Wines of the Century

[docsconz]

I couldn't imagine anything worse than attending this weekend.

what a total bore, too much good wine, no balance or perspective, god knows how small shared pore is.

and the people who might attend such an event... the whole idea pains me greatly.

You cannot appreciate or reason with that many great wines, nor should you try in such a short time.

dreadful idea, that represents the very worst in this business.

While on the whole I do agree with your sentiment, I can imagine many things worse than this . It is a colossal waste and I daresay most if not all of the attendees will be there just to say they were. It is true that no single individual can really appreciate all these wines together or the food for that matter given what is likely to be the sheer quantity and richness of the cuisine. Nevertheless, if someone wanted to pay my way, I wouldn't mind trying just a few of the wines and morsels served with them. Actually any one dinner/tasting would likely be phenomenal, but combined they are suicidal/vinicidal.

[Scott]

I couldn't imagine anything worse than attending this weekend.

what a total bore, too much good wine, no balance or perspective, god knows how small shared pore is.

and the people who might attend such an event... the whole idea pains me greatly.

You cannot appreciate or reason with that many great wines, nor should you try in such a short time.

dreadful idea, that represents the very worst in this business.

While on the whole I do agree with your sentiment, I can imagine many things worse than this . It is a colossal waste and I daresay most if not all of the attendees will be there just to say they were. It is true that no single individual can really appreciate all these wines together or the food for that matter given what is likely to be the sheer quantity and richness of the cuisine. Nevertheless, if someone wanted to pay my way, I wouldn't mind trying just a few of the wines and morsels served with them. Actually any one dinner/tasting would likely be phenomenal, but combined they are suicidal/vinicidal.

I hear you Doc,

but it to me is everything that is wrong with fine wine, more idiots swanning about talking about wines they tasted as if they had a clue what was going on.

the only thing worse? being sat next to one of thi slot at a dinner party any time 6 months after the event.

We once had an internet geek come in an want to buy a wine cellar, he had £125,000 and wanted us to put something together. After swiftly showing him the door, we weere amazed anyone thought you could do this.

it's not the wines, it's the proud possession of a cellar, which is like a garden - it is tended and cared for over many years waiting for the bloom. it cannot just be plucked out of mid air. The same way attending this tasting would not make you knowledgable, which I am sure is part of the allure for some. It might make you even more dull, but not more knowledgable.

A few of my tasting buddies, some very expert, have a view that basically drinking a bottle of wine from top to bottom (not necessarily alone) is worth any number of tasting samples. Tasting is not drinking, and only drinking really gives you a feel for the wine.

do you still like it,

did it get more or less exciting after one glass,

does your emotional reaction to the wine change over time

how did you enjoy when you weren;t over analysing every sip.

and similar like notions.

what is truly odd, is that I have written quite a bit on this subject and kept the real venom this sort of thing inspires to myself. I hate everything represented by this tasting.

there I feel better now

[Brad Ballinger]

Let's forget friends and acts of kindness. Let's be self-reliant! How's this for a pact. We locate and share the bottle on a date that falls right in between both our birthdays. Or do something with slightly Pagan overtones and share it on a solstice or equinox or something equally universally significant. Nothing less would be worthy of either us or the wine!

I got it. We'll split the cost, I'll drink the first half, then ship the rest to you.

[KatieLoeb]

Let's forget friends and acts of kindness.  Let's be self-reliant!  How's this for a pact.  We locate and share the bottle on a date that falls right in between both our birthdays.  Or do something with slightly Pagan overtones and share it on a solstice or equinox or something equally universally significant.  Nothing less would be worthy of either us or the wine!

I got it. We'll split the cost, I'll drink the first half, then ship the rest to you.

Hmmppft! And I thought it was a gracious invite.

Besides, long distance Pagan rites don't really work. You have to be there.

[dlc]

Let's forget friends and acts of kindness.  Let's be self-reliant!  How's this for a pact.  We locate and share the bottle on a date that falls right in between both our birthdays.  Or do something with slightly Pagan overtones and share it on a solstice or equinox or something equally universally significant.  Nothing less would be worthy of either us or the wine!

I knew there was a reason I liked you too.

