Inauguration Party at Park 52

To celebrate the inauguration of our 44th President, Mr. Barack the man Obama, I dined, drank and danced the night away at Park 52 in Hyde Park. Hennessy was the evening's sponsor so of course, Congnac was incorporated into all of the cocktails that evening. I started the night drinking the Congnac straight up in a small snifter, but my personal favorite was combination of Hennessy, cranberry juice and fresh ginger. I was psyched when I received the Limited Edition Hennessy Bottle. Look at the label. Pretty cool. You can pick one up too. Binny's and Sam's has them. Music was provided by a fantastic jazz band, Julia Huff and the Company.

Cheers.

While in San Francisco...

I can count on one hand, the number of instances where I've stopped a server at a restaurant and begged for them to write down the name of the wine that I'm drinking. 

This was one of them.

So inspiring was the 2007 Groth Sauvingnon Blanc, that I've taken the time to read the history of the vineyard, the evolution of the land and have run several google searches on the owner (an early investor of the 1980's video game phenomenon Atari).

I was in San Francisco on business and was seated at a round table in the middle of the small dining room at Piperade, a Basque inspired restaurant set against Telegraph Hill.

The food was delicious. The wine, phenomenal.

For a girl who is loyal to her reds, this cool, crisp alternative swept me off my feet. I would only allow myself the tiniest sips as I enjoyed the artisanal cheese with thinly sliced serrano ham. Although Groth is known for the full bodied Cabernet Savingnon's that they produce in Oakville, Napa Valley, their Sauvignon Blanc won me over with its a clean, citrus backbone. 

It had remarkable character. 

For those who don't live on the west coast (sigh...) you can pick up a bottle of Groth's Cabernet Sauvignon of Sauvignon Blanc at your local Binny's.