Notes from the Chair

 

Reflection and projection

As we come to the end of one trip around the sun, and the beginning of another, I want to offer a few thoughts and observations.

We had some wonderful tastings in 2013, and are looking forward to more and better ones in the coming year.  The Holiday party was great, and thanks go to our Regional Vice President, Rich Ryba, and our own Co-Program Director Leeana Ryba for all of the efforts that they put into that event.  The raffle at the party raised $316 which was pledged to the Alexis Descaunets Hartung Fund for the AWSEF.

The first of our chapter’s wine raffles went very well, and we’re hoping to continue that feature at the tastings in 2014.  Large format bottles have a unique aspect.  They tend to promote one of the best things about a bottle of wine, and that is sharing it with friends.

I hope that you find some time over the holidays to share a large bottle with family and friends, or even several small bottles!  That “special” occasion is now. Happy Holidays!

 

Come to Firelands!

Participants at the National Conference in November carried home cases of these award winning wines. Now we can taste them in PA!

If you missed the conference, you can now enjoy the wines as declared by the U.S. Government to be specific viticultural area. Wines have been made on the southern shore of Lake Erie near Sandusky since 1880. Firelands was a sponsor of the 2013 Sandusky Conference and their wine maker conducted one of the sessions.

JOIN US!

Make your reservations EARLY!

Members: $20 Guests: $25

RSVP by January 1, 2014 to:

aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com

or

Kathleen Simpson - 412-657-1861

Make checks out to AWS and mail to:

Dr. Dennis Trumble 1302 Arch St. Pittsburgh PA 15212

Remember the meeting will be on WEDNESDAY JANUARY 8th at 7:00pm in Ross Township, at the Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237.

 

A change is gonna come!

 

We’re moving!

After many happy years at the Knights of Equity in Millvale, we’re moving our tastings to a new location.  We’re now going to meet at the Evergreen Community Park in the North Hills.  The new location is roughly six miles from the Knights of Equity building, and takes about 11 minutes to drive from there (at posted speed limits!).

The new venue is very attractive, has plenty of parking (off street) and it’s right next to a lake!  Our next tasting will take place at this new location.  The address and a link are below.  For some GPS units, it will be listed as Ross Community Park, but it’s the same place.

We are also changing the day of our tastings.  Due to scheduling conflicts with a Karate group, we will now be meeting on the second Wednesday of the month. (You don’t want to anger a Karate group!)  There will be further details in the next posting, but we wanted to get the information to you so that you can adjust your calendars.  Mark them for January 8, 2014! 

 

F.L.

 

Evergreen Community Park, 3430 Evergreen Rd, Pittsburgh, PA15237

http://northhills.patch.com/listings/evergreen-community-park

Notes from the Chair

Summer in a Glass

Although the Finger Lakes tasting had a few “hitches in the git along” at the beginning, it was a hit!  Our special thanks to Co-Vice-Fearless Leaders Brittany and Tim Altimus for presenting the wine, a tour, and some very useful tips on the Finger Lakes region wines.  The presentation was very well prepared, and Brittany did a fantastic job of taking us on a trip through the wineries of the book “Summer in a Glass”.  We got a little history, a little wine, and a lot of knowledge.

And a big thanks, also, to Bev Wise and Irving Eisley for hosting the presentation.  The food was great, and certainly added to the enjoyment of the wines!  Well done!

Back by Popular Demand!

In a shocking decision, the incumbent Board Members of the AWS Pittsburgh Chapter were re-elected Thursday evening for the 2014 term.  Although campaigning was kept to a minimum, each of the elected officials managed to retain their offices.  Your 2014 Board Members are:

Chairperson:                Thom Harding             tommyh9987@gmail.com

Vice-Chair:                  Tim Altimus

                                    Brittany Pipes Altimus           

Secretary:                     Carol Kristofik

Treasurer:                     Dennis Trumble

Membership:                Kathleen Simpson

Programs:                     Leanna Ryba

                                    Metha Hillard

Wine Glasses:              Terry Germanoski

If you have an interest in any of  the board positions, please contact any of the board members.  We’d love to institute an “intern” program, and have those interested persons see how each of the departments works.  And, as always, this is your club.  We're always open to ideas and suggestions.  Let us hear from you! 

2013 Regional Holiday Christmas Part

REGIONAL CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY PARTY

Friday, December 13

6:00 p.m. to ??? p.m.

River Forest Country Club

130 Clubhouse Drive  Freeport, PA 16229 

R.S.V.P. by December 1^st  to  rybar@nb.net

Send check for $50 per person to arrive no later than 

December  10^th.