It just so happens that I have one mag of 61 Margaux left. If you and Brad planned a proper Pagan ritual maybe we could attract some other eGer's and indulge ourselves.

[KatieLoeb]

Let's forget friends and acts of kindness.  Let's be self-reliant!  How's this for a pact.  We locate and share the bottle on a date that falls right in between both our birthdays.  Or do something with slightly Pagan overtones and share it on a solstice or equinox or something equally universally significant.  Nothing less would be worthy of either us or the wine!

I knew there was a reason I liked you too.

It just so happens that I have one mag of 61 Margaux left. If you and Brad planned a proper Pagan ritual maybe we could attract some other eGer's and indulge ourselves.

Are you my new Best Friend?

[Carolyn Tillie]

Let's forget friends and acts of kindness.  Let's be self-reliant!  How's this for a pact.  We locate and share the bottle on a date that falls right in between both our birthdays.  Or do something with slightly Pagan overtones and share it on a solstice or equinox or something equally universally significant.  Nothing less would be worthy of either us or the wine!

I knew there was a reason I liked you too.

It just so happens that I have one mag of 61 Margaux left. If you and Brad planned a proper Pagan ritual maybe we could attract some other eGer's and indulge ourselves.

Are you my new Best Friend?

Ooooh Ooooh - I used to TEACH Paganism! If I plan the ceremony and bring along a d'Yquem, can I come along?????

[docsconz]

the only thing worse? being sat next to one of thi slot at a dinner party any time 6 months after the event.

No doubt this is true

I do agree with you that this fetishism is the worst part of the wine world and that this event represents the worst part of that. Nevertheless, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to try some of those wines at this event if the opportunity sans $25k cost were offered to me. The problem is the sheer excess that ultimately disrespects the very thing an event such as this is supposed to celebrate - great wine.

I have been to fabulous wine dinners with 10-12 wonderfully aged first and second growth Bordeaux's or equivalents from other regions and even at these more approachable line-ups the individual wines don't shine as brightly as they might otherwise. I am, however, happy to have had the opportunity to sample a number of wines that I might not otherwise have been able to. The thing is there were not so many as to be overwhelming. The dinner discussed here is overwhelming - at least to me.

The bottom line to me is if that kind of money for a weekend was no object, I would probably amass my own collection of those wines and enjoy them in a way more suitable to what they deserve - no more than several at a time to compare and contrast with a few good friends.

[wnissen]

The bottom line to me is if that kind of money for a weekend was no object, I

  would probably amass my own collection of those wines and enjoy them in a way

  more suitable to what they deserve - no more than several at a time to compare

  and contrast with a few good friends.

Exactly. Get five friends together for dinner at Per Se, and six bottles of the wines you've always wanted to try. Then, maybe, you could begin to appreciate them. Great wines are great because they make a lasting impression. If the experience of a wine drops from memory before dinner is even over, I don't care if it is wine made by God for you personally, that is not a great wine. Period. The most you can say with honesty is that you consumed a liquid that given proper appreciation might be a great wine. The more I think about this event, the more it pisses me off. I guess I should count my blessings that I'm not driven to try these wines just for the sake of being able to brag about it.

Walt

[wnissen]

Wait, I think I have the analogy. This event is almost exactly like a "Destinations of the Century" world tour. At each stop, you are driven from the airport to the destination, say the Eiffel Tower, Great Wall, Grand Canyon, and permitted to look around briefly. Then you are whisked off (I guess each participant would be in a Hummer limo with the windows tinted black) to the airport to leave for the next stop. Certainly, it would be fun for those few minutes, and you might even come back with some vivid memories of a few spots, but on the whole it's a waste of time and jet fuel.

Walt

[OPJK]

I can think of four scenarios whereby one can justify participation:

1- You love food and wine and are planning on dying very soon.

2- For professional reasons, it would be helpful to be able to say that you've tasted these wines (although I would find this to be a total misrepresentation, as there is no way you could appreciate or understand said wines. Plus you'd need $25k.)

3- You are a blowhard.

4- You are the organizer and are planning on pocketing a few hundred thousand dollars at the expense of the dying, the lying, or the obnoxious.

