Per Vitem!  Ad Vitam!  (Through the vine!  Towards life!)

KNIGHTS  OF THE VINE  Nation's Capitol Chapter

What can one say?  Fantastic comes to mind.  Master Knight Frank Denniston and Gentle Lady Edit Kalapos certainly know how to put on a first class event.  The foods were excellent and the service was great.  And, in my view the wines were dead on.  I still taste the veal lollipops with the Champagne.

At the ceremony, Gentle Lady Debra Arthur was elevated to Master d’Elégance.  Debra and Knight Ken Arthur have been very active in our events and have been aggressively recruiting new members.

Joining us were Knight Gary Amato and his wife Gentle Lady Catherine Amato.  Gary splendidly performed the duties of ceremonial knight.  Although he was forewarned only immediately prior to the ceremony, Gary demonstrated great humor and vive and brought out the best traditions of this ceremony.  Gary is an engineer and a wine merchant.  He and Catherine have a specialty wine store in Warrington that Catherine, no doubt, spends most of the time operating.  They were nominated for membership by Knight Dan Neja and myself.

Jere Broh-Kahn joined us as Knight.  With extensive overseas experience with the government Jere has a broad knowledge of wines worldwide.  Now retired, no doubt Jere will spend more time learning about Virginia wines.  Jere was nominated by Supreme Knight Gordon Murchie

Also joining us as Knight was John D. Francis.  John is a Business Development specialist.  He was nominated by Knight Kenneth Arthur.

Edit Kalapos joined us as Gentle Lady.  She is the Assistant Director of Food and Beverage at Heritage Hunt.  A native of Hungry, her special
challenge during the ceremony was enjoying some popular Hungarian wine, Bull’s Blood.  Edit was nominated by Master Knight Frank Denniston.

Jeffrey Katz joined us as Knight.  Jeffrey is a radio talk show host who lives in Chadds Ford, Pa.  He came to us via the Lake Tahoe Chapter having moved from Nevada prior to being inducted.

Eric Novotny joined us as Knight.  Eric is a Vice President of Marketing at Lockheed Martin and is a member of the US – Russia Business Council, American Political Science Association, and the Republican National Committee.  Eric was nominated by Knight Russ Davis.

Also joining us as Knight was Richard Plocica.  Richard is an independent IT Consultant and an officer of the Optimist International.  Having considered membership in the past during our annual Blessing of the Vines, Richard was finally prompted into joining by our new Gentle Lady Edit Kalapos.

I know all of you will join us in welcoming our new members.
 

Chrysalis is one of the new, up and coming wineries in Virginia.  Although just 3 years old, Chrysalis is winning gold medals for its wines in statewide judging such as the Vineifera Wine Growers competition.  The winery is specializing in Spanish and French varietals as well as the native Virginia grape, Norton.  Chrysalis is experimenting with some of the lesser-known varieties including Viognier, Petit Verdot, Tannat, Fer Servadou, Petit Manseng, Albariño, Tempranillo and Graciano.

Patty Callahan has arranged a casual tour and picnic.  Patty will be providing a platter of cheeses, bread, salami and fruits.  Bring what every you prefer for the picnic.  There are gas grills available.  The cost is $3.00 plus the shared cost of the food platter.  We will purchase the wines at the winery.

So we have a count of how many are coming, contact Sandy Shutler (540-687-5163 or Shutler4@yahoo.com) if you intend to participate in the casual event.

Directions:

• 40 miles West of Washington one mile south of US Route 50.
• From the Beltway, take I-66 to Route 50, then US 50 west past US 15 and Aldie.
• About one mile west of Aldie, take SR 629 (Champe Ford Road) south to winery.
• Telephone # 540-687-8222.

The German Wine Society is planning its 25th Anniversary in Washington to be held over three days.  This will be a wonderful occasion to taste many of the fine German wines, including many that are lesser-known.  The events include a reception at the German Embassy House, tastings and a banquet at the Park Hyatt Hotel.  For further information regarding these events, registration and costs, please visit their web site at http://www.germanwinesociety.org/25th.htm, or call Master Charge d’Affaires Carl Brandhorst at 703-323-6873.

Master Exchequer Joe Alt is putting together at table of KOV members at the banquet.  For further information, contact Joe at joenpat@erols.com