The Omaha
FEBRUARY 2024
Event Report: IWFS Holiday Party- A Traditional Country Club Celebration Upcoming Events.
What’s New
The Omaha Metro Branch combined forces with the Omaha Branch for our Holiday Party at Happy Hollow Club. 94 members and guests attended, a great turnout. John Fascianella (son of Leo) provided entertainment by singing a wide range of songs, solo, ending up with Frank Sinatra. Attendees decided on what Holiday Attire meant, so there was a range attire from tuxes down to shirt sleeve only for the guys. Which is to say, a very relaxed atmosphere. We returned to the basics with the cuisine, plating traditional country club fare. After a 45 minute quaffing session with wines from both Branches, and Smoked Salmon Cones, St. Andre Apricot Tarts, and Crispy Braided Short Rib Croquet, we sat down to our assigned tables. Patti Hipple was awarded the André Simon Bronze medal after years of work for the Council Bluffs, now called the Omaha Metro branch.
Dinner started with a Classic Thunderbird Salad with its famous dressing, with two wines to compare: an Astrolabe Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough 2022 and a Dog Point Vineyard Chardonnay Marlborough 2020. The salad was a bit soggy but tasty, the Sauvignon Blanc grassy, and the Chardonnay a bit wimpy for the salad. The Astrolabe was the best pairing. Lobster Bisque was next: warm, rich, slightly sweet with the cream base. In an unusual move, two Pinot Noirs were served. Unfortunately, I felt that this was not a match made in heaven as the reds were dry and earthy, while the soup was sweet and of the sea. They did not quite mesh, although on their own, everything tasted great. Our entrée was Koji Rubbed Filet of Beef, Cast Iron Roasted Creamer Potatoes, Spice Glazed Carrots, Golden Beets & Asparagus with Chestnut Mushroom Sauce. This was delicious. Both the Inglenook Rubicon Cabernet Sauvignon Napa 2012 and the Château Sansonnet Grand Cru Classé Saint Emilion Bordeaux were stellar. Sansonnet went through a steep decline in the 1960’s and lost its Grand Cru Classé status. But in 2009, new owners took over and restored the vineyard and rebuilt the demolished château back to its Grand Cru Classé status in three years! It is a bargain still because of its past travails, plus the word of its great quality hasn’t gotten out much. Dessert, a Caramelia Mousse Bomb, Strawberry Compote on a Sponge Cake, was much sweeter than the accompanying Guiraud Sauternes 2009, breaking the usual prohibition that the wine should be sweeter than the dessert. It was extremely rich. Thanks to organizers Rhonda & Mike Wilke, and Hill & Joe Goldstein for a very nice event. Cheers! Tom Murnan
very great achievement was once impossible. E Best of the Cockle Bur compiled & edited by Harry B. Otis, 3rd President 1973-1974
IWFS Chicago Festival A French Wine Experience September 6-9, 2023 Part 4 of 5 Old Spirits Written by Tom Murnan, Photos by Tom Murnan & Ron Policky
Last month we explored some of Stuart Leaf’s comments about aged Fortified wines. Not emphasized much during our tutorial was tasting old spirits. Spirits go in and out of fashion quickly, Leaf told us. A flavored vodka may hold sway for a few years but then demand fades. The good news is that they keep indefinitely. Historically, collectable old spirits were of interest to few collectors. But no longer. There used to be “lakes” of old single malt Scotches, that had to be dumped into blends like Johnny Walker Black for lack of sales. But now demand has skyrocketed. A single bottle of Macallan 1926 sold for $1.9 million. 25year Old Rip Van Winkle bourbon current retail is $60,000. Besides bourbon and whisky, Cognac, Armagnac and Calvados, and many more old spirits, have seen dramatic price increases, but not so much that you need to take out a second mortgage to purchase some. After the lecture, we were able to sample some unique examples. They included Blairmhor 17-year old Blended Scotch Whisky (bottled in 1935); Hervé Bétuing Très Vieil Réserve Unique Armagnac 1935; Bhakta 50-year old Armagnac (a blend of 8 vintages 50-152 years old); Delamain 1922 Vintage Grande Champagne Cognac; Luigi Calissano Grappa di Barolo (probably bottled in the 1950’s); and Gonzalez Byass Lepanto Brandy. We also had a mystery old herbal concoction, probably from Northern Italy, used as a digestif after a large meal (the tall yellow bottle). I am going to expand this series from 4 to 5 chapters for the March Gazette. This will be the summary of what Leaf had to tell us about collecting and tasting old wines.
2024 UPCOMING OMAHA BRANCH EVENTS
FEB
25 09 19 MAR
APR
MARDI GRAS THEME
Joint event with the Omaha & Omaha Metro Branches Block 16 Event Producers: Hyders and Wilkes
MARCH MADNESS STAG
Happy Hollow Club Producer: Joe Goldstein
THEME: TBD
The new Mahogany Producer: Mark Stokes
Use that link below to view the photos of the Holiday Event at Happy Hollow Club on December 10, 2023. Maybe you will find a great photo you can use elsewhere, or for the 2024 Holiday season. Scroll to the bottom to 2023-12 photos.
https://www.iwfs.org/americas/omaha/photograph-gallery