Days of wine, roses, and rain

Very high on my list of events where one needs to drink for the cause is the Garden Walk rally, usually held on the last Sunday in June. This is when gardeners on the Walk pick up their signs, T-shirts, posters, and maps; they also eat, drink, socialize with their fellow garden exhibitionists, and get psyched for the July event. I am usually in charge of liquid refreshments.

This year’s rally was held yesterday at the Unitarian Church on Elmwood, a stalwart community center with lovely gardens. I offered attendees:

Segura Viudas Brut Reserva
Owned by the ubiquitous Freixenet, I think this Spanish sparkler (or cava) is superior to the black bottle we all know and put up with at bargain-oriented New Year’s parties. It was by far the wine of the afternoon, though I warned them they were drinking it too fast and would all have headaches. (Nothing like a cheap champagne headache.) I stopped mentioning the cava at a certain point, so that Rally volunteers who were waiting until the end of the event to imbibe could have some.

2005 Santa Carolina Sauvignon Blanc Reserve
You always get value from Chile. This SV is very light, citrusy, and refreshing. Perfect for a hot, muggy day, as most seemed to agree. No leftover bottles to snag here.

2004 La Vieille Ferme Côte de Rhone
I didn’t sample this, but it’s a generally reliable red and people were coming back for more all afternoon. There is a rosé and a white from this series I’d also be interesting in trying. Screwtop!

I had pulled a 2001 riesling spatlese blah blah blah (god, those names)—anyway a good German riesling—from the cellar for me and a couple friends to have afterwards. By then, the heavens had opened and those who had strolled or biked from their properties to the event were looking at a very wet trip home.

And so we’re off—the GW madness has officially begun. There are 260-plus gardens this year. We think it may be the largest in the country.

(In the vase above: gleanings from the GWI property)