On Monday the Washington Post carried a great interview with our friend Betsey, the vivacious widow of Johnny Apple, the veteran New York Times political, travel and gastronomic columnist. In it she explained that she was putting the contents of his cellar up for sale.
'MWB', or 'my wife Betsey', as Apple always managed to refer to her in his articles, has since sent me a complete list of the contents of this cellar, which is being offered for sale via John Martin Taylor of www.HoppinJohns.com. He can be contacted by phone or fax at +1 202 722 2559 or via his cellphone +1 202 577 6204 or at stonegroundgrits@yahoo.com
The wines are in two locations, their country place near Gettysburg, Pennsylvania ('Copper Top'), and their home in Washington, DC ('Georgetown').
You can see the list in its original typewritten form, complete with notes such as 'signed by a bunch of journalists and Carter administration people', which apparently applies to a bottle of Ch Haut-Brion 1969.
Download the list here.
In the picture, Betsey is holding a copy of Johnny's last, posthumous book, Far Flung and Well Fed. See more in A day of glorious bottles.
And here is a link to a 2 Jan interview with Betsey on National Public Radio.