CHAMPAGNE, SALMON, & CAVIAR CRUISE
Viewing the Memorials

The Admiral Tilp is being prepped for our sailing.  From its top deck, this double-decker vessel gives clear, unobstructed 360° views of the most stunning monuments in our Capital  City.  It is Coast Guard certified for over seventy and will comfortably accommodate fifty passengers.  Our scheduled cruise will include the breathtaking views of Washington Monuments and Memorials at night.

It is rumored that we will have appropriate beverages to celebrate grand views of Washington.  Rumored??  Most likely, this year, as last, the goodies will be on the lower deck and the real party on the upper deck.

Please make your reservations by sending your check to Master Exchequer Joe Alt at 8201 Tis Well Drive, Alexandria, VA 22306.  Since we will be purchasing perishable foods for the cruise we will require payment be submitted by Friday, October 3.  We are still holding the price at $59.00 per person for each member and first guest and $65.00 per person for additional guests.

Please make your reservations early.  Please remember that we embark at 6:45 p.m. and sail at 7 p.m.  Time and tide wait for no knight or lady. The Port of Alexandria (city marina) is behind the Torpedo Factory at Union and Cameron Streets in the heart of Old Town Alexandria.

The dress is casual or nautical.  Ladies, please do not wear heals.  If the day is cool, remember it gets cooler on the water in the evening so please be prepared for evening breezes. That day, the Redskins play away.

THOMAS JEFFERSON HARVEST DINNER

The Palladio Restaurant continues to receive outstanding reviews greatly adding to its growing national reputation.  Last year, the James Beard Foundation, the most significant culinary society in America, invited Chef Melissa Close and staff to present its annual Christmas Dinner in New York.  Take a peek at their wonderful monthly luncheon and dinner menus.

The grounds of the vineyard include the ruins of the historic Barbour mansion that was designed by Thomas Jefferson and, unfortunately, destroyed by fire in 1884.  General Manager Luca Paschina as well as Maitre D’ Alessandro Medici and Head Chef Melissa Close are diligently working with us to prepare for an evening worthy of the event and the venue.  This event promises to be a Thomas Jefferson Harvest Dinner equal to any.

Tentatively, the evening will start about 6 p.m. with a reception of sparkling wines in the tasting room and continue to a full dinner in the dining room.

In addition, we are tentatively arranging a private tour of Monticello and a tour of one or two wineries that are not open to the public.

Since this may be more than a one evening event, Master Exchequer Joe Alt has arranged special rates for the KOV at the English Inn in Charlottesville.  The Inn has set aside 20 rooms for us at the rate of $64.50 (couple) and $58.60 (single) plus 9.5% tax.  The cut off date for the special room rates is October 24.  The AAA guide awards the Inn with three Diamonds and states, "English Tudor exterior and lobby with many items that would make the guest feel as though they were in an English manor.  Big fireplace."  The price includes a complementary buffet breakfast that has been described as exceptional.

Joe is looking into arranging transportation from the hotel to and from the restaurant.

Formal invitations for the event will be sent out in early October.  Please be aware seating is limited to forty.

OTHER NEWS

Cancellations: Due to a change in the ownership of BV Vineyards, we were forced to cancel the second Educational Wine Tasting that was tentatively scheduled in September.  Also the Virginia Wine Cruise of the Caribbean has been cancelled.  

Virginia Wine Day: The Feature Article in the upcoming Arbor Magazine will be Virginia Wine Day on Capitol Hill.  Thank you to the KOV members who helped make this event a stunning success.  Senator Warner’s letter to us that will be in the magazine says it all.  Originally proposed to be a prototype event to be copied by other states once or twice per year, some members of Congress suggested Virginia conduct this event annually.  However, given the buzz this event created on the Hill, a certain senator from New York immediately demanded that New York State be given a chance to show its wares.  That event is taking place as I write.
The Arbor will have a large spread of the events held by our chapter.  I thank all those who help in the preparation of these events and the photos thereof.  

Health & Wine:  Last month, thanks to Supreme Knight Murchie, I had the opportunity to have dinner with R. Curtis Ellison, MD, and the nation’s foremost authority on the healthful benefits of wine consumption.  He is the head of the Epidemiology Section of the Boston University Medical School.  A search on Google under his name will produce a number of articles –  most of them published on the Alcohol in Moderation (AIM) website.  Of the ones I read thus far, his May 14, 2002 article gives the best summary of the research.  Curt points out that in 1974, after 25 years of research, the Framingham Heart Study reported to National Institutes of Health (NIH) that four factors appear to be strongly related to deaths from Cardio-Heart Disease (CHD): cigarette smoking, high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and abstinence from alcohol.  The published results contained no mention of alcohol.  In 1997, Dr. Carl Seitzer, who analyzed the alcohol data, revealed that NIH had notified him not to include the possible benefit of consumption of alcohol.  One more example that "political correctness" can be hazardous to your health!

The AIM web site has numerous articles written by other researchers as well.  The April 30, 2000 article, "Red wine versus white wine – is there a difference in health benefit?" by Dr. Philp Nerrie, explains why drinking wine in moderation is far superior for health than drinking grape juice:  far greater concentrations of antioxidants and the alcohol adds in the absorption of the antioxidants.  Also, it appears that drinking white wine is as effective as drinking red wine.  Red wine has far greater concentrations of antioxidants and phenols than white wine.  But, apparently, the antioxidant molecules in white appear to be smaller thus absorbed more easily.