Pope and Lobster Anyone?

While it's been over a week since I got back, I'm still pinching myself. We actually saw the Pope. That's right, the big guy himself. Not only did we see him, we got to attend a private mass at the Vatican. It was a case of being in the right place at the right time. Oh, and having a pretty teenager in tow, didn't hurt our odds for getting in either. While I'm not Catholic, I must admit it was an awe-inspiring experience and one I'll not soon forget. You could even call it divine.  Of course, daily ingestion of truffle pasta, red wine and gelato wasn't hard to take either. I will be forever grateful to my dear old Dad for making this trip possible.

It's a rare thing to go away as a family and leave the business completely behind.

It takes trust and a terrific staff, both of which we're fortunate to have. The customer quotient is important too. Without loyal friends and fans for our wines, none of this would be possible. I'm particularly grateful for our wine club members who are among the most loyal and diehard customers we have. Just the folks you need to thank from time to time.

So, once a year, we throw a party at our home that is exclusively for our Vintner's Select wine club members.  It's our way of saying thanks and getting to know people on a more intimate level. I run around trying to hide all the dust bunnies while the kids promise to be on their best behavior. Then it's show time. And I mean this quite literally, since my daughter and I were part of the live entertainment!
 

 
This year's theme was “all things lobster”.  Fresh Maine lobster was flown in from our good buddies Captain John and Brendan Ready of Catch a Piece of Maine. You have never seen lobster prepared in so many ways… lobster rolls, lobster shooters, lobster crostini, lobster salad, and lobster bisque. To top it off, we gorged on my Aunt Mary's famous blueberry slump, a favorite family recipe from Maine. For many club members, this was a repeat performance (last year we threw a wild boar pig-out party) with a new lobster twist. For others, it was a whole new experience and the first time attending a Dry Creek Vineyard wine club event. In both instances, friendships were forged, relationships cemented, and not a single word was uttered about the troubles of the world.

Now this is my idea of a nice welcome home.