01/19/11 – comfort wines for troubled times

By Jesse on January 18, 2011

It’s 2011, yet the economy still sucks.  Like a clueless party guest still pouring himself another glass of wine an hour after everyone else has gone home, this pesky recession continues to linger.  (I recently found a fairly depressing LA Times article from 2008, in which economists warn that the recession could potentially last “until 2010.”  Imagine that.)

As everyone knows, consumers tend to cut back their spending in times of recession.  However, they exhibit other interesting traits as well: they favor the brands with which they’re familiar, and are less experimental in their purchasing than in boom times.  They become increasingly aware of sales, promotions, and other cost-saving opportunities.  And they spend more money than normal on products promising entertainment and escapism.  To me, all of this sounds like the makings of a Winos meeting.

Come join us on Wednesday night when we’ll be tasting recession wines.  For this meeting, the wine must meet several qualifications:

1) it should be a wine you’ve had before, and with which you are familiar. (Be prepared to tell us why you like it!)
2) it should cost no more than $10.
3) it should be rated at at least 13% alcohol, to help us fuel our entertainment and escapism.

As long as it meets those three requirements, any bottle is fair game!  Hopefully we’ll get a nice selection of reds, whites, sparkling, and maybe even a rosé or a dessert wine.  (As always, you can opt to bring $10 instead of a bottle.)

We’ll be meeting at Jessica’s place in Brentwood.  The RSVP system works like this: if you want in, simply select “will attend” on the right side of this page.  On Wednesday, I’ll send you an e-mail with the address and additional info.

Hope to see a bunch of you miserly minors on Wednesday night!