Author: Terry Connor

A Review An Interactive Wine Dinner (Tuesday) On Tuesday evening, March 6th, I was privileged to attend the dinner at Charlie’s L’etoile Verte Restaurant. This event was part of the series of dinners put on by the “Great Chefs of the South” for the Hilton Head Food and Wine Festival.

I wish that Franco would purchase a map of the United States. He insists that we go to the wineries of Virginia. This is not a bad idea, however we are in Texas. Oh well! I should not complain. It is his car and he is determined to see the USA and most of the wineries that are contained therein. Answering the question “Why Virginia?” was the easy part. Not long ago Bruce Schoenfield, writing for Travel and Leisure Magazine, pointed out that Virginia is one of the top five wine touring areas along with Italy, Chile, Spain, and New Zealand; and that it should be on the “must-see” list of any adventurous wine traveler.

The schedule has been finalized and the award-winning wines are all being shipped to ready the Island for the unofficial beginning of spring, with the 27th Annual Hilton Head Island Wine & Food Festival on March 10th.

Franco and I are headed south. Franco has an idea in his head to explore the wines of Texas. It is not a bad idea. (I bet he secretly wants to try one of Debbi Covington’s Tex-Mex recipes, which is also not a bad idea.) While driving, Franco asked me why I write about wine. Has not every wine and winery in the world had something written about it? The answer is probably “yes.”

I would like to present a discussion of the wines of Washington State that concentrates on the leading varietals. These varietals are a mix of red and white wines. As best as I am able to determine, the leading varietals are (red) Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah.

Franco and I left Paso Robles with mixed emotions. The wine, the people, the sunny California weather… all very tempting. However, we had our assignment in Washington and so we headed north. Since it was Franco’s first time in the US, we took the scenic route along the coast. My mistake! Franco was so in awe of the spectacular scenery in California and Oregon that he almost forgot what we were about. I have to admit that I was also impressed with the scenery. I had seen it before but “it never gets old.”

I am flabbergasted. There I was in the tasting room at Chateau Montelena. I happened to turn to my left and who was standing there but Franco. I had a strange feeling once we parted company in Italy that I would run into him again. Well, better sooner than later. It seems that Franco hit the lottery (for how much he will not say) in France and decided to come to America. He had decided, as had I, to tour the Napa Region. After a short bring-each-other-up-to-date session, we agreed to pool our resources and tour together. Why not, since he had purchased a 2011 Lincoln SUV? Whattasetofwheels!!

Let’s do something different this issue and talk about wine barrels. I have visited hundreds of wineries in my travels and never paid much attention to the ever-present wine barrels. I guess that I took them for granted as something to contain wine while it aged. Shame on me!

A neighbor knocks on your front door. He states that he must go to Sonoma, California on business for 10 days and that he really does not want to go alone. He states that, if you accompany him, it is a trip with all expenses paid and no conditions attached. Believe me when I say that this neighbor just became your new best friend. Fantasy? Of course it is. However Sonoma, and many other wine regions in California, present to the visitor many opportunities for fantasy, including sensational scenery, manicured wineries, quiet and peaceful surroundings and very talented and pleasant people. At the heart of all this is some pretty terrific wine.

Today I am faced with the same problem that I had in February. Where do I start my article? The wines of California are so numerous, and so often very good, that I resurrected my dartboard and the dart landed in the wine district of Mendocino. (To be politically correct; it is Mendocino County. Mendocino County wine district is quite large in land area and it is home to ten wine regions.) It was another lucky shot indeed.