This pair of silver-gilt wine coolers, dated 1814/15, was made by Benjamin Smith II. They are 15-1/2 inches tall. They are part of the Jerome and Rita Gans Gallery of English Silver at VMFA. (Photo by Steven Tucker, © 2007 Virginia Museum of Fine Arts).

RICHMOND, VA.-Drinking customs and vessels and how they have changed over four centuries will be the topic of an event including a lecture, a book signing and a wine tasting March 12 at 6 p.m. at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.

Philippa Glanville, now a senior research fellow and a former chief curator of metalwork at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, will lecture on the topic "Toasting and Tasting: The Art of Drinking." She is the author of the book "The Art of Drinking," published last year by the London museum.

The event will also feature a display, "A Celebration of Bacchus," in VMFA's Jerome and Rita Gans Gallery of English Silver. VMFA's Gans Collection is one of the finest assemblages of English silver in the world and includes superb silver and silver-gilt vessels that were made for the service of wine.

Following the lecture, there will be a tasting of fine wines made from five of the nine classic grapes - Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Syrah. For each of the varietals, participants will be able to compare a wine from New World wine-producing countries with one produced in the Old World. In addition, each wine will be paired with a selection of light hors d'oeuvres.

Lire la suite http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=23037