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PCHS Young Associates Hosts History of Champagne
Party event raises funds for museum
by Maria Theodore Leiter
 | | Hank & Krista Osborn, with Emily and Charlie Dupree at the Young Associates History of Champagne Party |
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The History of Champagne was the timely theme of the second Young Associates fundraising event for the Putnam County Historical Society and Foundry School Museum on Saturday, February 10, 2007.
Held at the stately home of Carolyn and Chris Fadden, and hosted by Nicole and Scott Jandrucko, the well-attended gathering served to raise money for the PCHS&FSM, which is presently undergoing a second wave of minor renovations and is scheduled to open with a new exhibit in March. In addition, the evening was an opportunity to bring new, somewhat younger, members into the fold at the historical society.
"It was a very elegant, fun and informative evening," said Scott and Nicole Jandrucko. "I thought it was a very elegant event," added Nicole. In deciding on the theme, the couple wanted something that would tie into the romance of Valentine's Day.
"We find that we can raise more money for an event if alcohol is involved," laughed Neil Zuckerman, Board Secretary. On a serious note, he said that the evening raised $2,000 for the museum and almost doubled the ranks of Young Associates.
Many guests were pleased to once again be educated on the qualities and history of champagne by Stephen Osborn, who locals remember from his occasional stints over the years at Yannitelli's Wine store in Cold Spring; not a few of us having showed up at various parties and events with the perfect bottle, thanks to Steve's expert counsel.
As it turns out, Champagne was what drew Osborn into a life of wine enthusiasm, and Yannitelli's was a stopover to his life as proprietor of Stoutridge Vineyard in Marlboro, NY.
Those who attended were treated to a generous sampling of different sparkling wines and champagne, accompanied by a history lesson delivered by Osborn.
"How do you make something not so interesting, interesting?" he posited as guests tasted the first offering of Italian Prosseco. As he explained, champagne grapes are those grown in colder regions of France. They lack the flavor of their wine-ordained cousins, and therefore early vintners, ignoring the advice of those who told them they should never try to grow wine grapes in their region, pondered on a way to bring out the flavor of their stock by adding textures; thus the bubbly. The carbonation adds balance to the wine and brings the flavor of the grape to the forefront.
Other wines sampled included a Sparkling Rose from New York, and a true champagne by Nicolas Feuillate. A bottle of 1985 Bollinger champagne from the Fadden's personal collection was auctioned off and brought an additional $500.
"In addition to introducing new members to the PCHS, the events are a great way for community members to socialize," said board member Jennifer Marrinan. "We want to educate people about what an asset the museum is."
"The PCHS is a great resource and a newly-renovated Foundry School Museum is a little gem, right in the Village of Cold Spring. I'm happy to drink champagne to support the cause!" said new Young Associates member and party-goer Eugenie Milroy.
The champagne was accompanied by an abundance of gourmet h'ordeuvres, which were donated by Pascal Graff of Cold Spring's Le Bouchon.
"Le Bouchon went above and beyond," the Jandruckos agreed. "Everyone was extremely generous."
Wine for the event was donated by Donny Yannitelli of Yannitellis Wine & Spirits in Cold Spring, and Viscount Liquors of Fishkill.
The quarterly Young Associates events are open to both members and non-members. Those interested in getting on the emailing list to receive event information and invitations can call the PCHS&FSM at 265-4010 and provide their names and email addresses.
The Foundry School Museum will reopen in March with a retrospective by local Historian and PCN&R contributor Donald MacDonald.
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