FIND A RESTAURANT

Great Deal of the Day!

Red Sox Giveaway

Win 2 Luxury Box tickets and more to see the Red Sox vs. Tampa Bay.
Today's Deal
 

Dining, Food & Wine Article

In Good Company

Five Boston bon vivants pair wine with winnings.

By Christie Matheson

Divas Uncorked toast a night out at Mohegan Sun. Photo by Kathleen Dooher.
Divas Uncorked, a group of 10 local professional women who have hosted spirited wine events since 1999, adhere to a strict motto: “wine savvy, not wine snobby.” The ladies often take their tastings on the road—from Martha’s Vineyard to South Africa—so when five of the sassy oenophiles descend on Connecticut’s Mohegan Sun, the resort is ready for them with fine wines and a little after-dinner entertainment.

>>7 P.M. At Michael Jordan’s Steak House, the group welcomes the night with a Veuve Clicquot toast. “We learn more when a professional chooses for us,” says Diva Rosalind Johnson of general manager Mia McSherry’s pairing menu. The first of many bottles, a Conundrum sauvignon blanc, provokes nostalgia for a 2002 trip to the California winery, and suddenly, food, drink, and scintillating discussion flow freely. Pulitzer Prize–winning Diva Katherine Kennedy plunges a blackberry into a palate-cleansing Inniskillin ice wine while the first of three steak dishes arrives with a Shafer petite sirah (the favorite of the night). By dessert, boisterous conversation rules: “Make sure you let Michael Jordan know,” announces artist Barbara Cruz, “that there were some fine chocolate ladies in the house tonight.”

>>10:30 P.M. A few Divas head for the slots, but Cruz plays blackjack. Losing four straight hands doesn’t temper her energy—she moves on to craps, where a hot roller helps her win everything back, plus more. Carole Alkins, director of client services for the Boston Red Sox, raises her voice above the others. “I have no idea what she’s doing,” she says, laughing, “but she’s good!”

>>12:30 A.M. The Divas are still going strong at Leffingwells, a lounge-like bar dominated by a three-story indoor crystal “mountain.” Alkins orders Sambuca as Gert Cowan, a former Boston NAACP board member, orders cognac. An hour later, the ladies are still sipping and dishing; the talk turns to travel and, then, ideas for their next extravagant outing.

>>Mohegan Sun, One Mohegan Sun Blvd., Uncasville, CT, 888-226-7711, mohegansun.com.
Originally published in Boston magazine, July 2006
 

Change text size
Print

Email

Write a comment
 
 

User comments

No users have posted comments on this article.

Post a comment

(* = required field.)
  • Please check to make sure that your referer is not blocked.


Subject line of your comment*
Your comments (200 words max)*
Email*
First name*
Last Name*
Enter the code shown below.
Visual CAPTCHA
This helps prevent automated form submissions.
 
Boston Buzzworthy

Boston Magazine Daily

Follow Boston Magazine tweets on twitter.com/bostonmagazine
 
 

Travel Club Newsletter

Sign-up for our Travel Club email to receive special New England getaway packages.
 
 

Boston magazine Readers' Choice Awards

It's our first annual Readers' Choice Awards, presented by JetBlue, and we want to hear from you! We've selected ten categories - now it's up to you to cast a...
 
 

Great Seasonal Drinks.

Hit the town and check out some of these amazing cocktails!
 
 

Dental Profiles

Keep your mouth happy and your body healthy. Find Boston’s finest dentists here.