February, 2002
With a sparkling blanket of snow on the ground, we were twice warmed. First, by a crackling fire and then a heady array of port imposters (seven of them,) and then a legitimate port to compare them all with. Walter Rachele presented them to us in brown bags and asked that we try to match them to descriptions from the bottles and other published sources. Then, to really shake things up, he threw in a Mystery Port that was crafted by two of our members (Bill Eisberg and Bill Brown).
While Bill and Bill did not identify their own wine, Barbara Brown walked away with a prize bottle of her choice. Out of a group of 28 she was the only one to match every one correctly. While we were able to vote in a winner, the voting was well spread out among all of the Ports, indicating that there was a lot to like at this tasting and not an ugly baby in the lot. Thank you Walt!
1st Trentadue 1994 Alexander Valley Petit Sirah 	$27.29
2nd Eisberg's 1991 Cabernet Port (our priceless mystery port)	$347.98 ;)
3rd Peter Lehmann 1990 BinAD 2011 Barossa Vintage Port 	$30.00
Tied 3rd: Messina Hof Ebony Ports of Call 	$18.75
4th Horton Vineyards 1997 Vintage Port 	$18.99
Tied 4th: DiGrazia Vinyards 1998 Blacksmith Port 	$21.99
5th KWV Full Ruby Port NV 	$7.99
Our next tasting will be at Pat and Walt Racheles on Sunday February 17th. Please call Walt and Pat (XXXXXXXXX) by Wednesday February 13th if you plan on attending. Dean Wilson will present "Chianti: More Than a Fiasco".
We have been fortunate to add many new members to our chapter over the last year so this mailing includes a copy of our chapter bylaws.
Sadly, last month marked the passing of one of our long time founding members. Joe Wood passed away on Thursday, January 9th after a short hospital stay. Joe and his wife, Nattie, opened their hearts and home to us long after their health kept them from being active members of our group. To their daughter and son-in-law (Jeanne and Tom Hoffman) our sincere sympathy and hope that Tom will recover quickly from his recent heart attack.
"Love doesn't make the world go 'round, but it sure makes the ride worthwhile."
-- Mae West
1/30/02