Wine tasting coming to Lees market

WESTPORT — It's not hard to get hooked on good wine.

But Lees Market is making sure they'll reel you in by hosting a wine tasting from 1-4 p.m. Dec. 17, featuring High Hook wines, all grown and produced in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

Fish Hook Vineyards and High Hook Wines owner and president Mark Seymour of will be present at the tasting, pouring healthy sips of their pinot noir and pinot blanc, providing information about the vineyard and winery and signing bottles for customers.

Though they hail from the opposite coast, High Hook wines do have a special tie to the SouthCoast and Islands — they use this region as part of their advertising campaign.

According to their website, "The term 'High Hook', as near as we can tell, originated on Cuttyhunk Island. In 1864 a group of wealthy Manhattan business tycoons, unhappy with a flap over the rules and regulations in their Striped Bass fishing club in Sakonnet, R.I., went looking for a suitable place to establish their own club. They found Cuttyhunk, wound up purchasing most of it and formed the Cuttyhunk Fishing Association.

"Eventually, there would be a total of (50) members, among them some of the most powerful men in America. The member who caught the biggest Striper was referred to as the 'High Hook,' and was given a diamond-studded pin in the shape of a fish hook.

"The term is still fairly widely used and, depending on what state you're in, refers to the person who catches either the biggest fish or the most fish. It's also used more generally as an indicator of excellence."

Lees will donate $3 per bottle to the Town of Westport Shellfish Restoration Fund. High Hook donates $3 per case to the Ocean Conservancy.

For more information please visit www.leesmarket.com or call (508) 636-3348 and ask for the wine department. For more information about the High Hook wines, visit their website at www.fishhookvineyards.com.

Lees is located at 796 Main Road in Westport.