Toasting The Cold-Enological Style

Over the 16 years of the Palouse Chapter, we have gathered every December to celebrate the passing of another vintage and to appease the sprits slumbering in unopened bottles. This ancient enological tradition undoubtedly dates backs to the days of Bacchus, and who among us wants to change a good thing. The last Society gathering of the old millennium was on Saturday, December 9, 2000. As usual, we congregated in the basement of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Moscow for a reverent evening of wine and food, and ribald song!

Guests were greeted with a glass of Alvear’s Montilla Fino Sherry, a wine with a very pronounced and controversial nuttiness and a sample of the spicy Indian cracker--Mathi. We were then entertained by our resident retiree Gary Bryan, who treated us to a vintage recording of Have a little more Madeira my dear, which we them proceeded to do.

The wines: a Leacock’s 5-year Dry Sercial Madeira, a Leacock’s Rainwater Medium Dry Madeira, and a Leacock’s 10 year Medium Rich Bual Madeira started out the evening. The Rainwater was not everyone’s’ favorite—too austere and, well too maderized, were the most frequent comments. The other two were good matches for the Stuffed Figs with Marsala, and the Gingered Nuts.

Warre’s Nimrod Tawny Port and the Smith Woodhouse 1986 LBV Port were good matches for most foods, particularly the Cheese, the Chocolate Truffles, and the very rich Pecan Bars. The Crème Caramel, delicious by itself, was a wonderful companion for the ripe Hidalgo Pedro Ximenez Viezo Sherry, which also raised the figs to new heights (or was it the tasters who had risen?).

The culinary events were capped of with a "healthy" pour of Royal Aszú Essencia Tokaji—a wine that all of us can still taste. Rich, thick, with layer after layer of fig, apricot, honey, spice, and a long lingering finish that went into the next century! Those of you who missed this one can probably qualify for federal enological depravation funds!

The evening which started out with roaring Yule Log, heated up when JoAn Wykoff unleashed her piano keyboard, and the rest of us, lead by Bill "Bob Dylan" Wykoff, and amply fortified provided cacophonous welcome to the long Palouse winter. And judging by how much more snow we had this year we were successful! But we must keep trying harder, lest the spirit of Bacchus thinks us undeserving of another bottle of Royal Aszú Essencia Tokaji!

Thanks to all who helped—Dave, Tom, Ella, Judy and Joan