Category Archives: Wine

Recoup Time or: The Day After

06 Sunday Oct 2019

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Salutations™!!IMG_20191006_085433_033

So, my normal “Spinning Sunday” post didn’t happen. In fact, whilst I’m posting this for Sunday, I wrote it Monday night. We did The Big Sip Fest, drank a good bit, ate some good food, went to Willows anyway and then grabbed a ride home and promptly fell asleep. I woke up, we went to pick up my car, did a little grocery shopping, then watched football. So, I didn’t feel like doing much writing. I took it off.

So, here we are tonight. I’m still taking “Sunday” off. ‘Nite.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“I drink too much. The last time I gave a urine sample, it had an olive in it.” – Rodney Dangerfield.

In the Spirit or: Wine Down!

31 Friday May 2019

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Salutations™!!

Tomorrow is the second annual Spirits of Summer festival downtown. To find out more about it visit The Man Who Ate the Town’s website.

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I’ll be hosting two chefs tomorrow at the Lowe’s Food Demo Tent. Come on down and see me, have great libations and great food!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“North Carolina wineries will be offering tastings and purchase of their harvest. Beer lovers also find their niche at the festival as several North Carolina craft Breweries will be on-site offering tastings and purchases of their brews. Local Winston-Salem Restaurants will also be on-site cooking up their best menu items in the Restaurant Pavilion for festival goers to purchase and enjoy.” – Spirits of Summer

A Reminder or: Hot! Hot! Hot!

01 Friday Jun 2018

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Salutations™!!

I think I’ve talked about this already this week but The BCPF and I are going to be attending the Texas Pete Spirits of Summer festival. This would be weekend of the Salute! NC Wine Festival but that is no more. They have basically taken Salute! and the Texas Pete Culinary Arts Festival and thrown them together. 30688635_162162754448338_8223325916009332736_n

So, this festival is not just wine or food but wine and food in addition to beer. Yes, they’re still having a demo tent but it’s not the NC Food & Wine University any longer. It’s now the Lowe’s Foods Demo Tent and I will be hosting/emceeing the demo tent from 3:30p-5:30p. In addition to the festival, Foothills will have an afterparty from 6p-9p. During the festival proper, there will also be music involved.

Some of the vineyards and wineries that will be there are: Cauble Creek Vineyard, Ginger Creek Vineyards, Hanover Park Vineyard, Old North State Winery, Raylen Vineyards & Winery, Southern Charm Winery, Weathervane Winery, WoodMill Winery, Starrlight Mead, Old Homeplace Vineyard, Round Peak Vineyards, Noni Bacca Winery, Lake James Cellars Winery, Duplin Winery, Locklear Vineyard & Winery, Waldensian Style Wines,
Rocky River Vineyards, Biltmore Winery, Rock of Ages Winery, Native Vines Winery.

Some of the breweries that will be there: Booneshine Brewing Company, Bull City Ciderworks, Fiddlin’ Fish Brewing Company, Foothills Brewing, Four Saints Brewing Company, Hoots Beer Co., Joymongers Brewing Co., Pig Pounder Brewery, Small Batch Beer Co., Wise Man Brewing, Skull Camp Brewing, Brown Truck Brewery.

Some of the restaurants: 6th and Vine, Alma Mexicana, Bib’s Downtown, Jeffrey Adams on Fourth, Meridian Restaurant, Mozelle’s Fresh Southern Bistro, Providence Restaurant,
Quanto Basta Italian Eatery & Wine Bar, The Old Fourth Street Filling Station, The Tavern in Old Salem, The Porch Kitchen and Cantina, Willow’s Bistro, West End Coffee House, Irie Rhythms.

