CORKSCREW CHRONICLES: Come Over October share wine and friendship

While brainstorming strategies to reinforce the positive aspects of wine consumption and personal connection, wine journalist Karen MacNeil and public relations/communication veterans Gino Colangelo and Kimberly Noelle Charles launched Come Over October. They want to remind everyone that by consuming wine in casual settings with people we enjoy, we share many other things that matter. Come Over October also espouses that by putting away the electronic devices we are all addicted to and spending time with others, we maximize our happiness. When the three originally met, their objective was to emphasize the vast amount of information and numerous case studies that have shown the positive effects of wine consumption in moderation. Wine is not simply a beverage containing alcohol, but much, much more than fermented grape juice. It also encompasses many other fundamental aspects of many different disciplines, including history, science, art, geography, geology, folklore, religion, farming, food and beverage, nutrition, health and societal connections. There is a website comeoveroctober.com, that explains the concept. One section offers tools/tips for entertaining, including potential event themes. There are guidelines on how to organize a wine tasting party and ten suggestions for unique activities for a stylized event. There is even a section on wine history, including background on wine get-togethers that began around 6000 BC. October is the designated month for casual gatherings to celebrate our love of wine and rekindle interpersonal connections. Your experience can be as simple as wine and appetizers with a friend. Charcuterie boards and crackers are easy and perfect with a selection of wines, as are burgers on the grill. The whole point is connecting with friends and family whose relationships have been diverted by the chaos of our lifestyles, so make your preparations comfortable and easy to repeat. During October, plan on sharing wine, the beverage of leisure, with people important to you. You might find the experience offers so much to your quality of life that you will want to have similar events throughout the year. The skinny on "supertasters"– There are some people who are emphasizing counting the number of tastebuds within a small area of a person's tongue to determine if they are "supertasters", people with a unique tasting potential due to abundant taste receptors. What this process doesn't take into consideration is the desire to develop and improve one's tasting ability. Wine tasting/knowledge insecurity is typical with beginning wine drinkers. Categorizing tasting ability by tastebud counts alone can put a damper on wine enjoyment to those who are already challenged and terrified by the daunting task of accumulating wine knowledge and experience. Anyone can claim "I taste this…" in a wine. If other attending, inexperienced tasters can't perceive the character, it can be extremely intimidating. Sometimes the outspoken are deceitful, covering their own insecurities. We each have our own individual thresholds to specific wine components, aromas and flavors. While we can't change the senses we were given, we can increase our perceptions and sensitivities to stimuli through training. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent". Forget if you are potentially a "supertaster" and study/taste to develop your abilities to the highest level possible. The whole point of mastering wine tasting and evaluation is to maximize your enjoyment of wine and to be able to identify and repeat great flavor experiences. New release Grand River Cellars "Grand Pink", Grand River, Ohio ($20) — A sparkler produced from 100 percent Pinot Noir offering pretty pink hues and dark strawberry/Pinot fruit in the nose and on the palate. Crisp, softly-dry flavors. Perfect for the patio and a variety of appetizers/entrées. Gary Twining is a certified wine educator who worked 34 years in the wholesale fine wine industry. E-mail him at winingwithtwining@hotmail.com.