Finally, A Reason To Stop Whining About First Fridays

We’ve long wondered where the forces behind First Friday (the real original one in Old City) get off throwing a party without serving any wine. Seriously, what’s the point of crawling through art galleries if you can’t get any hooch in ya? Gallery owners in New York understand this. Heck, even gallery owners in Helena, Arkansas get it. But here in Philly, it’s worse than BYOB. It’s “You’re not allowed to walk around with open containers so stay sober unless you’re friends with the artist and he sneaks you some of his secret stash, sucker. May I interest you in buying some art?”

Ergo, we’re pleased as spiked punch that The Wine School of Philadelphia has recently launched a monthly First Friday gathering that drops all pretense of art and simply goes straight for the drink. Housed in The Wine School’s new Rittenhouse mansion, this First Friday event invites guests to “curl up in a leather chair” or “tuck away in a quiet corner” to sip some vino or browse the wine and spirits library. How wonderfully cozy. For those feeling more sociable, there’s the opportunity to schmooze with the featured guest and sample from the viticultural wares, which change every month.

You don’t need to make reservations but you do need to drop $30 to hob nob in this milieu. Tonight’s First Friday soiree runs from 6:30-9:30 p.m., and this month’s speaker is Quinetta Roberson, the school’s new instructor, who will be introducing a selection of wines grouped under the theme “back to school.” You know, wines chosen because they can be made to fit into some educational category like history, ecology or geography.

Hey, as long as they give us wine we won’t even complain if they include art as one of the subjects.

Wine School of Philadelphia [Official website]