the annual reunion of the
> Red River Valley Fighter Pilot Assoc. (River Rats) which took place
> this year in Orlando FL...[SNIP] are not
> known for good taste and sophisticated palates with regard to wine. >
> That's why I was stunned on Saturday night at the formal banquet when
> seated at a table of eight fighter pilots and their ladies awaiting
> the distribution of gray, dry beef or rubber chicken in glutinous
> white sauce which is traditional hotel banquet fare, I scanned the
> setting noting a 1.75l of red wine and white. Things would be bleak > apparently.
>
> Then across from me one of the bemedalled aviators put forth a bottle
> of wine which he had brought in to the hall with him. It was a
> unpretentious little California offering labeled as "red wine"--a 2002 > Opus One!
Hey, Ed! It's no great surprise to me that aviator reunions get the same treatment as scientific conventions: bland institutional food and even more indifferent wine. It's good to hear that one of your compatriots showed the foresight and the taste to bring a good bottle of wine with him. He sounds like someone to cultivate for future get-togethers.
Mark Lipton (veteran of too many of those banquets)