What It Takes To Be The “Wine Guy”.

Every supper club will benefit from having a “wine guy” or fifteen wine guys. This would be guy that has a great selection of wines in his cellar or aspires to have them. A guy that really knows his wines and what pares with what. And, most importantly a guy that loves to share.

Scott Flora is my all time leading wine guy. He doesn’t work for a wine company he just buys a lot. A classic Scott story involved a kickoff party that we had for my daughter’s wedding. We had 75 people at our house in Westhampton and I had bought a variety of 1.5 liter bottles of wine. Scotty asked if I minded if he brought some wine to the party. I told him he had been bringing wine to my parties for years why change now thinking he would bring a bottle or two. During the party I was pretty busy socializing and cooking. I did notice that Scotts table was popular. The next day I realized I still had cases of wine left. Scott’s cases trumped my cases.

Scott will ask what is for dinner and bring a few bottles that speak to the meal. His education has come a long way from Elgin Illinois. Corporate America has done an excellent job of training Scott and others. Working in the medical industry he has worked with doctors around the world. Through his work and travels he has learned a lot about wine and our supper club has benefited from that education.

We once had a really earthy Gorgonzola. Scott tasted the cheese and darted off to his wine collection. He then pared it with this wine that had an amazing terroir. (Terroir is how a particular region’s climate, soils and aspect (terrain) affect the taste of wine.) The combination of the wine and cheese was amazing.

Speaking of terroir, I used to work in the chocolate business. I was at a trade show and Ben of Ben and Jerry’s stopped by our booth. We asked him if he would be interested in buying our chocolate as an ingredient. He said he wasn’t because he didn’t like the “barnyard note” in our chocolate. Translated, he was telling us it tasted like shit, but it had a great terroir.

In the end, all it really takes to be the “wine Guy” at a supper club is to be the guy that brings the wine.

If you enjoy this blog and similar other stories/supper club lessons subscribe to get future blogs at www.impromptufridaynights.com/blog and be on the look out for my book Impromptu Friday Nights a Guide to Supper Clubs due out from Morgan James Publishing on January 30, 2018.

Why I Don’t Drink Tequila

My roommate from college Ron Iles used to say “I don’t drink tequila because every time I do I wake up …in Mexico”. While I might not be a big fan of Tequila, Mexican inspired dishes are great for supper clubs.

Growing up in New York in the 1960’s, Mexican was not part of our diet. I can remember the first time I went to a Mexican restaurant. My wife Susan took me to Nito’s in Greenwich Village. I loved it and Nito’s was the gold standard we compared every Mexican restaurant we went to for years.

Having traveled to Mexico and having worked with some really good Mexican chefs I now know that the standard fare of rice, refried beans and tacos is just the tip of the culinary iceberg when it comes to Mexican cuisine. The fresh seafood and great sauces of real Mexican food are fantastic. I even have a “Gringo Mexican” recipe in my book.

Check out the recipe for Shrimp and Avocado Quesadilla;

While I am not a huge fan of Tequila, I do love Mexican beer. This brings me back to another great Ron Iles line. After college Ron spent six months living in Mexico. When he got back I asked him how he got by not speaking the language. He said: “it was easy, all you have to know is: Una cerveza por favor. Then after that all you need is: una mas”. ( “One beer please” and “One more”). Mexican beers are great especially with a squeeze of fresh lime.

Fresh fish is central to quite a bit of Mexican cuisine. The best sushi I have ever had was in Cabo. My friends in Japan have treated me to some great raw fish, but the freshness of the fish and delicacy of the sauces we had in Cabo were memorable, that and the sparkle in my grandson’s eyes as he flirted with the waitress.

Make sure you include Mexican cuisine when thinking abut supper club menus.

What Makes A Great Weekend?

How about: Great Supper Club Friends, Great Food, A Great Setting and Great Wine.

There is something special about getting together with old friends. Living the lives of corporate nomads makes it tough. We have a core of friends that lived in Memphis 15 years ago and live around the country today. It is hard to get together, but when we do, boy is it fun.

Five years ago three couples got together at Kathy and Scot’s house in Guilford Connecticut. Susan and I flew in from Memphis. Joe and Amy flew in from all over.

We stopped at Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to pick up provisions for the weekend. There is a bakery there that makes special breads. The crusts on these breads are the best I have had in North America. Cold cuts in New York are an art form. The man cutting our salami and mortadella was 80 years old and layered the thinly cut meats with expertise and panache. The cheeses we bought had a depth of flavor that I haven’t had since. The seafood was as fresh and shiny as you will find on the docks of New Orleans or Montauk.

Fully stocked, we started our drive up to Connecticut. Susan and I did make once quick stop along the way for lunch. We made some quick sandwiches with salami and a sesame bread. The crust was amazingly crisp. That rental car has crumbs in it today five years later as every bite exploded with fresh baked crispiness.

The weekend unfolded with one amazing meal after another and, one amazing bottle of wine after another. It was like the dueling guitars on the Eagles Hotel California record where Joe Walsh and Don Felder get in a contest of “Can you top this”, it just got better and better. My buddy Scott has a great wine collection. When he moved from Memphis the local Germantown Baptist liquor store flew their flag at half-mast in mourning. Having the gathering at his house gave new meaning to the expression; “there is nothing like a good excuse”.

The key to supper clubs is socializing over a meal with friends. There is something about real friends that are special. The message behind this story is that supper club friends an be become lifelong friends and that is really cool.