Interactive Tasting of Port Wines

Under the expert tutelage of our Program V.P., Fred Ek, we will be tasting and learning about Vintage Porto (1960 to 2011); Late Bottled Vintage; An Aged Tawny and a few other delights. We will also experiment with some food pairings. There are always the traditional pairings, but we’re going to think outside the box and taste t with other kinds of food, too, to see what else might work.

Fred has asked us to have a light dinner without dessert prior to arriving at 7 because Port is best consumed after dinner. For our pairing purposes, we will have a small sampling of appropriate cheeses, nuts and sweets from Formaggio Kitchens (and perhaps some other surprises).

Our member, Arthur Jaffe, will host us at the Signet Society of Harvard, composed of the very top undergraduates from the Arts and Humanities as well as Senior Faculty members like Arthur. The Society was founded in 1870 by members of the class of 1871. The first president was Charles Joseph Bonaparte. It was, at first, dedicated to the production of literary work only. Accordingly, they confined the membership to a few, and required that new members shall be, so far as possible, "representative men," and that at least five should be in the first half of their class. More recently, Signet celebrates most of the arts, including music, the visual arts, and theater.

The Signet Coat of Arms over the door of the house.

Judging from some amusing accounts in the “Short History” (see website), hosting a tasting of wondrous alcohol here is quite appropriate!

See  http://www.signetsociety.org/storage/ShortHistoryofSignet_1970.pdf  for a very interesting and entertaining account of the Society’s history. The Society’s facility is a Federal style house on the corner of Mount Auburn and Dunster Streets, Cambridge that was built sometime between the late 18th and early 19th centuries. We will be privileged to be in a Reception Room for a splash of Champagne and then adjourn to the Library.