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The Sipping Point
Kathy Fisher (in green), Cathy Kilcoyne (in pink) and Penny Price (in black) channel their inner Lucy at Oasis Vineyards in Hume, Va.
(Mark Finkenstaedt Ftwp - Mark Finkenstaedt Ftwp)
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"I started coming years ago because I wanted to learn about wine, and now it just seems normal to come," said Jacqui Cooper, a regular at the club. "In fact, when we don't have tastings, I kind of miss them."
WOMEN'S WINE TASTING CLUB Monthly meetings in Gaithersburg (301-987-5933) and McLean (703-356-6500). http:/
Get the Party Started
Manny and Stephanie Holguin are nothing if not inspired hosts. The Leesburg couple's soirees -- legendary in the neighborhood -- have included sushi parties, salsa dancing fetes and chili cook-offs.
But the wine bash they threw this month -- well, let's just say everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.
The Holguins went all out, even hiring a professional wine guy, Mark Phillips, to select the vintages and give his "Wine 101" talk as guests sipped blissfully in the backyard twilight.
"There's no such thing as a good wine, objectively -- good wine is wine you like," Phillips told the 20-person, khaki-clad crowd nodding in agreement.
Phillips was hired after Manny Holguin, 50, happened upon his public television show ("Enjoying Wine With Mark Phillips") the previous month and became taken with the wine expert's decidedly egalitarian approach.
"I think I'm like a heck of a lot of people in that I really enjoy drinking wine, but more often than not, I'm hit or miss," Manny Holguin said. "He really demystifies things."
Over a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and a fizzy Moscato d'Asti that he brought to the party, Phillips chatted breezily about the ba sics of wine -- where to buy it, how to speak the lingo and which ones match best with which foods. (Tip of the night: Butter goes with everything. When in doubt, add more butter.)
Ninety minutes into the talk a chill set in and Phillips began to wrap up, but guests lingered on, with more questions and stories and requests for refills. Finally, the goose bumps got to be too much, but the Holguins' revelers weren't ready for the festivities to end -- there was, after all, more wine to be drunk inside.
"Steph got calls from people several days after, about how wonderful it was and they were going to try this wine or that wine," Manny Holguin said. "I think everyone was absolutely thrilled . . . it was the talk of the neighborhood."
Wine parties certainly don't require a professional, but there are several who are more than willing to make house calls. Mark Phillips, director of the Wine Tasting Association, can be reached at 703-799-1221. Laurie Forster, a self-proclaimed "wine coach," who also gives wine talks at private parties, is based in Easton; phone: 410-820-4212 or e-mail: laurie@thewinecoach.com.
