Sunday, October 31, 2010

Luncheon of the Boating Party -2

Some of my favourite characters in this book were the beverages:  wine, champagne, cassis, pear brandy, burgundy, and Armagnac:

Charles raised his glass to look at it.  "A fine mahogany color with an amber surface."  He brought it to his nose to smell the montant, the strongest aromas.  "An abundant nose, not for the faint of heart."  He swirled it gently and watched it coat the glass.  He raised it again for the second nose, the full bouquet.  "Vanilla, plum, and spices."

Charles waited until everyone had enjoyed the aromas.  "The perfect sip is always the first."

"You're wrong, Angele said.  "The perfect sip is the one you're sipping."

"With a long, deep aftertaste of prunes," Raoul said.  "A far sight better than your young brandy in that country cask, you'll have to admit."
.... "D'accord."

Painting is Renoir's Lunch at the Restaraunt Fournaise (1875).  Another scene of conviviality, wine, food, and boating.

2 comments:

The Clever Pup said...

Hey Diane. I love this painting but I found Vreeland's book mediocre. Although I did admire her research.

Diane said...

I was thinking of you when I read this, thought it would be up your alley considering your recent trip...
I liked it, and am now reading her novel about Emily Carr.