I have been absent for a few days from this blog as I needed to recover from the feast on Thanksgiving. A wonderful time was had by all and much Italian wine was consumed. A lovely Madeira was added into the mix for dessert thanks to a friend from Broadbent Selections. I have been trying to tango as much as possible to combat the aftermath of Thanksgiving. Tango in New York City and many other cities around the world is a scene unto itself. There are numerous schools, teachers and styles – somewhat like wine. Some of the dances are fast, some slow and the music can be intoxicating when well done and the stars are perfectly aligned. I love the Tango and have been dancing for about four years. I am not entirely obsessed by it as many people are but it is enticing in a way that only a few things can be.

Every night of the week, you can go to a “Milonga” and dance the night away for a limited fee, $10-$15. Many places offer free beginner and intermediate classes generally starting at 700pm. For tango venues in New York City, this is a great “non-partisan” tango calendar put together by Richard Lipkin, a local tanguero. Tango Reporter, is a monthly Argentinian magazine that has a national calendar, articles on the tango, songs, poetry, travel notes and Spanish language tips. Unfortunately, I have never had a truly memorable glass of wine when out dancing, despite consistent and constant attempts on my part. I love Argentinian wines and find this situation frustrating. Happily, that is not the case when one goes into a local wine bar or wine store. You can find great Argentinian wines all over. Later in the week I will write about my trip to Mendoza last year. I was lucky enough to try many fabulous wines and meet some interesting winemakers.

This is a photo of La Boca, the area where Tango first began. The story goes that tango started out as a dance between men while they were on line waiting to “visit” the local women. Upper class Argentinians would never dance the tango in the early days. It was considered vulgar. My first amazing maestro in Italy, Alejandro Ferrante, told me that while non-Argentinians think that they all dance the tango, the truth is that 95% of Argentinians drink Mate’, a local herb while only 5% dance tango. That may be but those 5% have spread the gospel and many people, myself included, are very thankful.