The best things in life are free, i.e., The art of living

Tomorrow, Tuesday December 6, the downtown Art de Vivre succursale of the SAQ presents a Midi conseil on the subject of dessert wines. This "Art of Living" outlet has been offering these free lunchtime sessions on different themes (the wines of Venice, mentioned in this space yesterday, was another one of them).

Beginning at noon, SAQ wine counsellors will shed some light on the head-scratcher that is the dessert/wine pairing. The SAQ calendar notes that some of the suggested combinations will be audacious. I don't know about that, but what you can rely on during these informative half-hour talks is an educational tasting of each of the 4 products opened. A moderator engages with the wine and the crowd while a sommelier provides the authentic tasting glass, a generous sample and ample background on each of the bottles he uncorks. Since at that time of day you've likely only put breakfast in your stomach, a spittoon will be passed around in case you need it. The presentation is in French but, as they say, wine appreciation is universal, or something like that. The crowd bears this out. At any given session, you are likely to see college students with backpacks in tow, business people flying the coop from nearby offices, and my boss, trying to find out when I might be coaxed back to my cubicle. The answer to this last one is certainly no head-scratcher: as fast as Management can whip out the Sauternes.