What do you call ...
If it's a "pack" of wolves and a "flock" of lambs, a "pride" of lions and a "gaggle" of geese and even a "parliament" of owls, what should we name a gathering of wine geeks? If you've got a great idea for an appropriate collective term for wine lovers assembled in groups, I hope you'll share your inspiration on this topic.
One certain contender, though, goes back nearly two decades in wine-enthusiast tradition: "Cool." This concept emerged in the early 1990s when a group of Internet-connected wine geeks in the Detroit and Ann Arbor area decided to get together for a late-summer picnic and community wine tasting. They dubbed the event "MoCool" - "Motor City Cooperative OffLine" - and soon saw the small event grow into an annual tradition that lured hundreds of enthusiasts from around the U.S. and beyond to Ann Arbor every August.
<table border="0" align="center" width="350"><tr><td><img src="http://www.wineloverspage.com/graphics1/semicool.jpg" border="1" align="right"></td></tr><tr><td>
SemiCool revelers gathered in a comfortable hotel conference room.</td></tr></table>
The concept spawned respectful imitators, including "NiagaraCool" in Buffalo and Niagara Falls, N.Y., an early summer event that's building its own tradition.
In the summer of 2007, though, MoCool's string came dangerously close to snapping. An irreconcilable schedule conflict ruled out the usual lakeside picnic in the countryside near Ann Arbor, and no immediate alternatives were available. Left without a place for a party, the local organizing committee regretfully announced that there'd be no MoCool this year.
But as participants had always predicted, even if they called off MoCool, there would still be a MoCool. And sure enough, a band of stalwarts in our WineLovers Discussion Group soon hatched a plan. Picnic or no, they'd gather in Ann Arbor on the usual weekend, bring wine, meet friends, go out to dinner and find a place to spend a happy Saturday socializing, sharing wine and good things to eat.
With many thanks to a cast of organizers too numerous to mention, but certainly including OW, BobH, the Noland Brothers and JuliaB, if there was no MoCool, there was still SemiCool. Wine lovers gathered from all over, just as always, and the usual MoCool spirit filled a happy weekend that included a fine dinner at The Earle in Ann Arbor, a sociable indoor "picnic" at the city's Hawthorn Suites hotel, a "horizontal" tasting of 1998 Chateauneuf-du-Pape and the usual impromptu in-room tastings.
The lesson of this sermon is simple: Wine appreciation is not a solitary pursuit, it's a social hobby. Get a group of wine friends together to share fun, food and fine wine, and it's awfully hard to make them stop; and that's a good thing.
I've put my SemiCool report on our MoCool Home Page. You're welcome to click and read the details, including tasting reports on more than 60 wines, at
<b>SemiCool 2007</b>, the year that MoCool <i>almost</i> didn't happen.
To whet your appetite, here are my notes just a few of the wines tasted, offering a bare hint at the depth and breadth of the splendid bottles that SemiCool wine lovers shared:
<b>Vincent Girardin 2000 Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot 1er Cru</b> - From the wine list at The Earle, outstanding white Burgundy. Golden, rich, lots of fruit remaining, some tropical fruit, with gentle, appropriate hazelnut notes showing its maturity.
<b>Chateau Grand Traverse 2005 Old Mission Peninsula Michigan Edelzwicker</b> - Pale gold. Lovely, subtle floral notes. Crisp and fresh, just off-dry.
<b>Chateau de la Gardine 1998 Chateauneuf du Pape</b> - Translucent purple, brick edge. Black fruit and smoked meat, most well-preserved yet. Deep fruit and fragrant pepper, fine structure and balance.
<b>Longview 2005 Leelanau Peninsula Cabernet Franc</b> - Another surprising wine from Michigan. Deep purple. Ripe, grapey, extracted, balanced, showing amazing depth for a Michigan red. (Longview Winery is currently featured on the front page of
<b>Michwine</b>, MoCool organizer Joel Goldberg's excellent Michigan wine Website.)
<b>Mitchelton 2000 Airstrip Marsanne</b> - A truly offbeat Australian wine, made from late-harvested Marsanne grapes air-dried in the style of an Italian <i>passito</i> but not sweet. Pale gold. Bold apricot and peach aromas. Full and rich, seems sweet at first but finishes just off-dry.
<B>Stag's Leap Vineyard 1994 Napa Valley Fay Cabernet Sauvignon</b> - Beautiful garnet. Subtle cassis, black fruit, great structure and length. At peak, a vivid demonstration of the benefits of cellaring ageworthy wines.
<b>The Four Graces 2003 Willamette Valley Pinot Noir</b> - Ruby. Subtle cherries, elegant and appealing. More forward on the palate than the nose, intense but balanced. Truly "Burgundian," a great Oregon Pinot.
<b>Germain Saincrit 1997 Chateau de Fesles Bonnezeaux</b> - A rare but truly memorable Chenin Blanc dessert wine from the Loire Valley. Bright gold. Amazing aromas jump from the glass, pineapple creme brulee. Unctuous, creamy, intense sweetness shaped by firm acidity.
For many more tasting notes from SemiCool 2007, visit the MoCool Home Page,
http://www.wineloverspage.com/mocool/
where you'll also find a signup form for next year's MoCool E-mail list.
<B>FIND WINES ONLINE:</B>
To look up vendors and compare prices for these or any other wines, we recommend the database at Wine-Searcher.com:
http://www.wine-searcher.com/?referring_site=WLP
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