Not long after we started dating, we got invited to join a wine tasting club by one of Adam's collegues who became a dear friend. It was so intimidating the first time because it was full of doctors and other people like that - we thought it was going to be stuffy. It ended up being a great time. Our "meetings" would be at the Women's Club on Lindel (for those familiar with St. Louis) in the beginning and at the end they were at the New Cathedral. We would sit at a table of 10 and "taste" at least 10 bottles of wine. Plenty of bread, cheese and fruit would be served. One of the members was a chef, so sometimes he would prepare a multicourse feast, or a buffet.
He would usually invite us to his condo before and after the tasting for "drinks" - like we needed them (hey, he was RCC through and through). He was also a little kid trapped in a grandfather's body. He kept a potato gun there. One night after a 12 bottle, 8 people at the table tasting (and a tipsy Flipper, and our friend's wife) we went to his condo and he decided to show us how the potato gun worked. We took an apple and each of us had a role. Mine was to use the hairspray, I guess, to get the spark for it to shoot. We saw that apple shoot clear over the dome of the Cathedral! Then he said that's the cue to turn all the lights off and hide. The real funny thing was the next day we're telling my dad this story, thinking he would just shake his head at us, and he instead told us that he has plans for a potato gun if we want to build one. Um, thanks Dad. I think we'll pass this time.
Sadly our friend developed prostate cancer and died about 3 years ago. Lovely service - filled the sanctuary at the New Cathedral (speaking of which, the next time you all come to STL, we should go there - it's beautiful!). If there was such a thing as a "Wineaux for Jesus" he'd be the president. He loved Jesus only slightly more than he loved wine. I guess he also loved minor vandalism (never found out if the apple hit anything - hopefully it didn't). We were just shocked to find that he was 63 when he died. Brilliant pharmacist, and expert troublemker, he also was.
Whenever I say that Adam has a very high tolerance, no one believe me, but these nights were proof of that fact. He usually had to carry me home and he was just fine!!
Also, it was this group that taught us how to love wine, not to mention a little bit about the different kinds, different fermenting processes, etc. Unfortunately the founding members of the group also passed away and the group is no more. We've never found a group as informative, and as fun. We still go to tastings, with different wine shoppes, etc., but it was never the same.
I love to run into a wine that we would taste at one of those nights.
