Port and Sparkling Wine
Glisten Holiday Party

By Kathy Ward

Tasting Card

Yes, it's that time of year again. Get out the good dishes, find your holiday appetite, and make plans to meet friends at the Enological Society Holiday Party. Celebrate with two mellow Ports and bubbles galore in sparkling wines. An international variety of wines will sparkle at this annual event at the St. Demetrios Cultural Center on December 9.

France is represented in Paillard Brut Non-Vintage from the young Champagne house of Bruno Paillard. A Benoit Gautier Sparkling Vouvray from Chenin Blanc grapes grown in the Loire Valley is also on the tasting card.

Cave di Moleto Moscato d'Asti is an Italian selection, made from Muscat grapes grown in the hills of Asti in the northern Italian province of Piedmont.

From Spain comes Montsarra Cava Brut, produced from three grape varieties from the Penedes in accordance with Method Champenoise Cava regulation.

Released on the first of May this year, the Gloria Ferrer 1990 Royal Cuvée Brut, from Carneros-grown Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California, was bottle aged for more than six years.

Local selections come from Mountain Dome in Spokane, made by the Michael Manz family. The sparkling Brut Rosé, crafted in the traditional French method, gets its rich color from Pinot Noir. The 1993 Brut, a blend of 14 base wines, conforms to bottle-fermenting tradition.

The Argyle 1994 Brut, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grown in the Willlamette Valley of Oregon, was bottle-aged for three years.

Two Port wines will cap the evening. Quintessential fireside sippers that chase the chill from winter, they were authentically produced in the demarcated area of the Douro River Valley in Portugal. Offley Forrester 10 Year Tawny Porto is a product of ancestral know-how established in 1737 put to modern equipment and sophisticated techniques. The Dona Antonia Personal Reserve from Ferreira had an eight-year cask aging.

The wines will be accompanied by an array of appetizers brought by those who attend this special program. (See the accompanying How To box.) Admission is $10 - same price for members, new members and guests. Those who do not bring a food tray will pay $20 admission.

This evening of sparkling wine, mellow ports and smorgasbord of food sampling is a walk-around party, but space is limited. Reservations are not necessary. The event is sure to be a sell-out so come early. Doors at St. Demetrios open at 7 p.m. and wine pouring begins at 7:30.

Plastic cups are provided for wine tasting. Bring your own Champagne flute if you prefer glassware. Enological Society logo wineglasses will be sold for $2. A limited number of acrylic buffet trays also will be available at $2 each.