I’ve just returned home from BookLover’s Con in San Diego–unfortunately the final one, according to the event coordinator, JoCarol Jones, but we are hoping for a restart of it after she takes a breather.

Anyway, this reader conference was fabulous! I know I was supposed to take pictures of the Libations of the Regency Lottery Event I helped Ella Quinn with, but we were all trying to keep everything going, and somehow no pictures got taken. This is me before the event, however. I don’t think I looked quite so composed afterwards!

I poured the claret–a red wine from the Bordeaux region of France. It was a blend of grape varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It is said to be smooth on the palate, but I have to admit I thought it didn’t have much taste.

I also poured the Sherry, and this one I found delightful! It’s a fortified wine (which means it’s mixed with brandy) and is one of the world’s oldest wines, being influenced by most of the great empires of history, including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Moors, Spanish, and British. Sherry coms in dry, medium-dry, and cream (a sweet sherry). The first two were avaialble during the Regency (cream sherry came much later). Sherry was enjoyed as an apertif by both ladies and gentlemen. Most of the readers who tasted the sherry liked it.  Ours was a medium-dry sherry and it was delightful! I must admit I drank three little cups of it.

Needless to say, everyone had a great time. Lots of laughing, especially as the afternoon wore on. Many of the readers said the libations were too strong for them, and I agree. It gives me a lot more respect for what Regency men went through when it came to drinking once you’ve tasted port and cognac!

So that was Thursday. Tomorrow I’ll tell you about some of the workshops and the big Faerie costume ball Friday night!