Wine Appreciation Group
When a recipe says “add wine” never ask “to what”?
It has been a difficult year for wine tasting. Our last meeting before lockdown was at Barry & Lesley Hackshall’s home in June.
But things are looking up! We can now meet again and I have organised a get together for the group on 12th
December to plan for next year.
It is most encouraging that all existing members of the Group, plus a couple of extras, want to continue in the new year…
The festive season is a good time to expand your wine experience. Why not try a Sparkling Shiraz with rich Christmas fare. Works a treat!
Wishing you all a Happy and safe Christmas and I look forward to your company in 2022.
Mike Staniland
Wine Quotes:
- “A woman drove me to drink and I didn’t even have the decency to thank her” – W.C. Fields
- “Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of course, you happen to be a bottle of wine” – Joan Collins
- “Men are like a fine wine. They all start out like grapes, and it’s our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you’d like to have dinner with” – Jill Shalvis
- “Wine offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than possibly any other purely sensory thing which may be purchased” – Ernest Hemingway
- “I’m like old wine. They don’t bring me out very often, but I’m well preserved” – Rose Kennedy
- “Men are like wine – some turn to vinegar, but the best improve with age” – Pope John XXIII
- “When it came to writing about wine, I did what almost everybody does – faked it” – Art Buchwald
- “Work is the curse of the drinking classes” – Oscar Wilde
Movie Group
OUR LAST MOVIE
On Tuesday 25th February 11 people from Probus attended the Movie “Maria” at Warriewood cinema & 10 stayed afterwards for a chat over coffee & toasted sandwiches to discuss the film.
Although there were mixed reviews, (it was slow in parts), most enjoyed the movie, including the music, even for those who were not opera aficionados.
The movie portrays the final days of famed American/Greek opera singer Maria Callas until her death in1977 aged 53. By then her wonderful soprano voice has gone & she hasn’t performed in years & has retreated to live in Paris in an opulent “gothic” apartment with her two loyal staff, Ferruccio, her butler, & Bruna, her housekeeper & 2 small poodles. She suffers melancholy, depression & frequent hallucinations & becomes reliant on a mixture of pills. She also pines for the lost true love of her life, Aristotle Onassis. When a film crew come to make a bio of her life the film intersperses black & white footage of her past including her impoverished & difficult childhood.
Angelina Jolie is mesmerising & plays the role of Maria superbly.
Rosemary Daly
Any questions phone Rosemary Daly who will coordinate cinema outings until Gloria returns.
Let Rosemary know if you see any movies that look interesting so that a cinema outing can be arranged..