Wine & Cars Under the Stars Does Indeed Sparkle

Posted on June 16, 2008

After attending the Wine & Cars Under the Stars fundraiser Saturday night, June 14, at Fairplex Pomona (Calif.), set behind Wally Post’s fascinating NHRA Musesum, whether this was the first ever or annual event. The program was mum.

Nonetheless, it was a fun evening, even though I didn’t stay till the end when they were featuring a 1950s-style drive-in movie in a mock-up setting.

Wine & Cars is a fundraiser for the Millard Sheets Center for the Arts, and its main purpose is to introduce the winning wines from the yearly Los Angeles International Wine & Spirits Competition, held since 1935 in advance of the Los Angeles County Fair (where the wines are featured by the glass).

I found two things really memorable about the evening, one related to food and drink and the other to the vintage and custom cars on display.

Car-wise, I simply fell in love with a 1947 Cadillac convertible on display, which is covered on my Mr. Unlucky blog.

Food-wise, I found the hors d’oeuvres and bite-size samplings generally mass produced and mediocre, though some freshly fried potato chips and onion rings definitely filled a big spot in my stomach.

What I’ll remember most is being turned on to Mount Gay Rum, where the young man pouring the drink even knew what a Pimm’s Cup No. 1 is (and had drunk one once too). I’m always impressed when someone knows a Pimm’s Cup. You can’t imagine how many barkeeps stare at me as if I were daft when I enquire about one.

Anyway, I’ve now concluded that Mount Gay Rum and ginger ale is the ultimate summer drink, surpassing the Mojito, and yes, even the drink few have heard of, the Pimm’s Cup, which I first sampled at the British Officers’ Club in Singapore.

The NHRA Museum and surroundings aren’t Singapore, but the mast was definitely over the yardarm all evening.

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