According to cV Sommelier Jenny Benzie (Founder of Pour, Sip, Savor! Sommelier Services), here are 3 Ghastly Mistakes To Avoid If You Are Hosting A Wine Tasting…

So, you’ve invited a group of friends over, everyone is bringing a bottle and you want to make sure your wine tasting event occurs without any ‘flaws.’  Below are a few mistakes to avoid if you are hosting a wine tasting event to ensure you get a ‘Gold Medal!’

Dirty glassware can cause your wine tasting event to go from ‘Brilliant’ to ‘Dull.’  Here are a few tips to ensure clean glasses:

• Don’t just pull the glasses from your cabinet or a box – they will have a stale, cardboard smell.
• Don’t wash your glasses with soapy water – this can leave a film.
• Never use a paper towel to dry your glasses – this will leave an ‘off’ odor in the glass (and lint!).
• Rinse your glasses with warm water and gently dry by hand with a polishing cloth.

How can you identify what’s in the glass with distracting smells all around you?  Here are a couple of ideas to keep your wine tasting area odor-free:

• Do not burn any candles or have plug-in air fresheners in the room.
• Ask your guests (and you!) to refrain from wearing perfume, cologne, after-shave or other scented personal products.
• Do not use chemicals or scented cleaning products on the table where you will be tasting.
• And NO SMOKING!

While some like ‘hot’ tea or ‘iced’ coffee, seldom do they like ‘warm’ white wine or ‘too cold’ red wine.  Some helpful information on correct temperatures to serve wine:

• Champagne and Sparkling wines: 41-45 degrees F
• Lighter, more delicate whites: 45-50 degrees F; Heavier white wines: 50-55 degrees F.
• Lighter style reds: 55-59 degrees F; Full-bodied reds: 59-64 degrees F

It is easier to ‘warm’ a wine by cupping the glass in your hands than it is to ‘chill’ the wine by diluting it with ice cubes (gasp!).

That’s it for the tips. I hope you’ve found them helpful.  Remember, wine tasting should be an enjoyable experience and hopefully this advice will help you in preparing your own event!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011 was a lovely day for a Garden Party.  Lilly & Pucci were present, as was most of Sconset….A grand estate, inventive cocktails, a happening DJ and models galore…all for a good cause.  As you can see from these snaps, a good time was had by all!

“Fashion in a Sconset Garden” to benefit A Safe Place.

Fashions by currentVintage + Cheryl Fudge & Peter Beaton Hats.  Many thanks to Gene Mahon of Nantucket’s Mahon About Town for fabulous photos!

*Napa*Sonoma*San Francisco*Carmel*Santa Barbara*Ventura*Pismo Beach*Santa Monica*Palm Springs*LA*Boston*New York* *Montreal*Greenville*Charlotte*Asheville…

60+ Days on the fly!

vintage finds, wine discoveries, dining, family, friends, fun

We know, we’ve been there.  The invitations are pouring in and you haven’t a clue what to wear–or even how to decipher the dress codes:

“Festive”, “Cocktail”, “Holiday Casual”…

Take a page from Teka’s style book and look right on, whether you decide to go swanky or casual or uptown or down.

Only one month to go in 2010, but the year is already overflowing with wonderful times, great adventures, fabulous memories.  The last eleven months have been filled with annual traditions (Daffodil Day, Nantucket Wine and Film Festivals) as well as travel, friends and new experiences.

cV continued to get a lot of press and was featured in a gorgeous 6-page spread in Cape Cod Life.  There were numerous trips…California, NYC, St John, France…and we launched our signature cV wines, including our 2008 currentVintage “Boschetti Vineyard” Pinot Noir.  There were wine tastings, photo shoots, and VIPs–the store practically  pulsated with energy and inspiration!

Most importantly:  I got engaged (!), then, currentVintage had its first store engagement (he proposed to her in cV!) and, our little Rosie (*star employee*) got married.

Here’s a look at a few highlights…

Our first proposal at cV!

She said "I do"! Congrats Brendan & Kate!

Rosie & Ivan got married!

Getting engaged at the Wauwinet...

...on our 8th anniversary!

11th Annual Lingerie Fishing Tournament

Wendy Schmidt & Co at Petticoat Row

Dominique Demarville of VCP!