Those restaurants will be preparing food for purchase. The demo tent just requires your wristband. I know it’s kind of late now but advance tix are only $25 (which you may still be able to purchase on the website) and “day of” is $30. If you are there, stop by the demo tent and say hey to me!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“Congrats!  You’ve Been Admitted to the Lowes Foods Demo Tent” – Texas Pete Spirits of Summer

Cúrate Y’all! or: Ibérico Piggybackin’

08 Thursday Mar 2018

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Salutations™!!

I was going to do this next week but I ended up with a little time, which is odd. So, I wrote a 2300 word (yeah it’s long but detailed) review of The Beer Dads‘ trip to Asheville, on The Man Who Ate the Town, but just the dinner at Cúrate (pronounced coo-ruh-tay). I can’t really tell you more because I’d be giving it away but you can also see pictures on Instagram over at The Man Who Ate the Town’s account. I’m telling you, this was some delicious stuff. Read the short novel HERE.

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Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“From jamón Ibérico to croquetas, patatas bravas, and crema catalana, Cúrate brings the essence of Spain to downtown Asheville… one plate at a time.” – Cúrate

Piggybackin’ the Juice or: Play That Fiddle Hard

22 Tuesday Aug 2017

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Salutations™!!

This episode of The Man Who Ate the Town has me talking about judging the NC State Fair Wine Comp and the opening of Fiddlin’ Fish Brewery. Give it a listen HERE.

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Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“Cousins David Ashe and Stuart Barnhart will open Winston-Salem’s fifth microbrewery on Tuesday.” – Michael Hastings, Winston-Salem Journal

Silent Sunday or: Wined Out

20 Sunday Aug 2017

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Salutations™!!

I thought about calling this blog post “The Day My Mouth Tried to Eat Itself.” I told you on Friday about the wine judging I was doing this weekend. Well, let me tell you, I went through 5 straight flights of big red reds and these weren’t sweet. They were dry. And, drier. And, drier. It got so dry that I couldn’t feel my tongue at the end of the day. There was definite fatigue happening and couldn’t taste anything different. I didn’t let that stop me though. I kept on.

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All-in-all, I tasted around 110 different wines over the course of the weekend. I had to have two beers to erase some of the wine taste last night at dinner. But, I was back at it this morning and I was able to taste more of the sea of dead grape blood. But, I really I’ll say it was really fun. I had so much fun doing it and the professional judges said I did a good job. I’m not allowed to say who won any of the medals or “bests in show.” That will come out on September 1st and I can tell you then, Dear Reader.

But, take a look at the picture. If you can see my teeth, they’re purple. I have never had purple teeth from wine. The BCPF can drink half a glass of red wine and have purple gums, lips and teeth. I can drink a good bit and not have purple teeth. So, you know that I had to have had a lot, right? That’s one flight.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“You know great wine when you taste it.” – North Carolina State Wine Competition Instructions to the Judges

Holy Spit! or: A Lovely Bouquet

18 Friday Aug 2017

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Salutations™!!

I get to do something cool tonight. My job, that is food/beverage podcaster and blogger, affords me a good bit of opportunity to try new foods, beverages, attend events and in some cases, judge. Through the Sipping NC: The Art of Drinking Podcast, I met Chuck Johnson, co-owner of Shadow Springs Vineyard and Windsor Run Cellars/WRC Distillery. He asked that Jordan and I both consider being judges for the North Carolina State Fair Wine Competition. Jordan couldn’t do it, even before the recent revelations were known due to his work, but I said I could do it. DGzR-OmXsAA_taI

So, tonight, The BCPF and I will be heading to Surry County to spend two nights in a hotel, at a vineyard and at a Community College to talk, taste and judge wine. The BCPF is taking a book/Kindle/etc. to occupy her time whilst I judge, it’s unclear if she’ll be in the room while I do that or not. I don’t like not being able to observe our “three-foot rule” on Saturday, but this is an honor and opportunity that I just can’t pass up. And, she doesn’t want me to. I love that woman!

