Good Food, Good Wine, and a Bad Girl!

There is nothing like good food, good wine, and a bad girl. - Fortune cookie

The Summer Social Season on Drummond Island is about to offically begin! It will be heralded in by one of my most anticipated and relished events of the season – a Wine Dinner at Bayside.

There really is nothing like good food and good wine. Being a bad girl, I should know!

But honestly, I have always found the world of wine just a tad bit pretentious. Maybe that is because I was introduced to this universe late in life when I first met my husband, Barry. Despite his patience and tutelage I have yet to feel I am an accepted citizen of the wine world. Not that I don’t love a good glass of fermented grapes – in fact these days I prefer one to a glass of hops and barley. But I must confess – there was a time when I thought Char Donay was a lady from France!

This confession led to Barry purchasing a book designed to help me gain some wine smarts titled, The Saucy Sisters’ Guide to Wine. The Sisters claim that becoming a “wine diva” will give me entrée to a world of “greater popularity, love, sex, health and beauty.” What more could a bad girl ask for? They instantly sold me on boldly exploring this new wine-tasting frontier!

And there is no better venue’ for such study than a Bayside Wine Dinner where Rob, wine connoisseur extraordinaire, takes the time to walk you through each course and it’s accompanying beverage.

But again, I must be frank – sometimes Rob’s commentary begins to sound more like blah, blah, blah then “This is a wonderful chard for the price.” or “I can’t believe I was able to get this cab for tonight’s event.” There are times when, from my perspective, he may as well be speaking in tongues. Maybe he is.

Whatever language he is speaking, it is always clear to me I don’t totally comprehend the just of his meaning. Chard? Cab? Growing up in the Soo a chard was a burned up log or tree from either your burning pit or a wildfire. And a cab was something I didn’t see in person until well over the age of 21 – but I knew it was yellow because of picture books in St. Mary’s library.

When I am asked about wine in public, Barry better be by my side – otherwise I am likely to go off on how I typically judge a wine first by its label. Does it go – read coordinate – with what I am serving? And no, I am not talking the same language as Rob here. I am talking the language of a Fashionitis – does the label coordinate well with what I have going on in terms of color, texture, and style? A well dressed table is a MUST for all meals – wine bottles must not clash with the décor.

Luckily there is a portal into the world of wine for the like’s of me – and it is easily accessible to anyone attending a Bayside Wine Dinner. That portal is Rob. While he may at times appear to be speaking a foreign language he works hard to take the pretension out of his passion. Zinfandel with your Tex-Mex? Not a problem. A little chardonnay with your All-You-Can-Eat Whitefish at the Northwood? Delicious. Pinot Noir and wild venison? Why not?

I like Rob. He just might keep me from feeling like I am over a barrel the next time wine comes up in a conversation. So as Aristophanes, a B.C. bad boy, very cleverly put it - “Quickly, bring me a beaker of wine, so that I may wet my mind and say something clever.”

NOTE: If you would like to experience a Wine Dinner @ Bayside for yourself I understand the next event is scheduled for Sunday, June 4th. See you there!

Drummond Island Resort and Conference Center

Bayside Dining

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