The “Sweet Days of Summer” sneaked in for an encore over the weekend, and coupled with that we enjoyed a fabulous “Wine Tour” this evening (from our seats), which was hosted by our own John French!
Matt opened the meeting, as we joined him in saying The Pledge. He noted that tonight, we would enjoy a “Wine Tasting Experience that had been in the works for some time,” led by John. Alex followed with an impromptu Invocation, asking for The Lord’s Blessing upon each of us, and all that we do to help others.
Twenty-four members gathered for this evening’s in-person meeting, while other members, such as Brenda, joined us on-line. We welcomed guests, Sharon, lovely wife of Jack, who joins us regularly, and Jim, brother of Alex, who was with us for the World Polio Day Observance on October 24th.
Matt had a few announcements to share with The Membership. Next week, 11/16, the Noon Meeting will feature Bill Cook, representing the Bill Cook Foundation. The meeting will be preceded by the November Board Meeting at 10:30. (Both meetings will be in-person).
Matt has communicated with Elementary School Nurse, Kelly VandeSande, who is the moderator of Operation Santa. This will be the 80th year for Operation Santa to bring joy to the Naples Central School Community, although, this year, it will look different, according to Kelly. More information on O.S. is sure to follow.
Sherry announced that the Rotary Calendars were here, and they look amazing!! As we entered The Redwood this evening, in neat piles, were the bundles of Calendars that each of us had ordered. It is very rewarding to see that this year’s cover is filled with advertisements from area businesses who have supported this Annual Rotary Fundraising Project! Many thanks to Sherry and the Calendar Team (Frank, Skip and Judy) for a job well done and for getting the Calendars to us in such a timely manner! We had all been encouraged to try to sell a few extras, and it seems that everyone “came through.” Sherry noted that she only had about a dozen sparel Calendars available.
There was a Light Up Naples Sign-Up Sheet available, this evening, for those interested in helping to sell baubles to put on the Rotary Christmas Tree, which will be located in Periello Park. There will be two “Selling Stations.” Thanks to Renea for allowing us to sell the baubles at Rennoldson’s, and to Jodi for permitting us to sell them at Caruso’s Café. The selling dates will be during the next two weeks and the times are listed on the Sign-Up Sheet. A few have already signed up to help sell baubles, and the Sign-Up Sheet has been entered on-line for people to choose a time. The selling dates will start on Saturday, 11/14. Community members will be able to purchase a bauble for $5.00 each to decorate as they wish. The (decorated) baubles may then be returned to hang on the Rotary Christmas Tree during Light Up Naples. Hopefully, there will be a nice response to this “project,” as it will add some additional cheer to the Naples Community during the Christmas Season!
President-Elect Karen had recently attended the P.E.T.S. training on-line, and she shared some of the insights she had gleaned from her sessions. She concluded that there was so much to know and learn, yet she found the training to be quite interesting. Two of the sessions that she found to be of particular interest were the Harassment Policy and the By-Laws. As she prepares for the next Rotary Year, Karen looks forward to receiving further training.
Then the time had arrived for “Our Wine Tour from Our Tables”, which was brought to us by John, along with his “Assistants”, Sherry, Matt, and Tom! John began with a quote from Maya Angelou: “If you don’t know where you’ve come from, you don’t know where you’re going.” It was on this note that John began his presentation, as he recollected upon how much he had learned, (about wine making), from his father-in-law, John H. Brahm III. JHB III, who had started at Widmer’s in the 60’s, and who had worked with his brother at Randall-Standish Vineyards in the 70’s, started Arbor Hill. The original AH building was where Plenty, The Bakery is located, and it started out as not only the production and selling of wine, but of gourmet foods as well! Experimental and heirloom grapes were grown in the vineyards. Having focused on the history of Arbor Hill, it served as an appropriate prelude for what was to come this evening…
As mentioned earlier, tonight’s program was “in the works”. The result of these efforts produced individual trays for each of us, laden with a “flight” of six superior Arbor Hill wines, including both red and white! As we sipped and sampled each fine selection, John described each “tasting” in full detail!
- Noiret: This Number Two top-selling wine has been available since 2006. Typically known as the “steak wine,” this selection goes well with steak, and if a steak is marinated in Noiret for 24 hours, you can be sure that it will be savory and “fork tender” every time!
- Canandaigua Moore’s Diamond: This wine was hybridized by Jacob Moore, whose farm was located near Twelve Corners. It “tickles the palate,” and it has a fruity finish.
