Winos of the Bus!

This past Saturday we had the pleasure of hosting a wine tasting for a group of Rotarian spouses attending a conference at Four Points Sheraton in Fairview Heights, IL. Sounds like a fun way to spend a beautiful, sunny fall afternoon, right? The twist! It was on a big, yellow school bus! No we weren’t off to tour wineries-we were off to visit two wonderful venues that the Rotary has helped make a reality!


We began the first tasting in the parking lot of the Four Points thinking it would be wise to pour the wine before the bus began moving. Our first wine was Joel Gott 2011 Unoaked Chardonnay, a favorite wine of the Stay at Home Winos. We paired it with Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar, graciously donated to the Rotary for this event. This wine was a surprise to some who have only experienced the oaky version of this varietal. Once everyone was served the bus took off to our first stop, the future home of Miracle League Field of Fairview Heights. As much as everyone was enjoying this lovely, fresh wine with aromas of apple and melon, the real star of the show was the field being built and the woman who has helped make it a reality, Rotarian Brenda Wagner. This field was built so that children and adults with special needs have a place that is safe for them to play baseball and kickball. There will be no need to worry about a walker or wheelchair getting stuck in the mud or a baseball base at this field. The surface of the field will be completely artificial with specialized coloring in the surface to indicate the bases, infield and outfield. Thanks to private donations including a large donation from Mike Matheny’s Catch 22 Foundation and fundraising, this field will be a reality very soon. To find out more about this field and the organization behind it, please visit their website at www.miracleleagueplaysball.com. As much as everyone enjoyed the wine, we would have to agree the star of this stop was the Miracle Field!


Next we were off to Rock Springs Park in O’Fallon, IL, but before we began that journey we poured the second wine of the day, Columbia Crest H3 2011 Cabernet. This medium bodied red wine has soft tannins with dark berry fruit and a hint of spiciness. This lovely red wine was paired with Cabot’s Seriously-Sharp Cheddar. A short drive to the park gave everyone a chance to enjoy their wine and cheese before a walking tour of what the park has to offer. With the trees just beginning to turn color it was a lovely day to visit the Dog Park and see the log cabin that have benefitted form the work of the Rotary. When our little group arrived back from the their jaunt in the park, we had the next pairing ready! This was a bit of an unusual pairing, the last cheese donated by Cabot was their Horseradish Cheddar. Our first thought was this would be great with a nice cold beer, but this was a wine tasting! We quickly decided the best wine to pair with this spicy cheese would be Chateau Ste. Michelle 2011 Gewürztraminer. Fruit and clove pop out of this wine, but it is still has a lovely crispness that was quite refreshing on this fall day, and it definitely stood up to this cheese with a bite. The wine and cheese were both a hit! Unfortunately all good things must come to an end, so the big yellow bus headed back to the Four Points.
 


A big thank you to Kelly Young from Rotary for inviting us to share our love of wine on this special tour. It is heartening to see the fruits of the labor of this organization. But as we find time and time again, the absolute best part is the wonderfully generous people we continue to meet on our wine journey!

Cheers,
Beth