A toast to friendship

By Pamme Boutselis
NH Mirror Contributor

While many neighborhood women get together regularly, a group of six women from the same street in Litchfield created a monthly club to learn more about wine. For Jill Knight, Laura Therrien, Sandra Maxwell, Kristin Rowlands, Lisa Oberto and Shelly Ladd, the wine night camaraderie has developed into close friendships and helped the women truly develop their wine palate.

(Courtesy Photo) These ladies from Litchfield – from left, Lisa Oberto, Kristin Rowlands, Shelly Ladd, Laura Therrien and Jill Knight – meet every month to try new wines and cuisine. Not shown is Sandra Maxwell.

Since late 2006, the women have taken turns hosting a monthly wine night, which has expanded into a time to not only learn about different vintages, but also the food that best accompanies them. There have been some real surprises and a lot of laughs along the way.

It all began when two of the women, Laura and Kristin, thought it might be fun to organize a “Ladies Night Out” – complete with wine – but stay in the neighborhood at the same time.

“I had done various tastings at vineyards, gone to a couple of Traveling Vineyard home tastings and hosted tastings with my husband for friends, but this has been a great way to get to know neighbors better, try different wines and share great recipes,” Sandra said.

Shelly and Kristin were both novices to the wine tasting scene prior to joining the club.

“We have a whole lot of fun and laughs,” Kristin said. “I like the warm fuzzy feeling from the wine, but really I love the taste.”

Shelly said, “What I like most about the wine and the group is the wonderful feeling of relaxation. It is always a fun, easy evening. What used to be my neighbors are now lifelong girlfriends.”

The group has certainly evolved from their first get-together. Kristin served Sangria and everyone brought along wine to sample; a mix of reds, whites, dry and sweet, according to Jill.

“It was a very ambitious night with, I think, nine bottles of wine,” Laura said. “We all paid dearly for that the next day.”

Whoever hosts the evening now also picks out which type of wine will be served and prepares a main course. The hostess assigns three people to bring wine, one to bring a salad and one to bring dessert.

“I love the whole ceremony of getting out the corkscrew, removing the cork, pouring it into the glasses,” Jill said. “It feels very civilized and makes me want to take a step back, slow down, relax and enjoy.”

Laura has been appointed the group’s secretary and keeps notes on which wines have been served and what the reaction has been, along with the recipes for dishes served that evening. She assembles her notes into newsletters for the women.

The ladies have learned that price is not always an indication of pleasurable drinking, nor is a pretty label.

“Price does not mean the quality and taste of the wine is worthy of the money spent,” Laura said. “It has been great to find wonderful wines at the grocery store for an affordable price.”

Lisa was surprised to learn what a difference complementary food could make. Tasting so many different types of wines from various regions has led to a real appreciation of how much it can add to a meal or an event.

“I guess the critics and professionals really do know what they are talking about,” she said.

With so many regions still to explore, the club expects to be long running. They’ve recently supplemented their monthly wine nights with additional activities, including a trip to You’re Fired for a night of painting.

“We decided at New Year’s that we should include the men in our festivities, to erase the ‘mystery’ surrounding our group,” Laura said. “We all had a great time. The guys really hit it off and I think gained an
appreciation for the special bond each of us has.”

The women also have enjoyed the supportive relationships that have developed through their monthly get-togethers and share resources on any number of subjects.

The women all agree and appreciate that there’s none of the gossiping that so often goes on when neighbors get together.

“There’s so much more to talk about,” Sandra said. “The thing I’ve found surprising is the age span of the group, and it has led to other socializing apart from the wine tastings, which has been fun. It’s helped me realize what a great neighborhood I live in.”