A Silver Lining

Not that I'm a huge poster to begin with, but I've been posting much less recently. As some of you know, I live and work in center city Philadelphia. A few weeks ago, I volunteered to do some work with my law firm's Princeton, NJ office. Well, one or two days in Princeton quickly turned into 2-4 days per week in Princeton, i.e. I'm commuting at least 1.5 hours each day. That has really cut into my lurking/posting time! I love what I'm doing here (health care litigation...taking on the federal government to get hospitals reimbursed for care given to elderly/poor people) and I've found a silver lining in regards to my wine purchasing. All the other PA residents working here have all their wine shipped to the office! Now I can finally try some wines other than those in PA and West NJ. And just in time for the birth of my only sibling's first child! I'm definitely going to have to order something good to celebrate becoming an aunt, and of course, something to save for 21 years to drink with my niece on her birthday. I'm taking any and all suggestions on wines to buy!

If they declare a vintage Port, that might be good in 21 years. It's risky cellaring most wines for that long. Congratulations on the upcoming niece or nephew.

I got stuck in Philly overnight coming back from my uncle's funeral in Connecticut. The flight was overbooked by ONE PERSON and I was the one bumped! They wouldn't ask for a volunteer to give up their seat until the plane had already boarded! So my suitcase went to Raleigh while I remained in Philadelphia. The silver lining in my case was that the airline put me up at a hotel with shuttle from the airport, booked me at a reasonable hour the next day, and gave me a voucher for a free flight anywhere in the USA that they fly. I may use it to fly into Burbank, CA and visit the Santa Barbara area wineries or to fly into San Francisco area and revisit Sonoma. Also, when I did arrive at Raleigh-Durham Airport, my suitcase was in the baggage claim area and I didn't have to wait for them to unload the luggage. (I did have to wear the same clothes for two days and my hair looked bedraggled because my curling iron was in the suitcase.) The security guard at the airport as I was leaving Connecticut was a reservist who just completed training at Fort Bragg where I work and who had seen me at my place of work. Small world.

P.S. The funeral was for an uncle who was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford, an Army Air Force officer in a bomb squadron in World War II, a securities lawyer on Wall Street, an avid rose grower, sailor, member of a steel drum band made up of professionals, and a supporter of music and art in his neck of Connecticut. It was a chance to honor his memory and to reconnect with cousins I had not seen for years. Too bad it takes a memorial service to bring us together.

Congratulations, Lizbeth! Not only on becoming an aunt, but on having a way to increase the range of wines you can try!

You can never go wrong with a good Champagne for the initial celebration. As for something to drink 21 years from now, I'd wait until the 2008 vintage is available and pick up something exquisite then.

Congratulations Lizbeth!

Great idea regarding the wine. It reminds me of the tradition from at least one wine making city in Piedmont in Italy - Gattinara - where the parents at birth of a child bottle enough bottles to be able to serve that wine at the child's later wedding. The red wines based on the Nebbiolo grape (which Gattinara, and the more wellknown rival Barolo too, are a couple of examples) will mature nicely and should be quite a treat also at around 20-25 years of age. I've found Travaglini's Gattinara wine (which also come in a fairly unusual bottle) at stores on Manhattan, so I know it's available in the States. Barolo you'd be able to find anywhere, of course.

Good luck!

You might check out the Princeton Corkscrew -- it has been more than a few years since I've been there, but unless things have changed, they should have an off-the-beaten track, eclectic selection of wines, with a lot of French imports, and, if I recall correctly, helpful, knowledgeable staff. It's right in the center of town. Way superior to anything you could find in Penna.

Thank you, Bruce! I just looked it up and the shop is only 4 miles from my office. I'm going to stop by after work tonight!