2020 Fall Event: “DIY and WFH”
(Do-It-Yourself and Work-From-Home)
Your Chapter Provides the Wine from our Cellar
Members Decide the Date, Venue, Menu, and Seating in November
Hosts: Members and your Board
COVID-19 truncated our 2019-2020 event season and put the Miami Branch Board to work designing event prototypes for this year. We considered rebates and credits towards next year’s dues. After much back-and-forth, we decided to maximize “attendance” for the first event by letting members select wine from our cellar and choose, themselves, the where, when, what to eat, and with whom to enjoy it. We believe most or our 60 members will gather in small groups of 2-4 couples on their patios or restaurants with outside dinning. The Wine Committee, headed by Past President , John Sullivan came up with 60 sets of wine, mostly of two bottles, but a few of three or four. The sets are differentiated first by the country of production: France, USA, Italy, and Spain. Members were asked to prioritize 5 lots, and a computer-generated random ranking of the members who submitted their choices by a deadline determined whose first choice was honored first and then down the line. The wines were pulled , boxed and assigned and are being picked up by our Members from our cellar. Early responders get an extra bottle of a USA chardonnay, and the new Members get an extra surprise bottle of Bordeaux.
Tony and Sandy Mesa, Steve and Donna Blythe, and Ted and Holly Evans had their DIY IWFS November wine dinner together at Riviera Country Club with a mix of French and US wines which made for a delightful event. '99 Laurent Perrier Champagne started us off and we supplemented with NV Laurent Perrier La Cuvee off the menu and some preferred less age on the Champagne but most of us really enjoyed the mature toasty finish of the '99. Mayacamas ‘16 Chard went great with the asparagus soup and salads, '04 Quilceda Creek cab went great with the beef and was the wine of the night, and we transitioned to the '03 Paul Jaboulet Hermitage Syrah towards the end of dinner into dessert and went outside in perfect Miami November weather to a table on the balcony in the moonlight for sipping the last glasses that were fully open and where we enjoyed more camaraderie. The large tables inside and out are well spaced, everyone is masked when walking around or standing, and since we were the only people sitting outdoors after dinner we were able to have the waiter snap this picture as we got up just before we donned our masks to leave.
Joe and Helga Fernandez, Roberto and Sylvia Palenzuela joined Barbara and John Kozyak at their home. Roberto and John had both won Italy wine lot#2 and Joe brought his US wines. The menu was the most delicious Michelin Star takeout from Fiola, Coral Gables.
The wine selections distributed are listed by country:
France: 1999 750 Laurent-Perrier Champagne Brut Millésimé, 2010 750 Vilmart & Cie Champagne Premier Cru Grand Cellier d'Or, N.V. 750 Laurent-Perrier Champagne Grand Siècle, 2003 750 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Charmes-Chambertin, 1998 750 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou, 1995 750 Château Sociando-Mallet, and 2003 750 Paul Jaboulet Aîné Hermitage La Chapelle.
Italy: 2008 750 Ca' del Bosco Franciacorta Cuvée Annamaria Clementi, 2011 750 Castello dei Rampolla d'Alceo, and 2004 750 Fattoria di Fèlsina Berardenga Chianti Classico Riserva Rancia.
Spain: 2004 750 Finca Villacreces Ribera del Duero, 2005 750 Viña Magaña Navarra Calchetas, and 2003 750 Rotllan Torra Priorat Tirant.
USA: 2016 750 Mayacamas Vineyards Chardonnay, 2008 750 Schramsberg Vineyards Reserve, 2007 750 Peay Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate, 2006 750 Jonata Winery Todos, 2001 750 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon, and both 2002 750 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve, and 2005 750 Beringer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve.