Waterford Yacht Club held their annual New Member Wine & Cheese on Saturday, February 5^th at the home of Janis Sampson, WYC Social Director.  Due to cold weather, over 50 members & guests enjoyed the warmth of the chiminea and the hospitality & ambience of the evening. 
    The day was perfect for beckoning all boaters outdoors with temperatures in the 60’s, but sunset brought about windy and cold conditions. We were thankful to be inside!
 
Once tasting glasses were filled everyone tried to sample as many varieties as they could, which of course, became an impossible task!  Red wine, white wine and sparkling were the three categories that were judged by the happy & light-hearted crowd.  Some attempted to sample each one while others settled on 2-3 favorites for the evening! 

Completing the charming ambience, a delightful array of cheeses, crackers, breads, olives, sausage, grapes, strawberries, cookies & brownies warmed the hearts and palates of us all!  Novices and connoisseurs both enjoyed more than 40+ vintages of both Red Wines & White Wines and a few Sparkling Champagnes. All were sampled and critiqued with the utmost attention to aroma, smoothness, fruitiness, dryness and simply good taste.  Even the most sophisticated palates found a vintage they enjoyed and the event itself embodied the true essence of friendship and sharing good vino. Several new members were in attendance which added to the festivities and new friendships were made.

Crystal bottle stoppers were awarded based on crowd favorites (all available at Specs):
Doug Gillis for his dry red Toscana Majone 2008
Julie Gibb for a white Wilhelm Bergmann Mosel 2009 Piesporter Michelsberg Riesling
Dina Leita for a sparkling & sweeter  Bevlamo (Italy) Moscato D’Asti.

Social Director Janis welcomed the new members and thanked everyone for their attendance and participation.  Some had even joined after attending the “Lunch & Learn” held earlier on Saturday, hosted by Rear Commodore Scott Stillman at Sundance Grille. 

It was a great evening and we thank Janis for sharing her lovely home with us! If you didn’t make it, plan to do so next year……. You missed a wonderful event!