My friends and I lost our regular trivia spot when Connolly’s Irish Pub, in Cary, canceled Big Slow Tom’s trivia last week, which was emceed by the fabulous Dave. We looked forward to his excited yesses and dramatic noes, complete with slow motion head-shaking in disappointment each time we turned in an incorrect answer. And the prizes were great! 3rd place received $25 in Connolly’s gift cards, 2nd $35, and 1st, a hefty $50. It was perfect for our level of skill; we placed more often than we didn’t. But alas, Connolly’s put a stop to it this year and so we are trivia orphans, looking for someplace to call home.
On a list compiled by my friend, Lisa, of Triangle area trivia offerings, we saw that Six Plates Wine Bar, in Durham, offered blind wine tasting and trivia on Mondays. We were interested, not for a regular spot as wine would be a bit too focused of a subject, but as a place to enjoy trivia while discussing our trivia options. Sounds like a match made in heaven, right? I tweeted @sixplates to see if they were holding it this week, as more often than not, places only seem to keep trivia up for a few months to a year before canceling it, even with a full crowd of regular attenders (oh, City Beverage, oh Connolly’s; how you’ve done me wrong!) Six Plates, indeed, was not offering the blind tasting and trivia this week, but they were kind enough to put together one just for our group of 7. We really appreciated that!
So what does blind tasting and wine trivia entail? For $12/person, Six Plates gives you four 2-ounce pours. For each wine, you have four questions to answer, ranging from “Northern or Southern Hemisphere?” to “Over or under 50% new oak barrels?” The bottles are disguised with numbered wine bags and believe me, you won’t get a peek. I’m not saying I tried — okay, I’m saying I tried. There’s no rush, either, so savor each glass, then head back to the bar to get your next pour in between ordering one, or several, of their six plates for your trivia nourishment. Once you’ve made it through all the questions, the wines and answers will be revealed. Our friend, Steve, came out on top with 14 of 16 questions correct (I was tied for second with 12).
Moral of the story? If this sounds fun, let Six Plates know and they will set it up for you, too! We really appreciated being able to play, even when they hadn’t been planning to put it on, and it was great fun for the wine lovers amongst us. We also managed to pick our next foster trivia parents, Ben’s Place over on Highway 70 in North Raleigh, in between sips. So thanks, Six Plates, for a great night out! And wish us luck finding a trivia home. Anybody have a spot they’d recommend for trivia in the area?
Heading into a tasting room, whether as part of a winery, distillery, meadery, or brewery, is always exciting for me. I love being able to sample several items, always hoping the flight will offer the joy of unexpected flavors or show off clear differences between aging and brewing styles. Ideally, the location will offer a mix of relaxation and information, and when beautiful scenery is also on offer? Perfection.