Lisle Wine Enthusiasts began in 1979 when an interested group of Lisle Newcomers decided it would be fun to learn more about wine. We got together and decided to meet monthly hosted by a different member each month.
Early on, the emphasis was on learning as much as possible about wines. Each month, the hosting member presented either a specific wine (cabernet), a wine region (Napa Valley), or a comparison of a wine from different wine regions (California cabernet vs French bordeaux). One member even led a bus expedition to Michigan Wine Country.
The group discovered that we enjoyed learning about different wines and how to taste and evaluate them. The group also found that the camaraderie that resulted made the process all the more enjoyable. Now, more than forty years later, we still enjoy sharing wines with friends, though with less formal presentations. We have no desire to be ‘wine snobs’, just knowledgeable enough to know our way around a wine store or a restaurant wine list.
Today, a host typically has a theme for the tasting: French Bordeaux’s, a specific winery, or a comparison between wines from different regions. For example, tastings have compared French wines to their California counterparts or Chilean wines to South African wines. The goal is on value for the dollar spent. The shared cost of a tasting is normally between $20 and $30 per couple. We taste wines that we may want to go out and buy.
Some years the first and last meetings are social events such as a barbeque or potluck dinner. Christmas meetings may be a dress-
