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50-50 RAFFLE

POT SIZE:  $537.00

Tickets were drawn by Victoria Davis and Patty Pace, but there were no winners.

 

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A good time was had by all at the holiday party at Chris' house.  Mark recognized and thanked Chris!

 

Mark Leavitt will be next year's President, followed by Viktoria, then Jason Consalvo who will be the Vice President during Mark's term.

 

 

 

Brenda participated in the Spin-A-Thon, along with Mark Shaw, Chris Casey, Mickey Northcutt, Tim Clarke, Viktoria Talebian and her son, Will, as well as Seth Moulton.  Brenda also completed her 10th Ironman in Cozumel, Mexico.  She said it was very hot and windy.  The race consisted of a 2 1/2 mile ocean swim, a 112 mile bike ride, and a 26.2 mile run, which had to be completed in 15 hours.  2,700 people participated in the event.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nick Helides took a river trip to France.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jason Consalvo was glad for a Patriots win!  He is looking forward to the Miami game on Sunday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Bailey paid a $50 fine for his phone going off.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rinus Oosthoek announced there would be a Salem Chamber breakfast next Thursday with Seth Moulton and Kim Driscoll.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Fisher announced he will be the Chairman of the Oral Health of Massachusetts organization.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juli Lederhaus thanked Roberta for running the lottery this week in Mary Ann's absence.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Viktoria Talebian made a few announcements:

 

This past Friday some club members participated in the Salvation Army bell ringing in front of Rob Lutt's office.  Ean Sullivan, Rich Blazo, Mark Shaw, and Bob Conley were the cheerful bell ringers and they raised $250 in 2 hours!

 

The DCF Christmas party was held Saturday.  The setup crew consisted of Mike McLaughlin, Sue Berton, Dave Wescott, and his son, Eric.  Santa was played by Jeff Holloran and his girlfriend, Kim, was the elf.  The cleanup crew was Bob Conley, Mark Shaw, Ean Sullivan, and Patty Pace.   There were 110 kids at the party, along with 2 bouncy houses, cotton candy, popcorn, pizza, a balloon artist, and a magician.  Each child had his picture taken with Santa, received a wrapped gift, a stuffed animal, and a book.

 

Viktoria asked us to think outside the box with regard to calendar sales.  She said that she sold a few calendars to the people she has coffee with every morning.

 

She also attended a wedding at the PEM where the bride and groom made a donation to the Boys & Girls Club in honor of each guest in lieu of giving out wedding favors.

 

 

 

 

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This week's speaker was Maya Goslin from Swampscott.  She is the Editor of Wine and Spirits magazine.  This was her 3rd Rotary presentation. Her first two were in Swampscott and Marblehead. 

 

Maya has been in the liquor business for 15 years.  She believes many people want to know more about wine...and that it should be fun and approachable!  Maya has a club that is like a book club but it is about wine. 

 

 

 

She is a "Bubbly Master", and holds events featuring sparkling wine as her specialty.  The local library had her host a fundraiser featuring wine.  She also does events for the elderly.

 

Maya stated that many great wines are under $20, and that people should judge on taste, not on the price and the label.  Wines from Portugal, Spain, Italy and France are considered old world wines, whereas wines from the USA, Africa and Australia are considered new world wines.

 

Old world wines are rooted in tradition, and it is believed that the product is birthed from the soil and weather conditions.  New world wines are believed to have the ability to be produced in locations other than the original one.  Maya believes in old world wines.

 

A French Burgundy is identified by region, not by the grape. Champagne is also identified by its region.

 

American wines are always identified by the grape.

 

Maya learned about French wines first.  She stated that Italy is the highest fraudulent wine country.  It is estimated that 80% of all Italian wines sold at auction are fake.

 

Sparkling wine is the current #1 trend.  They are great to drink during the holidays!  Champagne is limited to its particular region in France.  Champagne appeals to our desire for luxury, not necessarily its quality or taste.  Some recommended wines are Cava and Prosecco.   In America, there is no regulation of sparkling wine.  We are not allowed to use the name "Champagne", "Cava" or "Prosecco."  Men and women respond differently to the aromas in wine. Women mainly like red wines, and men prefer Champagne, rosé, port and sherry.

 

The proper way to serve wine is to serve red wine after it has been in the refrigerator for no more than 10 minutes, and white wine is served chilled but can be served at room temperature.  The new wave of the future is the twist off top, not the cork.  Corks are found to be letting the wines go bad sooner than the twist off products.  Box wines are popular as well, and are more environmentally sound than bottles.