If you are into wine (or even if you are not) and have never gone to a large wine tasting event, I encourage you to do so! These events are a blast, both because of the terrific wine that they serve, and also because the people are so much fun to watch! We attended Around the World in 80 Sips (what a great name!) at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, which was presented by Bottlenotes.

As I said, these events are a blast! The various wines were displayed on tables all around the first floor of the museum, with displays from distributors representing Chilean, Argentinian, Italian, South African, Spanish, French, New Zealand, US, Portuguese, German, and even Moroccan and Indian wines! The Wines of France had a very cool display showing wines from all over France (Alsace, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Bourgogne, Champagne, Languedoc-Roussillon, Loire, Provence, Rhone, and Sud-Ouest). Pretty much all the wines were $25 or less retail, with a few exceptions. Basically, the rules are that you come in and register, they hand you a glass (yours to keep!) and a booklet, and off you go!

Displays of wine and attendees enjoying the event.

If you chose to pay more money, there was the VIP Sherry Suite upstairs in the museum sponsored by Sherry-Lehmann Wine & Spirits Merchants. These wines were definitely more expensive, ranging from $40 up to $200 per bottle. Wines upstairs included champagnes from Tattinger, Louis Roederer, Nicolas Feuillatte, and Henriot; Bourgogne wines from Vosne-Romanee and Corton Charlemage; a gorgeous Bordeaux from Pichon Longueville Lalande; Italian wines including Amarone, Barbaresco, Barolo, Super Tuscans, Chiantis, and a wonderful Aglianico; Napa cabernets; a New Zealand Syran from Gimblett Gravels area; a Spanish Rioja Gran Reserva Especial; and a fabulous Vintage Port from 2011.

The people who attend these events are definitely there to have fun. The people who pour the wine, both volunteers and employees of the various distributors, have great personalities and love to talk about the wine they are pouring. The attendees are a mix of people just wanting to attend a fun event on a Friday night to real wine connoisseurs looking to augment their collection, to wine retailers deciding what new wines to carry in their stores.

We decided that there were several different personality groups at these events. There was a set of people definitely trying to drink all the wines in the event - so quantity and speed over savoring. These were the "speed sippers". Then there were the people who knew exactly what they wanted to taste, so they would station themselves strategically in front of the particular booth to talk with the pourers and savor the wines. These were the "campers". And then there were the "sip-and-dump" people - they wanted to taste everything, but no more than a sip! So ergo, take a sip, then dump the rest of the wine in the glass. I have to say, there was absolutely no way that I was going to sip-and-dump the Tattinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2002 or the Bordeaux! So we were the fourth type of attendees, tasting a fair number of the wines, dumping very little, engaging in conversation, savoring and enjoying but not trying to speed through or consume it all. Obviously, the "well-balanced" group, just like many of the wines!

The other thing to note is that very little food is served at these events. Bottlenotes was very kind to remind all the people who had bought tickets to be sure to eat something first. A very wise move! While there were some appetizers served, there definitely was not enough food for all the attendees (particularly those who did not purchase the VIP tickets). We made a before (and after) stop at Bibiana Osteria Enoteca to eat. A great place - and we'll definitely be back!

Last year, we went to a similar event sponsored by Wine Enthusiast at the National Building Museum. And in April, Wine Spectator will be sponsoring a similar event to this at the Ronald Reagan Center (as well as in New York and Chicago). Definitely pick one, go, try the wines, and enjoy! Everyone is there to have a good time, socialize, make friends, and enjoy new wines in the process. We are definitely looking forward to another event like this!