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WTN: Tarts and Vickers

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Jenise

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WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by Jenise » Sun Nov 05, 2006 3:04 pm

We went to a post-Halloween Tarts & Vickers party at a friend's house last night. Our friends are wine drinkers but they and almost everyone else they know are in the 95% of people who drink the wine they buy within 48 hours of purchase. As the theme would indicate, they're only serious about having fun.

These gatherings always pull me back into that other reality that is not my cellar. In their world, all wines are drinkable ("eh") and some are "good". Among the good wines, extra points are given to wines mutually agreed to be "smooth". I was once like them and I wouldn't go back, but I can admit to feeling a pang of wistful envy over being so easily pleased, and for the course of an evening I tried to borrow their ease to put with my costume and quit being so damned analytical and unfun.

So, in the vernacular of the night:

2004 Beringer Central Coast Cabernet Sauvignon: big berries, juicy-young, smooth.

2003 Clos du Bois Cabernet: lots of oak, the crowd seemed to think it good.

2002 Ravenswood Gregory Vineyard Cab-Mer blend: complex and tannic. I brought this one. Someday it will be smooth but it isn't now. But do I like smooth wine? No! I break character briefly to piggishly refill my pewter Holy Water mug with the last pour.

2003 Blackstone Syrah: A little grapey, some oak, very smooth. I'm not loving it.

2004 Pepperwood Syrah: Not grapey. Smoother. I like it better than the Blackstone.

--?-- Smoking Loon Syrah, or did it say Shiraz? Tastes Australian. Jammy and hot--oops, getting to analytical. Not smooth.

Somebody's home-made Madeline Angevine: eh.

2003 Hogue Genesis Sangiovese: tastes like candy. The vickers uniformly think this a bad idea, but the tarts uniformly like it. I'm a vicker, so I side with the guys. Eh.

2004 Beringer Founders Reserve Merlot: Definitely not smooth, another eh.
Last edited by Jenise on Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:37 am, edited 1 time in total.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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James Dietz

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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by James Dietz » Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:10 pm

eh

good

great descriptors.
Cheers, Jim
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David M. Bueker

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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by David M. Bueker » Sun Nov 05, 2006 10:18 pm

Nice to hear about the Ravenswood. I have always enjoyed the Gregory vineyard products.
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AlexR

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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by AlexR » Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:06 am

Vickers make machine guns.

But tarts and vicars parties are quite fun, I agree!

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Alex R.
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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by David M. Bueker » Mon Nov 06, 2006 8:47 am

Ok pardon mu ignorance...tarts and vickers???
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Peter May

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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by Peter May » Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:02 am

David M. Bueker wrote:Ok pardon mu ignorance...tarts and vickers???


Popular party theme in Britain.

Tart == Working girl
Vicar == Clergyman

Dress up as either, think black stockings, suspenders, short skirts, etc for those dressed at tarts, clerical garb for those as vicars. Add drink and mix well. gnarf ganrf!

see http://www.partyconnection.co.uk/acatal ... Tarts.html
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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by AlexR » Mon Nov 06, 2006 9:06 am

English.

The guys get dressed up as vicars (Anglican ministers) and the women get dressed up as tarts (prostitutes or cheap hussies) or nuns.

http://www.partyconnection.co.uk/acatal ... Tarts.html

You get smashed and ridiculous.

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David M. Bueker

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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by David M. Bueker » Mon Nov 06, 2006 10:03 am

Ah...so it's that obvious...didn't think it would be
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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by Jenise » Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:06 pm

The roots of the custom, from something we found on the internt, was that it was devised as a way of having fun at Halloween without engaging in anything overtly pagan or occult.

I had a corkscrew on a chain around my neck by way of a cross, and carried a copy of Karen Macneil's The Wine Bible for "the good book". My collar was the elastic band cut off a pair of industrial HANES mens tighty-whities.

Btw, Peter's right about the correct spelling being 'vicars'. Our hosts used the other, apparently, because they were worried about offending one of the invitees.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by Peter May » Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:34 pm

Jenise wrote:The roots of the custom, from something we found on the internt, was that it was devised as a way of having fun at Halloween without engaging in anything overtly pagan or occult.


Maybe in the USA, but not in the UK.

Events at halloween here were very low key, almost non-existent until the recent adoption of US style halloween, the major celebration time was (and is) a week later on Guy Fawkes day.

Vicar & Tart parties happen any time and its common for chaps to put on the stockings and falsies and go as tarts and women to put on a false moustache and go as a vicar :)
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Re: WTN: Tarts and Vickers

by Jenise » Mon Nov 06, 2006 2:57 pm

Maybe in the USA, but not in the UK.


What we read was attributed to the UK. But perhaps they were just drawing the wrong conclusion.

its common for chaps to put on the stockings and falsies and go as tarts and women to put on a false moustache and go as a vicar


Our source said this as well. I was quite surprised then that Bob and I were the only cross-dressers.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

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