Isaiah 25 has the most amazing description of a creation that has been resorted to God's loving embrace. In this image all people are invited to a huge feast with fat things--a rich feast served with well-aged wines strained clear. We held just such a feast at Wednesday Wines last Sunday. It was beautiful. We had artisanal cheeses from Abbie & Oliver's, combined with pickled asparagus, fire roasted peppers, brie cooked in a phylo dough packed with apricot/jalapeno jelly. And that was just hors'dourves! The main course was a green salad with a strawberry vinaigrette. Then we served bbq'd zucchini, crimini mushrooms, marinated flank steak and a killer risotto featuring Shitaki mushrooms, Grana Padano cheese, fresh herbs, pine nuts and . . . well, lots of beautiful, fatty butter. Each course featured a different wine to go with it. My personal favorite of the night was the Remy's Red, a blend of big, bold, smoky tobacco flavored red wine varietals which is an amazing value at $16 a bottle (and, yes, we do carry it at the shop.) All of this was to celebrate the graduation of our intern, Kari Pierce. Kari did research on a new business venture we were considering, and then planned and executed several very successful events at the shop. It was really fun to have a three hour, sit down dinner for Kari and her family and friends. I was walking past the shop before the event began and was stunned by how beautiful the tables looked decked out with all the plates, wine glasses, silverware napkins and decorations. I think there is something very aesthetically pleasing about a table full of wine glasses. Last weekend I hosted a reception at our synod convention for the Reconciling in Christ group. This is the group that has successfully worked to allow gays and lesbians to be ordained in the ELCA. (We continue to be exactly as radically inclusive at the US military in our acceptance of gays and lesbians.) At the reception I had brought along about a hundred wine glasses and had them all laid out on a table which sat directly in front of a picture window with a view of the Columbia River and the I5 bridge. The favorite wine of that evening was another red blend made in Oregon. It's called Bricco Red Wine made by Cana's Feast. I think I've finally discovered my purpose for attending synod conventions--throwing parties for the RIC folks. I love to see people gather in a room and find a glass of wine and a conversation they can dive into. Jeff Peterson was helping me to host the event and he had some music playing in the background. After about two hours of people streaming through the room it quieted suddenly and I heard the music again. There is something very holy about gathering with people and having wonderful conversations and drinking a beautiful glass of wine. It's what I imagine heaven might be like. According to the vision of Isaiah 25 I'm not alone in that vision.
A Feast of Rich Foods and Well-Aged Wines
Isaiah 25 has the most amazing description of a creation that has been resorted to God's loving embrace. In this image all people are invited to a huge feast with fat things--a rich feast served with well-aged wines strained clear. We held just such a feast at Wednesday Wines last Sunday. It was beautiful. We had artisanal cheeses from Abbie & Oliver's, combined with pickled asparagus, fire roasted peppers, brie cooked in a phylo dough packed with apricot/jalapeno jelly. And that was just hors'dourves! The main course was a green salad with a strawberry vinaigrette. Then we served bbq'd zucchini, crimini mushrooms, marinated flank steak and a killer risotto featuring Shitaki mushrooms, Grana Padano cheese, fresh herbs, pine nuts and . . . well, lots of beautiful, fatty butter. Each course featured a different wine to go with it. My personal favorite of the night was the Remy's Red, a blend of big, bold, smoky tobacco flavored red wine varietals which is an amazing value at $16 a bottle (and, yes, we do carry it at the shop.) All of this was to celebrate the graduation of our intern, Kari Pierce. Kari did research on a new business venture we were considering, and then planned and executed several very successful events at the shop. It was really fun to have a three hour, sit down dinner for Kari and her family and friends. I was walking past the shop before the event began and was stunned by how beautiful the tables looked decked out with all the plates, wine glasses, silverware napkins and decorations. I think there is something very aesthetically pleasing about a table full of wine glasses. Last weekend I hosted a reception at our synod convention for the Reconciling in Christ group. This is the group that has successfully worked to allow gays and lesbians to be ordained in the ELCA. (We continue to be exactly as radically inclusive at the US military in our acceptance of gays and lesbians.) At the reception I had brought along about a hundred wine glasses and had them all laid out on a table which sat directly in front of a picture window with a view of the Columbia River and the I5 bridge. The favorite wine of that evening was another red blend made in Oregon. It's called Bricco Red Wine made by Cana's Feast. I think I've finally discovered my purpose for attending synod conventions--throwing parties for the RIC folks. I love to see people gather in a room and find a glass of wine and a conversation they can dive into. Jeff Peterson was helping me to host the event and he had some music playing in the background. After about two hours of people streaming through the room it quieted suddenly and I heard the music again. There is something very holy about gathering with people and having wonderful conversations and drinking a beautiful glass of wine. It's what I imagine heaven might be like. According to the vision of Isaiah 25 I'm not alone in that vision.