I will admit, though, that I’m not the most in-depth judge of wine. Beer and liquor I can probably hold my own, but I’m sure I’ll be out of my league when it comes to the wine. Wine is what I want to know more about, though so this will help me. I’ll be surrounded by judges more experienced than me and I can learn from them. That is my presumption, however. I’d think as much stock (and money) as the wineries put into this event, they’ll want people that really know what they’re talking about.

Don’t get me wrong, I do know a bit about wine, I’ve been doing tastings and ratings for a hot minute, but I’m no expert. I don’t know that I’d ever want to be a Somm (short Sommelier [səməlˈyā] which basically means a wine steward) because I’ve seen the rigor and headache they go through to get certification. I do, however, want to get my Cicerone certification. Cicerone [sisəˈrōnē] is basically the same as a Sommelier for beer. I have several friends who have started their certification but they’re also in the alcohol-serving business. Danielle Bull, my “work wife” and co-host on The Less Desirables is working on hers, in fact.

I think, though, that I can admit that I don’t know everything I need/want to know about wine helps me in this judging task. It makes me more curious and more apt to really want to do a good job judging. I must do a good job of judging. Not that my vote or ratings will impact the entire wine industry, probably far from it, but you never know. I can’t take that chance. I need to be on it and on it I will be. So, wish me luck, Dear Reader. I’ll try to get the best wine this state has to offer in the light to help get them to you!

The weird thing is the spitting rule. They don’t want us drinking the wine, they want us to spit it out. I don’t like wasting alcohol. Those grapes died for our pleasure. But, I also understand that they don’t want/need the judges to be getting sloshed. I always need to swallow before I get the full effect of the wine but we’ll see how the spitting goes.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“If the wine is well made, no matter what your personal prejudices might be, it deserves a medal.” – NC State Fair Wine Competition instructions to the Judges.

Piggybackin’ or: Dogwood You?

06 Tuesday Jun 2017

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Salutations™!!

The Man Who Ate the Town Podcast is up for this week. There’s a cool new bottle shop/whiskey bar that’s opening up downtown and I have the manager and two bartenders in the studio to talk about it. You’ll have to listen to learn more. Listen to that episode HERE.

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©Dogwood Hops & Crops

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“Your downtown craft beer & wine bottle shop. Opening Soon!!! CHEERS!”  – Dogwood Hops and Crops

Salute! or: It’s Wine Time

02 Friday Jun 2017

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Salutations™!!

Tomorrow, Downtown Winston-Salem will be getting its wine on. My favorite wine festival is taking over Fourth Street from Marshall to just past Foothills. Everywhere in between? Wine. Wine. Wine. Over 30 wineries and at least six local breweries will be taking up temporary residence to hook up festival goers with the best this state has to offer in way of fermented grape goodness.1045x299_fill_header

Downtown, it’s breezy, shady and you can duck into shops here and there. There’s plenty of seating and great people watching. All that while you imbibe good great wine and beer. Another plus and bonus? You get the NC Food and Wine University.

The NCF&WU is where local culinary geniuses put their skills and knowledge in the open, teaching common folk such as ourselves how to cook delicious food and then each chef’s that food is paired with a different local winery. Therefore, it teaches cooking and what goes well with it.

All the wineries at Salute are from North Carolina. That’s why it’s the NC Wine Celebration. There are other great wine festivals around, but I enjoy this the most. Downtown is my place. It’s where I love to be. It’s where I’m comfortable. I’ve gotten to know several of the wineries and I certainly have gotten to know the breweries and the chefs that will be teaching at the NCF&WU. These are my people in my place. It’s my kind of event. I’d love to see you there, Dear Reader.

