Our Corner of America…with Wine Picks

“But Oz never did give nothing to the Pen Man

That he didn’t, didn’t already have…”

(With apologies to Dewey Bunnell)

Looking forward to the upcoming sojourn to Hooksett, New Hampshire, the home of SNHU.

In the meantime, some local news:

On May 7, the Wilde Lake Village Board will be interviewing candidates to fill the two vacancies (of five seats) on said Board.  These interviews will be held in a closed session, as they were on both occasions when I applied (successfully) for appointment to the WLVB.  I wonder if open sessions, where the public can view the interviews, would be preferable (assuming they would be permissible).  Now, Columbia village boards are not governmental agencies…they are more akin to community advocacy groups with some facilities and programming responsibilities.  So one can debate the proper degree of transparency for such organizations.  That said, I think the public would be interested in hearing the exchanges between the Board members and their prospective colleagues.

Scotch in the Savanna Wine in the Woods will be taking place on May 19 and May 20.  With the present author completely focused on growing the Spartan Tendency in Howard County, my personal attendance is deemed to be “unlikely.”  That said, brandishing my Wine & Spirit Education Trust intermediate certificate credentials, I will assert that Maryland has emerged as a significant player in recent years, with some wineries producing solid, more than just quaffable, wines.  Some favorites include:

Basignani.  Their Riesling is not the most complex manifestation of that varietal but it is a crowd pleaser.

Bordeleau.  For aficionados of more robust reds, try the Meritage.  Also, their Vidal Blanc is a sprightly dessert wine that shows some nice fruit.   

Elk Run. Offering a crisp and spicy Gewurztraminer, this is a must-sip.  Also, as memory serves, they product Maryland’s only Zinfandel.  I love quality red Zin.

In solidarity.