BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – A cozy setting, the pre-summer breeze passing through, good company, healthy conversation and the icing on the cake was the live jazz music played by the Civil Society Project. These elements constituted the perfect complement for the Alliance Francaise Jazz Concert and French Wine and Cheese Tasting event held on Thursday evening (Jun. 18) at its headquarters in Greenlands.
The event was held in celebration of World Music Day - “La Fête de la Musique” - which would be observed tomorrow (Jun. 21).
The véranda of the compound was transformed into a wine-tasting lounge which welcomed approximately 50 individuals, all of whom were ready to allow their taste buds to savor and dance around the selected wines.
Les Carisannes Sauvignon Blanc, a dry, fruity wine, was the first to be sampled. And of course, because pairing makes the difference in how one’s palette receives the wine, it was served with sharp cheddar and soft blue cheese.
Succulent grapes were also served with which the guests could cleanse their palettes in expectation of the upcoming wines.
Paired with mini-vegetable quiches, the second wine, red, was Domaine De Valmoissine Pinot Noir. It is a fruity wine best served at about 14 or 15 degrees Celsius.
The final tasting for the evening was another red wine, Seguret Terrasse Pavee Cotes du Rhone Villages, which goes well with tomato sauces, roasts and meats. But as a starter, it can be served with sharp cheddar.
The almond-covered cheese with which this wine was paired, seemed to be a crowd pleaser as quite a number of the guests were heard raving about its wonderful taste.
All five senses were actively engaged, especially after the Gairy Knight-led Civil Society Project rekindled the love for jazz that some may have lost of which other did not know they had.
They began smoothly with Knight’s fingers gliding effortlessly across the black and white keys of the board, Ronald Abel skillfully picking at the strings of his bass and Quipito Maynard crafting sweet rhythms on the drums.
Some of the lovely melodies were instrumentals and others were beautifully sung by Knight himself.
Autumn Leaves, Honeysuckle Rose were among the initial set of jazz selections, but appearing to be even more enjoyable to the guests were the Project’s jazzy twist to Bob Marley’s ‘Redemption Song’, Stevie Wonder’s ‘Overjoyed’, Konris Maynard’s ‘One Song’ and the Mighty Sparrow’s ‘Ah Fraid…’.
Just before the evening concluded, two members of the crowd, Valencia Kelly and Percival Hanley, volunteered to do a taste test while blindfolded. They were asked to sample two of the three wines they had been earlier served and correctly identify them.
Hanley accurately guessed which was which and won himself a bottle of wine.
Sybil Welsh, a member of the Alliance Francaise Board, was hostess for the evening and she informed that the next wine tasting would be held in September of this year.
