‘The Wonderful World of Wine’ at the Library
BY DAVID ROGGIE | CONTRIBUTOR
De De Thomas will share her thoughts on “The Wonderful World of Wine” and all the ways to enjoy it at the Shelter Island Library Friday Night Dialogues on March 11 at 7 p.m.
Ms. Thomas believes most people can enjoy wine with a little knowledge and a lot of curiosity, but much depends on an individual’s palate.
A member of the Latham family of Orient, Ms. Thomas traveled widely as a youngster, having a father in the Marine Corps. Now a consultant to the wine industry, she resides on the North Fork, the hub of the Long Island wine industry, consulting with Lenz, one of Long Island’s oldest and most well-regarded wineries. Previous clients include Corey Creek and Bedell.
In the course of her talk, she will discuss “smell” and the various components of individual wines. For example, an aroma of vanilla in a Chardonnay indicates the presence of oak, which usually means the wine has been aged in French oak barrels for a period of time, smoothing out its taste and giving the wine complexity.
She’ll discuss the impact of “taste” on the palate and what the usual descriptive words such as “dry,” “fruity,” “sweet,” “flinty” and various fruit components can mean, all in layman’s terms.
Ms. Thomas says anyone can visit the wineries on Eastern Long Island and learn a tremendous amount by tasting and listening to the comments of the servers, who are usually quite knowledgeable about their products. “The more you taste and listen, the better you’ll become and the more you’ll enjoy wine.”
She strongly believes that the wine industry has “saved” the North Folk by keeping it in sustainable agriculture and preventing it from becoming a massive housing development, thus preserving our history and culture.
“Do you have a palate?” “Do you know what you like?” Then you can enjoy wine!
Come enjoy “The Wonderful World of Wine” in the Community Room at the library, Friday, March 11 at 7 p.m.
Coming up: On Friday, March 18, Friday Night Dialogues will feature Jeanne Marie Merkel, who will share her visions of Ireland in a talk entitled “Inner and Outer Visions of the Celtic Soul.”