 ^{We cannot accept payment at the door.}

            Make checks payable to: 

Richard Ryba, AWS  RVP and mail to:

2777 Leechburg Road, Lower Burrell, PA 15068

American Wine Society Regional Chapters of Western Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh East, Alle-Kiski, Eastern Lake Erie

Summer in a Glass

 

Join us on Thursday, November 14 for a unique tasting of Finger Lakes wines!  This meeting will be presented by Tim and Brittany Altimus (our Co-Vice-Fearless-Leaders) with a remote assist via Skype from Evan Dawson.

Evan Dawson, author of “Summer in a Glass: The Coming of Age of Finger Lakes Winemaking,” became interested in Finger Lakes wine on his first trip to the region with his wife-to-be Morgan, whom he met as a student at Ohio University. Morgan is a Penn Yan native. Evan was born in Cleveland but has family in Jamestown, Chautauqua and Buffalo, so the region has always felt like home.

In addition to serving as managing editor of the New York Cork Report, Evan covers the Chautaqua-Lake Erie and Finger Lakes regions, including insights from and stories about the people behind the wines.  He is also a morning news anchor for the Rochester television station and ABC affiliate 13WHAM. As a journalist he has specialized in reports on politics and public policy. His blogs are often about the art of winemaking and characters in the field, though he also delves into topics like fatherhood. He is a graduate of the Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.

 

Wines from the Finger Lakes are earning the world’s attention. We hope to demonstrate why this attention is richly deserved. After the tasting, and Mr. Dawson’s thoughts, we hope that you’ll be curious to open a Finger Lakes Riesling… or even seek out the region itself, which has been transformed by the winemakers into the very definition of Summer in a glass.

We are limiting the number of attendees to 50. After the cut-off date for reservations, which is November 1, 2013, we will accept guests, if we have the availability.

 

Make your reservations EARLY!

 

Members: $25 Guests: $30

RSVP by November 1, 2013 to:

aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com

or

Kathleen Simpson - 412-657-1861

Make checks out to AWS and mail to:

Dr. Dennis Trumble 1302 Arch St. Pittsburgh PA 15212

Special Offer to all Members

We would like to make an offer available to our members to purchase the Argiolas Tremontis Mirto that we had the privilege to taste during the Corsican tasting on October 10.  Many members remarked that they enjoyed the traditional “digestivo” and asked about acquiring a bottle or two.

We are considering a bulk purchase through Astor Wines & Spirits.  The cost per bottle is $30, but there will be a shipping charge.  We will have to collect full payment for the bottles prior to placing the order. The shipping will be based on the number of bottles that we order, so we will collect your portion of the shipping charge when you get your liqueur.  If you’d like to have a bottle (or six, or nine), please reply to the email address below, and type “Mirto” in the subject line.  Also, please let us know how many bottles you would like.  Please mail your check, payable to Kevin Dering, to:

Dr. Dennis Trumble

1302 Arch St.

Pittsburgh PA 15212

Argiolas Tremontis Mirto is an alcoholic infusion of red myrtle berries, the so-called "fiore." These carefully selected berries come from the best areas for this type of growth.  The various aromatic herbs, spices and berries are collected in a single container where alcohol, its strength cut by dilution in warm water, extracts the flavors, colors and scents of these plants, for a period not exceeding three weeks.

This liqueur is violet red in color with herbal aromas. It is bittersweet on the palate and backed by flavors of mint, eucalyptus, juniper and spices.

ABV: 0.30 (60 proof) 750 ml bottles.

Reply to:  aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com

À ringraziavvi

Notes from the Chair

Thank you to Metha and Bob for sharing their insights, photos, and memories of the beautiful island of Corsica!   We didn’t have to ride a ferry boat, fly across an ocean, or slay a Moor to sample the wonderful wines of this charming island.  And another “Thanks” to Brittany and Metha for the food that accompanied those interesting wines.  As with most wines from the Mediterranean area, the selections were most decidedly food focused.

My knowledge of Corsican wine is severely limited, but I enjoyed each, and learned some valuable things.  The item that sticks out in my mind was something that Metha pointed out during her presentation: “They don’t care about us.”  It reminded me of a quote from John McKay when he was the football coach at USC.  When asked about the media’s attention to his football program, John quipped, "There are still over 600 million Chinese who don't care if we win or lose."

Here’s hoping that the Corsicans continue to make wine that they enjoy, and don’t pay any attention to the “Hot New Trend” in winemaking.

AWS Pittsburgh Member Roster

 It has come to my attention that, at one time, we had a membership roster that was generally available, and emailed to the current members on a yearly basis.  This was, I am told, “way back when”.  At the request of several members, we’re going to make that list available once again.  If you would like to be included, please respond to the AWS email address with your consent.  (aws.pittsburgh@gmail.com) Please include your name in the email. We will collect the results, and post the list on the website at the end of November.

If you do NOT respond, your information will NOT be on that list. 

Nominations for Board Members

The nomination site is still open.  Please take a moment and fill out the questionnaire.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/P8KXR3D