Oh, those wacky French. If you want to give wine away so badly, why construct such a convoluted story to justify it?
Today was the first day the French government agency that regulates wine (don't laugh, I'm sure we've got one tucked away in the bowels of the FDA too) allowed people to purchase and drink Beaujolais Nouveau. The third Thursday in November is the official date allowed, and considering the grapes were just picked two months ago, there's not a lot of opportunity for this to be a particularly good wine experience. Christ, it's a red that is supposed to be drunk cold. Sheesh.
So Toby (friend of Liz and another hockey player) invited me out to a Beaujolais party at Bistrot du Coin in Dupont Circle. We get there at about ten to midnight, the place is packed with easily 400 half-drunk people heading straight to full-on drunk. Turns out the Bistrot is giving the wine away. I don't care how fruity or tart this stuff is: as long as I don't go blind, I'm drinking what you're handing out.
Whole bottles are getting passed, people dancing on the bar are pouring into upraised plastic cups from the crowd, and the bartenders are pulling corks as fast as they can. Once the initial rush passes I manage to grab a full bottle to share, and leave a very nice tip in a well-marked bucket to even out the karma. In the two hours or so we were there before the lights went up and they kicked us out, I'd probably had a bottle and a half, all free.
I think it rained a little on the walk home: I remember feeling wetter than I ought to, but couldn't really place why.
Today's 8:30 issue review meeting was a little more difficult than usual.
Posted by Bogg at November 18, 2004 11:47 PM