Last fall some board members and friends gathered at Taverna Khione in Brunswick Maine to open some good old wine. The evening went well. We talked about doing it again; maybe as an annual or even semi-annual event.
I’m posting now and will PM those who attended and some other board members. Here are possible dates for one or two tastings this year.
At the last tasting, I brought all the wine and paid for the dinner. For future tastings, we discussed everybody bringing wine and paying for their own food. The Taverna will offer us a fixed menu and will cater to any dietary restrictions. It is an excellent but not expensive restaurant.
I have two requests:
Many wine geeks wind up with bottles that may be too old. I would like the only theme to be wines with bottle age.
I like to keep tastings to one bottle per person as I hate wasting wine. But with older wines we can go a little long, as some may no longer be potable. Also, the kindly staff at Taverna Khione will help us drink, especially when the food service is finished.
We had 17 people at the last tasting. I think 20 is a good number. There will be 8 – 10 locals, leaving room for 10 – 12 board members. I assume that most people want a Saturday, although let me know if a Friday could work.
Possible dates:
Spring – May 31st, June 7th.
Fall – October 18th, October 25th, November 1st.
Please let me know if you have any interest, and if so which dates work for you.
Hi Dan…this would be great. I still have quite a few bottles from the friend that moved to France, which would fit perfectly in this theme. I am free all those dates so far.
I was disappointed to see that I joined the board soon after your previous event and just missed it. I’d be very excited to make the short trip up from Portland for this one if there’s space for me. So far, any of those dates work for me. Thanks for bringing the offlines to Maine!
That would be great! Good to have people in Maine from farther away. You will have Honored Guest status. IMO October is the single best month to visit Maine. The odds for the weather are good and the crowds are gone.
Let us know on the thread as this begins to sort out.
Hopefully we can find a good Fall date which will work. I normally have a busy October, but if that’s the best for Michael & his wife, then I certainly will alter what I can to join in for that weekend.
June 7 is a ‘maybe’ for us, and the Fall dates are a possibility. Isn’t October in Maine foliage season? Where we are in Vermont, October is leaf-peeping armageddon; if the same in Maine, that can make lodging challenging. In that vein, I’d say Nov 1 would be my preferred choice.
Experienced the previous get together vicariously and would really hope to join this one. Summer would be very difficult, but several of the fall dates might work. Nov 1 presents as the most ideal.
Yes, October is leaf-peeper season in Maine (quaint old Maine saying: “Why do they call it tourist season if you can’t shoot 'em?”). But it doesn’t apply to the whole state. On the coast south of Camden, tourists are pretty much gone. From Camden northeast and in the lakes and mountains accommodations can be tough in October, but nowhere near as bad as Vermont, where it seems like the whole state is full.
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