You can get your tickets by visiting the Salute website. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 tomorrow. Look for us and say hello. Also, I’m pretty sure the Winston-Salem Jaycees are still looking for volunteers. Check their website for details. Volunteers get in free, so you’d save money. The event is presented by Allegacy Federal Credit Union and Spilman Thomas & Battle, produced by Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership.  Great stuff!!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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” Voted a ‘Top 20 Event in the Southeast’ by the Southeast Tourism Society, this event offers a total experience that highlights the fast growing North Carolina wine industry in a fun and festive setting.” – Salute! NC Wine Celebration

Sipping NC or: The Art of the Podcast

10 Thursday Nov 2016

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Salutations™!!

My podcast repertoire is growing as of today. The Less Desirables Network grows by one more show today, too. There’s no mystery that I am a fan of alcohol. All kinds of libations: beer, wine, spirits. And, it’s no mystery that I love the city that I live in. An extension of that would be that I love the state that I live in. At least, most of the time. sippingncicon1

One thing that my Venn Diagram shows when it comes to all that I just said?  North Carolina is chock-full of quality wineries, breweries and distilleries. I emphasized the word quality because it’s true.

There’s almost 200 breweries and beer facilities, currently, and many more on the way. I mean, Wise Man Brewing is mere days from opening. There’s almost 150 wineries. There’s now close to 50 distilleries. All three areas are growing by leaps and bounds. I’m guessing, and this is just me, that there will be over 400 breweries, 275 wineries and 120 distilleries by 2020.

But, you also know that I’m not alone in my little circle (actually slightly-larger circle). I mean, I do have my podcasts, The Beer Dads and The Less Desirables, both of which are beer-centric. And my co-hosts are right there with me. A couple of them were my pals before we started doing podcasts together. Some have become pals afterward. But, I like being around those who like what I like. We get along wonderfully.

Podcasting is obviously something that I really enjoy as well, being as I produce/cohost or have produced almost 800 podcasts, now (yeah, that’s a big number). And today, I, along with another libations-loving pal o’mine, Mr. Jordan Keiper, the Traveling Mixologist and bar manager/keeper and owner at The Tavern in Old Salem (owned along with his family) are doing our very first recording of Sipping NC: The Art of the Drink podcast. We’re going to record a few before we release any but we’re starting the recordings now.

Sipping NC will cover all three sectors of the libation spectrum: beer, wine, spirits. We will have guests that represent wineries, distilleries and breweries from North Carolina. We will be talking about libation news. Jordan, who happens to be what I’d call one of the top three mixologists that I know, will be making mixed drinks on the show with the spirits that we highlight. Not every show will be about all three libations. The plan is to focus on one of them each week, but that doesn’t mean that we won’t touch on each. So, what I’m saying is you’ll have to listen to hear more. Jordan has built a great, strong rapport with the creators of these libations and we’ll have many of them on the show.

This isn’t meant to be a “preaching to the choir” type deal. We don’t want to make an industry podcast, we want to make a podcast that appeals to the listeners who imbibe and enjoy NC libations. We know that people have their favorite national and international brands of wine, beer and spirits, and we like them, too. We just want to make you more aware of what we have here at home. We think that there are plenty of NC goodness to keep you satisfied. And, we’re not just focusing on the Triad, there will be guests from Kill Devil Hills, Asheville, Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham and so on. From the coast to the mountains and everywhere in between.

Some of the guests and subjects to look forward to (and there’s no order or rhyme to whom and when the guests will be) are: Old Nick Williams Distillery, Hoots Roller Bar and Beer Company, TOPO Distillery, BroadBranch, Broadslab, Greensboro Distilling/Fainting Goat Spirits, Small Batch Beer, and so on. They may be soon, they may be a little further away. But, keep an eye and ear out to listen, we’ll be hitting your podcatchers soon.

It’s not just a podcast. It will be a blog, too. We already have a Facebook page, Twitter handle and Instagram handle. We would appreciate your liking and following of them and we appreciate your listening. Sipping NC: The Art of the Drink will be part of The Less Desirables Network. We’re excited!

Slàinte mhath

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

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“Mixing the best of North Carolina libations: beer, wine and spirits.” – Sipping NC: The Art of the Drink