I’d love to say we went for the birds, but we truthfully went for the wine.
My husband and I headed off to the Grange Audubon Center for the fabulously named Warblers and Wine event, the second annual event of its kind, featuring small plate food and Chardonnay, along with bird walks and silent auction bidding.
Attending an event like this is one of the most entertaining ways to be a philanthropist. You get to hang out with like-minded, sometimes significant people–we had a drink with radio personality Ann Fisher!–and enjoy gourmet food and a lot of fine wines.
But it can also be intimidating in a lot of ways.
How exactly do you ask for a taste of wine? How much food is it OK to take? Do you have to bid on the silent auction and how much do you spend? And most importantly, how do you hold the food and the wine at the same time, and mingle with these important people?
I admit it’s not easy, but it’s certainly doable, and enjoyable.
The first rule is: Don’t be shy! You have paid for the privilege to be part of this event, and they are so glad you are there. Your support is the event’s sole reason for being. Those wineries are there to pour for you in the hopes you might like their wine and eventually buy some on your own.
The pours at these events often small, because they want you to a) try several and b) not get drunk. So treat this event in part like it is just another wine tasting. Smell the wine, swirl the wine, sip the wine.
And after you have finished that one, seek out another varietal so you can get a feel for all that is being offered.
Because these events include food, it’s a fun time to try food and wine pairing. At Warblers, we had these delicious turkey burgers with a Middle Eastern flare from Two Caterers of Schock Hill Court. I’m thinking light red–pinot noir maybe. But we actually got the most flavor from Reds, a delicious Zinfandel, carignane and petite Sarah blend from Tierra Divina Vineyards of Santa Rosa, Calif.
Although the event was over the dinner hour, and the sandwiches were complimented by Roquefort cheese balls (with a grape inside!), cheese and fruit, focaccia, meatballs and cute little cups of mousse in chocolate, lemon, vanilla, remember that this is not dinner.
The quickest way to show yourself a novice is to load your plate up with food, and if you try to then hold a wine glass at the same time, you will soon be picking your food from the floor.
Think of it as a snack, a way to keep yourself from getting too tipsy, and then grab a full dinner later.
In truth, it’s never easy holding a wine glass and plate with any amount of food, but Wine and Warblers made it as easy as possible with stylish black plates with built-in cup rests and even little rubber wine bracelets that let us keep track of our glass if we erroneously set it down.
There are few things better than drinking top wines and high-quality food if a beautiful setting, and the Wine and Warblers made the most of the Audubon Center and its worthwhile cause.
So the next time you see a cause that fits your interests or ethics, especially if it conjoins your cause with fabulous food and wine, take the plunge. There is nothing to fear!
