By Sara Quam
With intimate table settings of sparkling glassware and candlelight, the Coffey Haus hosted a wine tasting event Thursday, Oct. 12. Patrons were offered cheeses, breads, fruit and, of course, a sampling of wines from Blue Mound Liquor.
Through these monthly wine tastings the Blue Mound Wine Club adds a little more depth to the "red wine with red meat and white wine with white meat" guideline. It’s about taste and personal preferences without the rigid rules.
Wine Club founder and Blue Mound Liquor employee Christy Hess said, "I found out about a wine club in another small town and I went and it was a wonderful time."
Using that as her inspiration and with support from store manager Rich DeSchepper, Hess created the Blue Mound Wine Club last year and taught herself what she could about wines.
"There’s always something to learn. I was never a wine drinker," Hess said. "But it’s fun and interesting. And with the club, people who don’t want to be out the money can just sample and learn and buy the ones they like."
Representatives from different wine companies attend the tastings and offer advice and product information.
Club member Marcia Ossenfort decorates the tables and has attended most of the wine tasting events. "I feel I’ve learned a lot more about wines and what to look for in a wine. My taste has really broadened since I started going to these."
Being free to develop individual tastes outside of what is considered "good wine" appeals to Linda Hess and Velda Maine. They lightheartedly judged whether a wine was too dry by determining if it "makes your tonsils curl up."
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