- Noir: This is a very creative blend that was made by winemaker John H. Brahm III, and is now done by Bill Shepard, assisted by Alex Arsenault. It is a delightful semi, and it is the top-selling wine of Arbor Hill! Its versatility can be found in that it can be chilled for warm weather, or it can be mulled for the cooler days!
- Onnalinda: This is a blend, which is very popular, and it is “middle of the road” in terms of taste, according to John. The Onnalinda, which rests at the bottom of Canandaigua Lake, had a long career, and largely was dismantled before it sank. Tom shared that his dad had the rudder, which Tom's "mum" wanted made into a table. Huge!
- Ogarita Niagara: Interestingly, this was John Wilkes Booth’s daughter’s name! This vessel was tied up in Woodville, where it caught fire. The night it burned would be remembered by some as “grabbing grapes off the vine.” (P.S. Niagara is so delicious!)
- Griesa Hill Iona: Its logo is a work by local artist, Darryl Abraham. It typically is known as “Iona Red.” An interesting fact was that the Mechanical Harvester was introduced in 1968. Many vineyards along Route 21 were located on hillsides, thus making it difficult for the harvester to handle the slopes, which is why they were abandoned. Rhine Street White and Rhine Street Red also have drawings from Darryl as their logo. The Rhine Street and Moscato are also very popular, along with the Ambrosia.
Here are some additional interesting tidbits. JHB III named some of his wines after Lake Boats because of a certain picture of a little girl captured with Captain Stemple on the occasion of his 90th Birthday. The wine is made in the basement of Brew and Brats. It requires a ton of grapes to produce 180 gallons of wine! John noted that Covid 19 has “stretched the crew from a staffing point.” John H. Brahm III started Arbor Hill in 1987. “The Healthy Purple Grape Juice is excellent too!” noted Laurie. “Kudos to John, Katie, and Sherry for continuing the legacy!” added Tom. Yes, definitely, when one sets foot on these premises, we can agree that “it feels like family!” Oceans of thanks to you, John, and Company, for a splendid presentation tonight!!
Happy Bills and Fines: As one could well imagine, there was an outpouring of Happy Bills for John’s splendid program this evening. Not only did it require a great deal of planning and preparation, but it yielded a tremendous appreciation of what Arbor Hill and its staff mean to the Naples Community!
Here are some more reasons for Fines and Happy Bills. Blanche’s Recent Program “Naples Rotarians From the Fifties,” had 800 views on Facebook Live, for example! Frank’s son had worked at Arbor Hill. Alex was glad to have her brother Jim join us. PP Jack paid a fine, as Granddaughter Vivienne, age 2 ½, decided to have some Face Time with Poppy and Nonny! Nancy loves the Healthy Purple Grape Juice! Bo was glad to have his “Golf Cap” back. Also, he has a new driver, the “B-52 Bomber,” in a futile attempt to improve his golf game! Sherry is thankful to have John “at the helm!” Bruce was glad to participate tonight in light of his “sugar restrictions”!
The Rotary Moment this evening was “perfect,” as Pres. Matt would say! Judy talked about the RYLA Program, to which Naples Rotary has sent participants for many years. Judy gave a brief history of the RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Award), which started in 1971 as a worldwide activity. It started in Australia, and eventually came to the Finger Lakes Area of New York State. The RYLA Program in District 7120 is designed to help young people of high school age, develop leadership skills. Hands-on projects, teamwork, and group discussions throughout the RYLA experience, have helped young people acquire a sense of appreciation for diversity among all peoples of different backgrounds and cultures. Many Naples students have participated in this program, which is limited to around two dozen in the entire district 7120. You have to be quick to reserve a spot, one per club, maximum. Thank you, Judy, for a great Rotary Moment!
Skip also shared another interesting fact. A longtime relative of his, (from way back when), was a “Skipper” on the “Genundewah” Lake Boat! Perhaps “Skip” is the perfect nickname for you, eh? (Smile!)
That just about “wraps it up” for this week, friends! I can’t help but end this week’s missive with a thought I received this morning when Bo and I watched “Dr. Oz”. Marie Osmond was a guest on the program, and she said that we can either handle Covid 19 and the year 2020 with being “bitter” or “better”. I prefer to think that Naples Rotary has chosen the latter! Take care, one and all! Have a great remainder of the week, and we’ll se you on the 16th!