[Brad Ballinger]

Let's forget friends and acts of kindness.  Let's be self-reliant!  How's this for a pact.  We locate and share the bottle on a date that falls right in between both our birthdays.  Or do something with slightly Pagan overtones and share it on a solstice or equinox or something equally universally significant.  Nothing less would be worthy of either us or the wine!

I knew there was a reason I liked you too.

It just so happens that I have one mag of 61 Margaux left. If you and Brad planned a proper Pagan ritual maybe we could attract some other eGer's and indulge ourselves.

Are you my new Best Friend?

Ooooh Ooooh - I used to TEACH Paganism! If I plan the ceremony and bring along a d'Yquem, can I come along?????

There's got to be a way to make this happen.

[clifford]

Wait, I think I have the analogy. This event is almost exactly like a "Destinations of the Century" world tour. At each stop, you are driven from the airport to the destination, say the Eiffel Tower, Great Wall, Grand Canyon, and permitted to look around briefly. Then you are whisked off (I guess each participant would be in a Hummer limo with the windows tinted black) to the airport to leave for the next stop. Certainly, it would be fun for those few minutes, and you might even come back with some vivid memories of a few spots, but on the whole it's a waste of time and jet fuel.

EXACTLY! This event is to wine appreciation what a 200 meter dash through a wing at the Louvre is to art appreciation. And I completely agree that most people at the dinner would be unbearable for a minimum of six months.

[KatieLoeb]

Let's forget friends and acts of kindness.  Let's be self-reliant!  How's this for a pact.  We locate and share the bottle on a date that falls right in between both our birthdays.  Or do something with slightly Pagan overtones and share it on a solstice or equinox or something equally universally significant.  Nothing less would be worthy of either us or the wine!

I knew there was a reason I liked you too.

It just so happens that I have one mag of 61 Margaux left. If you and Brad planned a proper Pagan ritual maybe we could attract some other eGer's and indulge ourselves.

Are you my new Best Friend?

Ooooh Ooooh - I used to TEACH Paganism! If I plan the ceremony and bring along a d'Yquem, can I come along?????

There's got to be a way to make this happen.

March 4, 2011 is the big 5-0 for me. Shall we plan for the vernal equinox on March 20, 2011 at 6:21 PM EST? Or shall we wait for the summer solstice on June 21, 2001 at 12:16 PM?

I will write this in my calendar in indelible ink if we're really going to pull this off. I have a bottle of 1997 Cepparello which ought to be just lovely by then that I could contribute to the cause.

[winemike]

most people at the dinner would be unbearable for a minimum of six months.

Why for a minimum of 6 months ?

I think they *already are* unbearable...

These are the guys contributing to the STUPID cost of Romanee-Conti, for instance.

[Brad Ballinger]

March 4, 2011 is the big 5-0 for me. Shall we plan for the vernal equinox on March 20, 2011 at 6:21 PM EST? Or shall we wait for the summer solstice on June 21, 2001 at 12:16 PM?

I will write this in my calendar in indelible ink if we're really going to pull this off. I have a bottle of 1997 Cepparello which ought to be just lovely by then that I could contribute to the cause.

August 2 for me, so I opt for the soltice. It will bring back memories of a day in graduate school where, in true pagan fashion, a whole mess of us celebrated the summer soltice by tapping the first keg at sunrise.

I'll bring a 88 Climens, unless it will still be too young.

[Mark Sommelier]

On another discussion board, this topic came up. There were people actually talking about SPLITTING one seat at this event.

[GordonCooks]

On another discussion board, this topic came up. There were people actually talking about SPLITTING one seat at this event.

I think an acceptable atlternative would be a 3-way split. Seeing as how the wines have been designated for the first and second dinner. They'll just have to fight over the third.

[hathor]

Does anyone remember the story about Craig Claiborne and Jacques Lepin (I think)...and an obscenely priced meal that they had? It started some sort of uproar about how could they possibly justify spending that much on a meal.

[LindaJ]

There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that if I attended some event like this, there would be a bunch of boring people all dressed up. I am not sure that a fine wine can be appreciated while wearing high heels because you're concentrating on how much your feet hurt.

My birthday is in 1962 but I'm more than willing to drink good wine a year early while wearing a druid robe. WAY more fun and much less stuffy.