Sometimes, writers are called into harm's way for the sake of their art; Hemingway went to war, and Ida Tarbell took on Big Oil. At NoDef, we would never shirk such a storied history.

So, this weekend, your intrepid reporter compiled his personals items, said a prayer, and ventured forth into the fray. The jourey was long and arduous, and we were forced to dodge streetcars and tourists alike before arriving at the Internation al Champagne and Sparkling Wine Invitiational (ICSWI.)

Within the Convention Center, we found hundreds of bottles of bubbly awaiting our tasting. One last prayer, please Lord, deliver my liver from harm, and then we opened our mouth we a sense of trepidation, yet fixed in our purpose.

The ensuing tasting was nothing if not transcedent. The event was no simple swishing of swill. To the contrary, the room probably held the greatest selection of fine champagne ever assembled in one place. In addition, undeterred by volcanic ash, most of the world's top winemakers made it to New Orleans to describe their product. While this may sound snobby, the result was far from elitist. In fact, we received a reminder that those who make wine are rarely the stiffs that we sometimes associate with ordering wine; the makers tend to be simple farmers with an immense pride in their work. The producers worked hard to explain in English not jsut the varieties of grapes inolved, but the generations of tradition in their family creating the juice.

And, most of all, they shared.

The sharing and the heritage reminded us all of the underlying base of wine loving... and, to be frank, it was quite New Orleans. When speaking to culinary superstar, Rudolph Peters, about his family's work on Pierre Peters vineyard, I might as well have been speaking to a Marsalis about music.

Throughout this all, we had to keep drinking... oh, the horror! Fortunately, we are New Orleanians, and our innards were well conditioned.

Also in attendance were a host of sommelliers from across the nation, and some local flavor. Chuck Subra of La Cote Brasserie offered some very tasty Cajun food prepared with gourmet flair in the form of tasso & greens spoonbread, with a classic gumbo, and Mark Quitney of the Marriot offered pulled pork sandwiches so good that our yankee guests probably think that Creole cuisine tastes like North Carolina BBQ. Local celebrity, Poppy Tooker educated us all about endangered NOLA dishes like Creole Cottage Cheese, and rice calas.

Yes, dear reader, it was hard work! However, somehow we rose tothe occasion, and even picked some favorites: Billiot and Pierre Peters. We're off to eat something starchy to soak it all up, and then we'll be back to offer some full reviews. Stay tuned!