Wine Parties: A Day in the Life Sunday

With Thanksgiving in the rear view mirror, there is one gathering I look forward to every year to get me in the holiday mood - the annual wine party. For over 25 years, friends of ours have hosted a wine party after Thanksgiving. We didn't know them when they first started but we do now and we've be partaking in tradition the last few years.

Photo credit: iStockphoto

It goes like this: the hosts purchase the wine and the guests bring the appetizers. We introduce the wines, taste the wines, eat food that pairs (mostly) with the wine, talk with each other, talk about the wine - and repeat.

It's great.

Wanting a reason to get together more often, we've expanded to include beer-tasting and a martini party. Now, we're tossing around the idea of Bloody Marys in the late winter/early spring and rum/vodka based drinks on the river in summer.

So, a finance, engineering, logistics and HR walk into a wine party. Finance calculates cost per bottle of a homemade wine, engineering assesses the wine-making equipment and overall process safety, logistics calculates supply and demand, and HR . . . .

What does HR do?

More important, what's your favorite adult-beverage themed party?

By: Lisa Rosendahl

No HR. All Fun. A Day in the Life Sunday

I am heading out with girls today.

Can you identify this and where it can be found? Let me assist. It's a leaf and it can be found in a vineyard. The Saint Croix Vineyard to be exact. This is one of three vineyards we'll be visiting in and around the area as part of our first ever Summer Wine Tour.

"Summertime and the livin' is easy... especially when there's a glass or two of wine involved."

My summer hasn't been the easiest. It's been HR psycho actually. I haven't been able to see beyond the edge of the next 60 minute block of time for longer than it is healthy for me to be in that state.

The kid is coming out of whatever strep/pertussis/headache-like bug has had her down for the better part of July, the husband is golden, (except when he lead me to believe he bought the kid a hamster), and my office is rocking (I have the best of the best in HR).

Olympic athletes splashed across print and screen is giving me extra motivation to put down that second piece of Pepperidge Farm Coconut cake and exercise. . . tomorrow.

The day away isn't going to be the one great equalizer but it will be a fun reprieve. What are you up to?