Wine hos

Met a couple at the Slow Food crab fest at the County Building in Golden Gate Park a week ago yesterday. We were all taking the N-Judah home and they asked if we'd like to stop off for a glass of wine before catching the next N-Judah and continuing home. We said sure, and continued the fun we'd been having at the fest.

As a result of the evening, they invited us to the Wine Hos Winter Soiree, which was being held at their place in the Lower Haight last night. The Wine Hos meet monthly to try out wines. Their December meeting is one which they can invite friends or chance-met acquaintances to. The host provides snacks and the wine. The attendees split the cost of the wine.

Last night's wingding was champagne-focused with sparkling cocktails and snacks after. Five champagnes tasted. Costs ranged from $24/bottle to something like $70. We had about eighteen people and ten bottles ... so the shared cost was reasonable.

One of the hosts put together a sheet with the five champagnes listed on one side and on the other side a description of each. Except the descriptions were not necessarily next to the champagne they described. (One of the descriptions: "This one has the violet scent of Pernand-Vergelesses; oh man, even with no dosage this is jail-bait wine, more vinous and "serious" than '04; sappier and, um, fuller-bodied. She said she was 18, your honor.")

Our task was to match a champagne to its description. I got five out of five and felt like I'd survived a major exam. I also felt like I learned something about champagne at the same time in a congenial atmosphere.

The sparkling cocktails were great. The snacks were delish. The white elephant present exchange was a stitch. (We didn't bring a white elephant present because we had nothing in the house to offer. With space at a premium, we tend to take anything we don't need or love to the Goodwill post haste.)

We met interesting people, including a couple of regular wine hos who live about a hundred steps further down the hill from us (Small world!) and an adorable five-month-old Chihuahua named Jolene.

Brilliant evening. Loads of fun. Exhausted by the time we walked up the hill home.

Thanks for the invite!