Content at Caneel Bay

Stylist Julie Biondi (ctr) & friends

cV models in Cape Cod Life

MLK Jr Day at Glide in San Fran

B-52s Kate Pierson in cV

modeling Cheryl Fudge (who just opened a store in Santa Monica)

Actor Sarah Fraunfelder modeling for cV

Burgundy:)

Many a Grand Cru...

with LA Lifestyle Chef & "Food to Flowers" Author, Lulu Powers

Meursault & Margaux

NFF Party with Kim Corkran of Cape Air, Kate Brosnan & Tom Scott of Plum TV, Caterer Susan Warner

going to The Bazaar in LA, Pre-Grammys

La Superica in Santa Barbara

with Dan Kosta of Kosta Browne

cV Signature Wines launch at Nantucket Wine Fest

Michael Ragg of Mischief & Mayhem, Burgundy

Daffodil Day

at The Vanderbilt in Newport

In the beginning there was black.  Chic, but lazy, black.

Add White.  So timeless, so simple, so minimal, so obvious…So wonderful, that the two inspire and are re-interpreted in myriad ways each season, each year.  Substitute any other neutral and you will have exponential style without sacrificing simplicity and ease.  Here, we offer a few random looks to show how variations on a combo so seemingly subtle can have major dramatic appeal.  Use basic black not so much as a uniform, but as a point of departure…

It’s all right here in black and white (and ivory and leopard and gray and gold).  They are simultaneously basics, classics, standards and trends!

Fall on Nantucket…what’s a guy up to?  Here for the weekend…mostly kicking back.  A little shopping,  a little vino.  A little coffee, a little vino.  Walking the dog, a little vino.  A little reading, a little vino.  Maybe the Boarding House, maybe the Chicken Box.

And what’s he wearing?  A handful of laid-back, effortlessly cool shirts and jackets from currentVintage.

For me, Middle School was like the Middle Ages–they were very dark years–and yes, it was almost that long ago.   There was one bright light, however:  back-to-school shopping.  I began 6^th grade still wearing Toughskins and Grr-Animals, but by 8^th grade, I was fashionably outfitted in Calvin Kleins and DVF tees.  Going from age 11 to 13 was like jumping millenia, but thankfully, I had shopping to comfort me in the light-speed journey, inspired by the fresh-faced models of Seventeen and Teen.

We were mall-less in our small NC town, so I did what I had to do and turned to the Sears and JC Penney catalogs.  I knew that if I saved my babysitting $, my Mother would quadruple-match my contribution and I would be appropriately dressed for the school year.  How I agonized over my choices each season, progressing from head-to-toe looks to selecting key pieces that could be mixed and matched.   By the time I hit high school, I was a full-blown fashionista, shopping at JE’s, the local boutique, but in the middle years, it was Sears..and denim, plaid and acrylic.

The "look" of Irish Fisherman knits

8th grade...

outfit on the right

7th Grade: Outfit in the middle

aaah, youth

6th Grade

"Love Story" Herringbone coat, size M, $128

FALL 2010—in a way, fashion has never seemed so modern…there are more buzzwords than ever…”Menswear”, “Ladylike”, “Outdoorsy”, “Minimalist”, “Global”, “Eclectic” “Urban Warrior”…It’s all about the ‘Modern Mix’ and that’s what’s so interesting, as well as awfully tricky.

What’s important to note is that many of these looks begin with the classics and evolve from there;  pick and choose trends that speak to your personal style and make them work for you.  If you’ve never “curled up” to leopard in the past, then certainly don’t copycat this big trend – meow!  Mad for plaid, just not on your thighs? Then opt for a plaid coat instead!

Just know that any classic piece can be updated in a subtle or not-so subtle way.  Subtle, eg, adding a chunky caramel patent Marni heel & key necklace to a Fair Isle sweater and Menswear knit coat.  Not so subtle, eg, piling on a fur wrap and fedora, a la André Leon Talley, to the same look.  Visit us at currentVintage, 4 Easy St, Nantucket—we’ll help you make it your own!

Teal tweed Lilli Ann swing coat w/ foz collar, size M, $228

1970s wool wrap coat w/ shearling collar, size S, $174

1960s faux-fur belted trench, size S, $168

1960s brown knit Lilli Ann coat, size M, $146; Cocoa handknit fair isle sweater, size S, $78

VOGUE does “Checks & the City”:

currentVintage does “Checks & the City…or Country”