For a listing of IWAGY Leadership, Officers and other Club positions, please see the IWAGY HOME page.
For membership questions, you can find the MEMBERSHIP tab under the IWAGY HOME tab, or you can contact anyone from the listing noted above.
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It Was A Good Year, Inc.
June 2024 Volume 46, #6
Board of Directors: Tim Free Stephanie Pyrek Chris Umlauf
Our July Tasting Information:
Date: Wednesday, July 24th
Time: 6:00 PM *Please note the ½ hour earlier start time!
Location: Casa Italiana, 1195 Rte. 376, Wappingers Falls; (845) 454-1492
Deadline for Reservations & Payment: Saturday, July 20th
Price: $50 per member and $55 per guest
· Reservations are limited to the first 50 received
· Participation is by reservation only!
Coordinators for this event: John Canevari ([email protected]) and Tim Free ([email protected] )
The Marriage of Olive Oil and Wine
Please join us this July for one of the most unique events IWAGY has ever offered! Most people have an understanding that both vitis vinifera (grapevines) and olive trees (shrubs) are indigenous to the same general area: much of the Mediterranean basin and foothills of not too distant mountain ranges. It appears, to the best that modern day archaeologists can ascertain, that the two ‘commodities’ of wine and olive oil were developed by various ancient peoples around the same time and they were later distributed by seafaring traders throughout the Mediterranean area. Pottery vessels to contain them were also available at this time. Today, it seems obvious to many people that the two liquids have an affinity and we intend to explore this in our July tasting. Olive oil retailer & sommelier John Canevari and “wine guy” Tim Free, both IWAGY members, will guide you through a tasting of 4 imported oils and 4 paired wines.
This tasting and presentation should conclude about 7-7:15PM. After the tasting we will offer you some social time and a light food buffet to assuage the appetites that we are certain the wines and oils will have stimulated. A little post-presentation tasting of some wines might also be available.
Here are some of the oils and wines we will be sampling:
- Favolosa Olive Oil (S. Africa) and Unorthodox Chenin Blanc 2022 (S. Africa)
- Arbosana Olive Oil (Spain) and Hirutza Txacoli 2022 (Basque Spain)
Following the tasting you will be invited to a buffet of foods (enough for a light meal).
We are trying to provide foods that echo the tastes of the olive oils and wines we have sampled.
Special dietary needs? Please contact either coordinator; we can make you a special plate.
About our speakers:
John Canevari was a member of IWAGY from 1995 - 2003 and has happily rejoined in 2023. A former vinifera grape grower for Millbrook Vineyards, John and his wife Beth now own The Blue Olive (extra virgin olive oil and vinegar gourmet stores) in Pawling, Cold Spring and soon Poughkeepsie. John continues in his passion for wine knowledge and wine making.
Tim Free is the founder of IWAGY and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. He has worked in the wine business from 1995-2014) and taught wine-food pairing classes from 2003-2019.
Slight change in our reservation procedure:
When you have decided to attend, please email the coordinator, Tim Free, at
[email protected] as soon as possible. Then download, print and fill out the reservation form attached and submit it with your payment to Tim Free, 9 Broad Street, Fishkill, NY 12534. Tel: (845) 896-6361. We will confirm your reservation via email when your payment is received. The form can also be edited and sent to Tim via email.
A Note from the Board:
The increase in planning time needed to organize events with food and other special accoutrements has caused us to urge you to let us know your plans as soon as possible. The request for advance notice that your payment is “in the mail” provides the coordinators with the necessary lead-time for determining how much food and wine to purchase, glassware needs, seating, etc. We still need to receive your payment by the deadline. If you have not received notification that your payment has been received we cannot admit you to the event. Of course, we will try to accommodate all members even after the deadline, but late reservations and payment make things much more difficult for event coordinators. Thank you for your consideration and understanding with regard to this matter. If you know for certain that you will not be attending, it would be helpful for the planners to also know this.
►Please check with Greeters for your Olive Oil & Wine tasting notes handout upon arrival.
Please remember the Club cautions members and guests about drinking and driving. The amount of each wine poured is small, and meant to be swirled, sniffed, tasted and spit into the dump cup provided. Please consider arranging for a designated driver if you feel the need.
Volunteers needed J Please check the appropriate box on the reservation form.
Greeter(s): one or two people to arrive by 5:30PM and check people in, etc.
Platers: will need to arrive by 5:15 PM to help set up the food tables
Set-Up: volunteers will need to arrive by 5:15 PM to help set tables, etc.
Oil and wine pouring:
Pouring Coordinator: will need to arrive by 5:15 PM to supervise pouring
Pourers: will need to arrive by 5:15 PM to begin pouring the wines and oils
Clean-Up: will need to stay 45-60 minutes after the conclusion to help clean up
*Remember, we are starting a half-hour earlier for this event.
***Don’t forget to download, print and complete the attached reservation form. ***
(The form can be submitted via US Mail, or you can edit it electronically and email it to Tim Free)
Special Thanks
We want to sincerely thank Marcus and Jamie Guiliano for the presentation, food and wines provided at our great June event! Also, thanks to the many IWAGY members who helped as greeters, with food plating and serving, wine pouring, and cleanup! Also thanks to Suzanne Lunham, one of the coordinators of the event, who recruited Marcus as the presenter.
Save the Date
Our next upcoming wine tasting is planned for August 29, 2024 at the Powelton Club. Tim Free, the coordinator for this event, is planning a stand-up/walk-through wine tasting with three stations serving Italian wines and Italian-inspired food.
*Please check our website IWAGY.org for frequent updates!
Our goal is to have this announcement posted as soon as possible after email distribution.
Reminder About Our New Deal to Expand Our Membership
Do you know someone who has an interest in wine and think they might enjoy our wine tastings? Well here is a way to entice them to get involved:
- Invite them to attend one tasting event at half-price!
This deal started at our May 16th event and will be honored at any subsequent wine tastings* in 2024. This deal only applies to their first event.
*Wine tastings only - not applicable to wine pairing dinner or food events
To take advantage of this offer, the people you invite must complete and submit the attached Recruitment Form. We wish you happy recruiting!
We are also using the 50% off deal to recruit members via some wine shops in the local area.
*This offer does NOT apply to current Trade members nor to ex-members who have not renewed their membership.
Last updated: 6/30/2024