Drinking for Charity

We jived the 50's away. We twisted through the 60's. We discoed like no others in the 70's. We moonwalked across the 80's. We head banged like Axel in the 90's. It was a busy night for my friends and me. On Saturday night we took part in Niagara College's Dance the Night Away. An event that was put on by the Event Management students to benefit the Many Hands Project.

One of my favourite activities is “drinking for charity”. Helping other while dancing and drinking wine, is a good night in my book any day. Upon arriving at Club Italia I bought my drink tickets and pondered the wine choices. My options included an Italian Merlot or Chardonnay or a Peller Estates Cabernet Sauvignon or Pinot gris. I work at Club Italia and from experience know I don't really like the Italian wines. They are ... too old (meaning dry, bitter and a little boring). Also, we live in a region that makes great wine and should support this industry. Earlier in the night I had a vodka tonic, so logic told me I should have a Pinot gris.

I really enjoy Pinot gris. It's light and fun and doesn't take it's self too seriously. From what I have learned it is a wine that should be drank young. None of this sitting in a cellar for years waiting for it to get better. In case your wondering, if you buy a bottle of Pinot grigio it's the Italian form of Pinot gris. Add that to your list of “pretentious knowledge”.

If you have an event where I can "drink for charity", drop me a line and I will be there to support your cause!

The Unpretentious Wine Drinker

I love wine. This love is fairly new for me. It's only been about four years since I really considered wine a drink of choice. Before that time, most of my wine experience had been with "table" wine: the generic, usually mouth puckering, dry wine found at weddings. This turned me off the drink for a number of years.

When I first started drinking wine, I only drank white wine. As my palate become more "sophisticated" I switched to red and felt I was too good for the Riesling and Chardonnays of world and left them behind. Over the past year, I have discovered there is plenty of room in my life for Merlots, Cabernet Sauvignons, Pinot Grigios and Gewurztraminers.

At this point it should be stated that I do not consider myself a wine expert. I am just a girl who enjoys a glass of wine and the socializing that goes along with that glass. I will recommend a wine to try and something fun to do while drinking that wine. Not pretentious, just fun. Maybe one day, if I try really hard, I can be a pretentious wine connoisseur.

Wait, who am I kidding?