Glenora Retreat (?) News

[wondersofwine]

Loved the weekend and the people at the offline. Gene was a great host! Everyone was generous in sharing car pooling, wines, WW's sparkling wine with omelettes at breakfast, sanitizing wipes (thanks IK and Bev--when electricity went out, so did running water dependent on an electric pump or something so I was eating cheese left-handed until I could clean my right hand after using the bathroom--sorry for the image).
Willi Frank gave us a great introduction to the background of Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery (his father was the founder).
I will report (probably later today) on some of my tasting notes under a new thread. My contribution to the wines were a Rosenblum Harris Kratka Zinfandel that I opened with the pizza Friday night, a Merkelbach Urziger Wurzgarten Riesling Auslese for Saturday's dessert, and two bottles of 2000 Jayer-Gilles Cotes de Nuits Villages (Burgundy) for Foodie's.
Foodie and Ann were gracious hosts. I should have done more to help clean up but Ann was worried about a guest being injured by the torn-up kitchen floor so sort of barricaded the kitchen area.
Foodie was the only one I had met previously (at Is-Wine) but it was great meeting KC and Judy, Winoweenie, Georgie and Sister, IK and Bev, Gene and Christie, also the couple from Liechtenstein (spelling?) Georgie even brought salt water taffy for the gang (thanks). I was impressed with the Vignoles wine at Anthony Road and with the Chardonnays, Rieslings and even the Pinot Noir at Konstantin Frank (and the sparkling wine at Glenora Wine Cellars). I also bought a late harvest riesling at Hermann Wiemer. Would have bought more at the Frank Winery only I had to tote the bottles on the airplane and could only manage four bottles. The strap on the box carrier held up until I was ready to board the shuttle to the parking lot at Raleigh-Durham Airport and then gave out. (Didn't drop the bottles at least so nothing was broken. I had picked up some Burgundies in New York City so had four bottles on the plane with me and three bottles in a suitcase). Saw the Billy Joel (music)/Twyla Tharp (choreography) "Movin' Out" in NYC and enjoyed wonderful meals at Molyvos (lunch) Greek restaurant, Triomphe, Gramercy Tavern and Wallse (Austrian cuisine). More on those wines also later.

[This message has been edited by wondersofwine (edited 05-24-2004).]