Leo's Blind Tasting Club - Summary Schedule

[Robert_Dentice]

@Gil Bauer

@Robert Dentice

If you are keeping a wait list can I please have my name added. Thank you.

Robert - are you asking about a waiting list to host or attend?

If attend, then that is handled separately by each host for each event (see Suzanne’s September thread).

If host, then you can pick a month marked “open” in the first post of this thread (which I have been updating). Have you attended any of these? (and thus owe/want to host) I have been to about half of them and don’t remember seeing you, but maybe you went to the ones I missed?

Gil - I have not attended one. I would be happy to host.

[salilb]

@L e o F r o k i c

Salil sent me an email asking me for a slot and I told him december was free. Considering december is hard to get reservation maybe we can do his hosting at my place and me and Salil do the cooking.

I’m game for December (and if this is a possibility, would be more than happy to cook several courses to go with my wines).

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

Rebecca and I will take March 2011. Perfect weather for my kind of wine - big bold stuff with real flavor on a cold day.

[Gil_Bauer]

@J a y H a c k

Rebecca and I will take Match 2011. Perfect weather for my kind of wine - big bold stuff with real flavor on a cold day.

I assume you mean “March.”

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

@Gil Bauer

@J a y H a c k

Rebecca and I will take Match 2011. Perfect weather for my kind of wine - big bold stuff with real flavor on a cold day.

I assume you mean “March.”

fixed

[Jay_Miller]

So, does the fact that April and May 2011 have stayed open for over a month mean that we can start recycling the people who have already hosted one? Though I see Robert has expressed interest but not yet claimed a month.

[Peter_Kleban]

Question for Leo, or anybody else who wants to chime in:

I had great fun at the June tasting (hosted by Jay H), and would like to come to more. However I have basically ZERO in my cellar – I’ve only started getting “serious” about wine very recently. If I just keep coming and never host, I’ll feel like a moocher (and be one too, I guess!). To host a tasting I’d have to source the wine, which would get kind of expensive. Maybe a friend would help out, but I don’t think it would be possible to match the wines that Jay brought in June, for ex. (a fair amount of old Bdx).

Any ideas?

On the other hand if you need somebody at the last minute, I’m very likely available !

[Gil_Bauer]

Some thoughts on questions and comments upthread:

• I volunteered to “administer” the summary schedule, not to “run” anything, so my comments are merely my point of view awaiting consensus or debate from the group.

• re Jay Miller’s questions of “round two” – I think that, technically, Caroline and David Lazer “owe” a second tasting due to their “double” attendance (as Jay H. has signed up for March for his “double” attendance with Rebecca). That being said, I think the reason this whole thing has worked so far, is that we have not counted every nickel and dime or required things to be equal. You attend some, you miss some. You host with the wines that make sense for you. So, I have no real issue either way on this. Ben Aneff has also not hosted, but I don’t know how many he attended or whether he will be attending in the future. Anyone else “missing”? Other thoughts on this?

• re Robert D’s request to host. I have no problem with Robert picking a month and hosting. Should we try to have him attend first? How big should the group be? If Jay M. and I had been available for the September dinner, we would have been oversubscribed. That being said, we may still have cancellations and need “wait list” attendees after all. Not really sure how to manage this. Should people attend at least once before hosting? Is there an optimal size for the group? I don’t think bigger is consistently better for this.

• any thoughts on Peter K’s question? I think in order to host you need to put forth any interesting and quality lineup. Many hosts, even with decent cellars, have sourced at least a couple of key bottles for their tastings. I don’t see how it would be inexpensive for anyone to host. After all, we have each benefited as the guest of several other hosts. But I don’t think we will have first growth Bordeaux or “high profile” wines at every tasting.

Again, I am not trying to make any decisions here – just stimulate the group discussion and add my point of view where I have one. Other thoughts?

[Jay_Miller]

Just IMO - I think so long as we allow the host to set their preferred maximum number of attendees and have them give preference to people who have hosted before or intend to host (for example I intend to clear the date of my next dinner with Leo before setting it) then if there are open spaces and the host would like to fill them I don’t really care if that spot is filled by someone who hasn’t hosted. The wine would just be going to waste in that event.

However people who have hosted (and to only a slightly lesser extent have the intention to host) should, as a general rule, have precedence.

And Peter - there is no obligation for a host’s wines to be expensive. One of the things I like about this format is that it allows people to open whatever they feel comfortable with (with the assumption that they will try to make it interesting). I’ve enjoyed every dinner I’ve attended even when I wasn’t enjoying a particular wine. Of course I wish people wouldn’t keep scheduling these dinners for when I’m either away on vacation or on-call but even that gives me the pleasure of tweaking them about it .

[scamhi]

Ben Aneff hasn’t responded to multiple emails regarding the September dinner…yet.
Reminder, Tuesday, September 28th is coming soon

[J_a_y_H_a_c_k]

@scamhi

what about Rebecca and Caroline?
They have been coming to dinners (other than their spouse’s) are they going to host as well?

My original thought was that Rebecca and I combined would host twice for every ten times that we attend in the aggregate, either individually or jointly. Since there is a lot of flux in group membership, I do not know whether 10 is the right number, perhaps it should be closer to 14. The only reason I selected March as the next time we would do it was because it was the first month I could grab. I really should have been January or February, but you guys stole all the good winter months.

[L_e_o_F_r_o_k_i_c]

I agree with what Jay and Gil had to say. I will take April 2011.

[Jay_Miller]

Then I’ll take May 2011. Only … 8 months to go. Why don’t we have a weepy smiley?

[Gil_Bauer]

I updated the first post to reflect the beginning of “round 2.” There has been no traffic on the counterpart to this thread in “the other place.” I am assuming nobody has a problem if I update it only here, moving forward?

[david_lazer]

No problem eliminating the other board. “Traffic” there is virtually non-existent.

I think Jay H’s analysis for the couples makes sense; host twice for every 10 dinners attended. So far we’ve hosted one, and counting Suzanne’s upcoming event I’ve attended 5 others and Caroline 3 others. We will take June 2011, but will consider swapping to July.

[Jay_Miller]

@Gil Bauer

I updated the first post to reflect the beginning of “round 2.” There has been no traffic on the counterpart to this thread in “the other place.” I am assuming nobody has a problem if I update it only here, moving forward?

There’s a thread about this on wldg? I hadn’t noticed.

[L_e_o_F_r_o_k_i_c]

Gil,

did we set the date for October?

[scamhi]

Leo,
October’s date is next Monday 10/18 at Tribeca Grill.

[L_e_o_F_r_o_k_i_c]

Cool, I kept going thru my emails but could not find it.

[Jay_Miller]

@L e o F r o k i c

Cool, I kept going thru my emails but could not find it.

Leo - try this:
Leo's Blind Tasting Club - October 18th - Event Planner - Online or Offline - WineBerserkers" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;