I say you should never have to go without a sparkly or three! (and, OK, a few PS / super heavy tannins can probably fit, too).

Loweeel wrote:I'm fine with a theme that includes/fits sparklies, just not an all-sparkly tasting so soon after the last one.

But if I'm in the minority, I am happy to accede to the dictatorship of the sparklitariat.

Just got off a very dry, lengthy conference call and "sparklitariat" made me laugh out loud!

Here's a thought. If WD and WF are headed our way, why not let our honored guests pick the theme? In searching out nifty wine.woots I'm sure they both taste more in a week than I do in a month.

For the ease of reading (and to help WD and WF), here are your contenders for NoVA/DC #8 - Theme Round-up:

jwhite6114 wrote:Thoughts on a theme? We have done Roses and Dark, how about a Winter White theme (although white's tend to be more associated with summer, I know).

Loweeel wrote:I was thinking of "Off the beaten path." -- Lesser known appellations from countries we know. So Washington in the states, France outside of Champagne/Bordeaux/Rhone/Burgundy, Spain outside Rioja, Italy outside Tuscany/Veneto... etc.

Or maybe "Topsy Turvy: Whites from Red Regions, Reds from White regions" -- so reds from NY/Canada/Germany, Whites from southern Cali/bordeaux/spain/portugal

cjsiege wrote:How about..."the wine you WISH someone would bring to Thanksgiving dinner"? And we could actually have Thanksgiving dinner (or leftovers) as our noshies.

InShadows wrote:I was thinking maybe some ice wines for the winter theme.. maybe fire & ice theme. Fire could be the dark reds that are tart and then the super sweet ice wines.

tripgrad wrote:Theme -- Really off the beaten path: Austria, Croatia, Republic of Georgia, Lebanon, Mexico, Peru, Romania, Slovenia, Tasmania, Uruguay, Venezuela, Zimbabwe...

hershelk wrote:I like the idea of picking one or a few regions. I like the focus of #7. looking at the list, it might be good to do something like South American Wines (with limits by country) or wines of the former Eastern Block. I wouldn't mind doing something even more focused then that like Italian wines which has a huge number of varietals. There is a learning component to #7 that I like which gets a little lost when there are too many wines or too much variety.

…and in honor of Sonadora and KKV (and me, too) – Sparklies must be included with ANY theme chosen.

jwhite6114 wrote:I agree -- just like L is most certain to bring a PS to whatever theme (I still want to see him pull this off for a "white" event ), there's surely a way to work a sparkler into any theme. Especially if the theme is regional / terrier. I say you should never have to go without a sparkly or three! (and, OK, a few PS / super heavy tannins can probably fit, too).

I'd like a terrier theme. Someone could bring this for the Jack Russell.