eating my words

Last week, iVillage’s “Supermarket Guru,” Phil Lempert, said on national TV (the Today Show, to be exact, as well as his website), that North Carolina is the new Napa.  That’s one bold statement.  To be fair, I think what Mr. Lempert was trying to say is that some areas of the state, the Yadkin Valley in particular, have the necessary attributes (i.e. climate and soil) to produce notable wines (perhaps, someday, even those considered to be world-class) and he feels like wines from the Tar Hill State “will be hot this year.”  I think that’s a more down-to-Earth assessment. 

Actually, I wish Mr. Lempert would have pointed out to his national audience that due to backwards, out-dated, draconian shipping laws, most folks will never have a chance to sample these "hot" wines.  So long as legislators keep up their buffoonery by prohibiting consumers from purchasing wines directly from wineries and retailers, North Carolina will never reach its full Napa-esque potential (read up on the issue at Free The Grapes).

Thomas Jefferson was onto something back in the day when he envisioned the hills of Virginia planted with vines whose fruit would yield top-notch wines.  Unfortunately, Jefferson moved on to the great Rotunda in the sky before his dream was realized; however, based on the current state of winemaking in Virginia, I reckon he’d be pretty darn proud.

I’m in the plane back to Birmingham (you Carlin fans out there will appreciate his bit about getting “in” the plane and letting the daredevils get “on”) thinking about all the cool things I experienced the day before--one of my most enjoyable days in “wine country” anywhere in the world.

Have you ever had a hand-crafted, premium grape juice?  I reckon the vast majority of you think "hand-crafted, premium grape juice" is an oxymoron (or that I'm a moron for even raising the question).  Whatever the case, it exists...and not in the same way that Bigfoot or Chupacabras exist.

Now before you click to another site, give me a minute to explain.  The grape juice I'm talking about is light years from the shelf-stable, electric purple stuff you see in plastic jugs or the oh-so-effervescent "sparkling" grape juice found in Champagne-style bottles.

On a trip to California wine country this past fall, a meal at one of my favorite restaurants unexpectedly revealed an untapped world of grape-based pleasure.

The cool thing is that you don’t have to spend a ton to get a great bottle of sparkling wine -- the market's loaded with high-quality, value-priced sparklers that’re perfect for any occasion! But there are a couple ground rules...