The Wine Channel Blog @ www.thewinechannel.net

The motto at the bottom of The Wine Channel business card reads “From Wine What Sudden Friendship Springs.” Back in July I read an article about some folks having an outdoor dinner at a Capitol Hill home in Washington DC. As the dinner was winding down a would-be robber happened upon the scene, pulled out a gun and threatened to start shooting if the dinner guests didn’t hand over their money. One of the hosts asked him if he would like a glass of wine and he accepted. Sipping a Chateau Malescot-St. Exupery, he said, “Damn, that’s a good wine.” He then had some cheese to go along with another glass of wine and said that he had made a mistake and asked for a group hug instead. The dinner guests complied and the would be robber then peacefully left with a full wine glass in hand. I just found this story astounding because it just exemplifies the virtues of wine. Wine brings people together. Now I know that this story could have had an unhappy ending but the fact of the matter is the host opened up the party to one more guest and in the end, all he wanted was friendship. The total loss was a crystal glass and a story worth telling over and over again. How well do you know your neighbors? When was the last time you had a bunch of friends over and sat around enjoying a good bottle of wine? Why not invite some friends over and have them invite someone you don’t know to come with them? After all, “From Wine What Sudden Friendship Springs.” The least you can do is make another friend and in return bring some joy into the life of someone else. Salute!