Sparkling wine and shiny sabers? En garde and in a glass? Close enough, for the parents of Columbia High School fencers and others in the community eager to learn a little more about wine. Hank Zona will serve as sommelier and wine educator at a Friday evening Fencing Parents Association “Sparkling Wine Primer.” The fundraiser is open to the public.
Zona, proprietor of Swirl Wine Events, host of “The Grapes Unwrapped,” forthcoming on SOMA-TV, and a fencing parent, explains the genesis of the evening. “I suggested the theme, a sparkling wine primer, because it’s fun and festive and practical too. We only need one type of glass the whole evening,” says Zona.
Like many activities, the CHS fencing program relies on parental involvement and student fundraising efforts, according to John Accardi, who heads the Fencing Parents Association, and Lori Abrams, who guides the fundraising efforts. In this case, parents Dean Roberts and Cathrine Evans have opened their home for the event. For adults only, the evening will feature food, at least five different sparkling wines, discourse about the wines, and raffle items.
Proceeds from ticket sales help fund the highly-successful CHS fencing program, while raffle proceeds will go to the newly-established fencing scholarship fund. Fred Profeta, a former collegiate fencer at Harvard, has been instrumental in setting up the scholarship. Raffle items include wine and what a host needs to serve wine well.
The wine tasting event is open to the public. Accardi notes that donations are also welcome. Scholarship funds, made out to the CHS Fencing Scholarship, are tax-deductible. Anyone wishing to make a donation to Columbia High School Fencing can make a check out to the CHS Fencing Parents Association. Further information about where to send a check, and how to get tickets to the event is available by emailing: loriabramsnj@verizon.net.
Best of all, says Zona, Guests “will walk away with a very good knowledge base that will allow them to more comfortably navigate the sparkling wine and Champagne aisle in their favorite wine shops.”
Article by Marcia Worth at Patch.
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