MoCool themes ... the roster since 1995

[Robin Garr]

For years, when I update the MoCool Home Page every year at the conclusion of the annual event, I've added a link to each of the previous years' reports since I started recording them in 1995. This year it finally occurred to my little pea brain that it would be nice to include the theme of each past year's gathering on a simple linked list so people can quickly identify what happened when. So, a dozen years later, here's a handy list of MoCool themes. Any old-timers around who can recall the Prodigy-era themes in the four sessions before I started showing up?

MoCool '95, Que Syrah, Shiraz
MoCool '96, MO'LYMPICS
MoCool '97, Mediterranean Madness
MoCool '98, Anything but California
MoCool '99, Hail that Cab!
MoCool 2000, Below the Belt
MoCool 2001, Tour de France
MoCool 2002, Pinot Envy
MoCool 2003, California Dreamin'
MoCool 2004, PIGS will fly!
MoCool 2005, The Hunt for Rhone Rangers!
MoCool 2006, Sweet, Sixteen and Bubbly

A slight correction Robin, but I believe that 2004 was "When PIGS Fly"

[Robin Garr]

A slight correction Robin, but I believe that 2004 was "When PIGS Fly"

It may have changed during the planning process, Bob, but that's taken directly from the headline that's been on the MoCool page since 2004. In a few cases, there were variations on the theme between the original planning, the publicity and the T-shirts.

Silly question I guess.
What IS MoCool?

I've observed the build up and the notes and gathered it's an annual mega-offline. Apart from that I've no idea of what the name is about or if I'm missing some interesting (or otherwise) history.

regards

Ian

Silly question I guess.
What IS MoCool?

I've observed the build up and the notes and gathered it's an annual mega-offline. Apart from that I've no idea of what the name is about or if I'm missing some interesting (or otherwise) history.

regards

Ian

MOCOOL is an acronym for Motor City (Detroit Area) Co-Operative Off-Line). The title indicates a theme. I've been to two "When PIGS Fly" is another acronym for anything from Europe except France (Portugal, Italy, Germany, Spain). This was the 16th MOCOOL, so 16 year old wines, sweet wines and bubblies.

1994 "Zinful Weekend" --

MO'COOL is non-profit and non-commercial. Costs are shared among all who attend. It all began in 1992, when a group of Michigan and Ohio folks on the Prodigy wine board got together to meet face-to-face and taste wine. By 1994's "Zinful Weekend" and last year's "Que Syrah, Syrah," MO'COOL grew to three days long and added CompuServe Wine Forum participants, with cyberwine fans attending from as far afield as California, New Jersey, Kentucky, South Dakota and Texas. http://www.wineloverspage.com/mocool/mocool96.htm

[Robin Garr]

Silly question I guess.
What IS MoCool?

I've observed the build up and the notes and gathered it's an annual mega-offline. Apart from that I've no idea of what the name is about or if I'm missing some interesting (or otherwise) history.

No such thing as a silly question, Ian. In addition to Howie's good reply, here's a bit of boilerplate from a recent <i>Wine Advisor</i> that summed it up: "<i>"MoCool" is short for "MoTown Cooperative Offline," a non-profit, non-commercial gathering of Internet-connected wine lovers that's been going on for 16 years now. Participants converge on the Detroit and Ann Arbor area for a weekend of wine-related events that center on the aforementioned picnic scene, where 100 wine lovers or more bring wines with some connection to the annual theme. The 2006 event was this past weekend, with the theme "Sweet, Sixteen and Bubbly" inviting dessert wines, sparkling wines and, best of all, 16-year-old wines from the vintage of 1990 around the world.</i>"

There's more on the MoCool Home Page, if you'll page down past all my tasting notes (which were also cross-posted to the forum) to the administrative stuff at the bottom.

Thanks all.

[Robin Garr]

It all began in 1992 ...

Hmm ... written in 1996, that's likely to be accurate, but if it is, then the organizers are off a bit with both the belated assumption that (1) this year was No. 16, and (2) it started in 1990. Of course, it's not as if we're dealing with the birth of a religion here. Or wait, maybe we <i>are</i> ...

Interesting, Robin. Do you buy 1994's "Zinful Weekend" ?

In the penultimate paragraph: "MO'COOL 95, the Fourth Annual MOtown COoperative Off-Line tasting, brought together more than 50 'net-wired wine lovers gathered for a weekend of socializing and tasting more than 65 wines from around the world unified by the central theme, "Que Syrah, Shiraz."

If that's right, 1994's Zinful Weekend was the third MOCOOL.

Note that the 1996 MO'LYMPICS is called the fifth MOCOOL several times.

The piece is internally consistent with the 1992 start date.

Fun stuff for a historian -- guess we'll have to go back to the author for further elucidation! :-)

[Robin Garr]

Interesting, Robin. Do you buy 1994's "Zinful Weekend" ?

Beats me, Bob. I wasn't there until 1995.

Where's Lou Kessler when we need him. I think he has been to all but two, though I think one of them was the very first. Calling Lou.... Calling Lou.... or one of the organizers.

[Robin Garr]

Where's Lou Kessler when we need him. I think he has been to all but two, though I think one of them was the very first. Calling Lou.... Calling Lou.... or one of the organizers.

I think you mean Lew Roderick (sp?), O.W. Lou Kessler is a venerable gent, but I don't think he's ever been to MoCool.

Of course, of course. Brain cramp. Sorry Lew.

I didn't get the idea that the sixteen in the theme referred to the 16th year of Mo'Cool. I think it'slike Dave Guimond's song it just fit. Somehow it is fitting as in you're sixteen, you're beautiful, and you're wine. A parody if you will of the song whose lyrics are something like "You're 16, you're beautiful, and you're mine.

[Robin Garr]

I didn't get the idea that the sixteen in the theme referred to the 16th year of Mo'Cool.

Seems like you might have been speed-reading when the invitation came, Bob. Here's what it said:

<I>Then somebody had the great idea that this was the sixteenth MoCool, and that it was about time to go through an anthology of sixteen-year-old-wines. The 1990's! From there we moved off on themes like "Sweet sixteen and never been kissed", etc. </i>

Chances are that's why it was called "MoCool XVI," too ...

pulling the email out of my dump bucket, I do see that it says Mo'Cool XVI just as you state. I guess that since Mo'Cool started AFAIK in 1992, I paid no attention to that in the invite. Something else is that I am always relieved to have official word that Mo'Cool is going to happen that I don't read the invite as well as I should. Maybe Jay or Joel will chime in and explain the mystery.

[Robin Garr]

pulling the email out of my dump bucket, I do see that it says Mo'Cool XVI just as you state. I guess that since Mo'Cool started AFAIK in 1992, I paid no attention to that in the invite. Something else is that I am always relieved to have official word that Mo'Cool is going to happen that I don't read the invite as well as I should. Maybe Jay or Joel will chime in and explain the mystery.

Bob, I'm guessing that they likely had one or two mostly local gatherings before the first "organized" MoCool and are now counting them in, but what do I know? Of course it's all in fun and doesn't really matter.