SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL WINE COMPETITION 2013
Page 2
After we've tasted something close to 130 wines, maybe
more, we gather for The Judges' Dinner.
The 51 judges are a wine-savvy bunch and it's great to sit down at the dinner
table, drink wine (instead of rating wines and awarding medals) and catch up on
the latest goings-on and adventures in the world of wine.
We gather for an aperitif with a view overlooking The City.
The colorful Rosina Tinari Wilson and Carol Channing...
Bonnie & Clyde.
Ron Washam was delighted to be invited to The Playboy Mansion under the guise
of "blogging research."
Drake, Janet The Actress and David...
Three Musketeers: Timmy T, Robert S. and Patrick C.
Some marvelous Kiwis!
Wendy, Jim and The Great Kate.
Linda and Brian, hanging with Jim McMahon.
Ginger Rogers & Fred Astaire.
Doc Valery, Ken and Ellen Landis...
Jim Trezise, Mister New York!, along with Emma Stone.
The Ponomareffs...
Calista & Harrison
Bert & Ernie
Beauty & "The Beast," Kevin Vogt.
Penn & Teller
Michael Schaefer shows off his palate.
Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton.
Simon & Garfunkel (who later sang "Ernest & Julio, Down By The
Schoolyard).
Chebecca Rapa, Mim TicDonald & Fana Darner
Dale Evans & Roy Rogers.
"Say Cheese!"
Thelma & Louise.
Lois Lane & Clark Kent
Ron Washam, The Posemaster and Lisa Weeks.
It was time to sit down at the dinner table...
I usually have a few bottles in my cellar bag and this year
I brought a couple specifically to share with George Skorka, who's originally
from Hungary.
So we had a lovely Bott winery white wine made entirely of Furmint.
There was a sea of wine glasses on our table!
The Lady in Black: Kimberly Charles, a Dame d'Escoffier San Francisco,
which means
she knows something about V & V (Victuals & Vins).
The Umathum Traminer is sensational and was a major surprise for many of the
people who tasted this. It's so beautifully aromatic and has finesse and
elegance...
I had another bottle selected to share with úr
Skorka!
George, what do you think?
Vesztergombi Szekszárd Cabernet Sauvignon 1997.
Emlékeztet
a régi ország!
A wonderful bottle of 2006 Barolo from Cascina Fontana was paired with a nice
beef dish.
As is customary, Andy took the floor and made some
remarks...
...and attempted some jokes.
"What did he just say?"
I made my way around the tasting tables on Day Two of our
judging...
While the judging is "serious," there are moments of levity to be had
during the rigors of tasting 150 wines over the course of a morning and
afternoon...
For a palate-cleanser, beef can be helpful in taming the tannins which build up
after tasting a long flight of young red wines.
Here's the inimitable George "Drac" Skorka...
"I don't mean to kvetch through all this mishegas, but I wonder what
schmendrik made such schlock. On the other hand, I gave a gold medal to
one wine which was clearly made by a real mentsch."
Dana said she laid a lip on some pretty good wines Saturday.
"We even gave a few Double Golds!"
"I like the 'mouthfeel' of this wine!" said Brian Baker.
Valery!
Bob Silverstein tastes stereophonically, listening for music.
"I like Heavy Medal." explained The Lip.
"Sometimes,
though, one ear is enough."
Marcus "Eddie Munster" Garcia
Roll your mouse over this photo...
Kimberly Charles is a P-R specialist, so it's not surprising she has a big
mouth...
The local Wax Museum at Fisherman's Wharf had a nice display to celebrate the
weekend wine judging...
The hijinks kicked into high gear when "Don Charles" Mara got into
the act.
We're sure The Rabbi was uttering several "Oy gevalts" when
this tsuris was taking place!
Yes, That's Janet Dyer and Kimberly Charles making a Charles Mara
"Sandwich."
Meanwhile, over at the director's table...
Andy had his blue eyes and red lips on a potential Gold Medal wine.
The "mouthy" Jeffery Stivers, a Dodgers' fan, said his favorite LA player of all-time is
"Oral Hershiser."
Then Jeffery and The Hosemaster got into it...
Apparently this S-L-S (Swollen Lip Syndrome) was
contagious...
Soon Rosina was afflicted, too!
Next thing I knew, Becky Chapstix was painting her lips...
The Center for Disease Control was considering a quarantine
for the entire panel...
But, in fact, this panel IS the one that gave Andy the most lip
over the weekend...
A big THANK YOU to the volunteers who took care of
coordinating my Panel...
Panel P:
Scott Blood, Talia Friedman and leader Brian Reed...
Not shown here is Mark Bowen who helped on Friday!
After we completed our final flight of wines on Saturday, I pulled some Suds out
of my Cellar Bag...
And we hoisted a "cold one" to our efforts and to thank the volunteers
for their fine work.
This year we enjoyed a beer from France made by Brasserie Lebbe, a tiny brewery
in the Southwest near the region of Madiran.
ON TO THE SWEEPSTAKES TASTING
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