Tampa

In the Spring of 2002 most of The Wine Syndicate group went to Tampa. Ron Siegel organized two wonderful dinners, and a luncheon and tasting in Tarpon Springs.

	Ken from Bern’s set up this dinner at Spartaco. The chef/owner was charming and gracious. We put ourselves in his hands, and the courses just kept coming: Bruschetta, Calamari, Mozarella, Crab and Lobster on Angel Hair Pasta, Tangerine Sorbet, Broiled Grouper, Rack of Lamb, and Chocolate Mousse.
	B21 didn’t look exactly like Ron was expecting. But it’s a wonderful wine shop, and they provided us with a lovely 12-bottle tasting. I took the opportunity to stock up on Italian reds, and even found Danielle’s long-sought-after Essencia.
	B21 even paid for our wonderful lunch at Louis Pappas’, near the Tarpon Springs pier. Joan, our waitress, was an absolute hoot. The Greek food was delicious and heavy — one more course and we would have needed a wheelbarrow to get back to the car. We had to go back to the hotel and sleep it off.
	Dinner at Bern’s Steakhouse with an opportunity to sample eight noteworthy wines from their incredible list. Ken and Drew were incredibly accommodating, and David Laxer came around to visit. For me, the wine of the weekend was the 1957 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos del La Roche from Pierre Ponnelle, a steal at $156. Thanks to Ron for all the arrangements… it was a blast.

 

Oh, and for those keeping track, the grand total on the events mentioned above was (gulp) 38 bottles.