Charleston "Booze Hound"

Check out our link to the Charleston "Booze Hound."

Great art gallery and wine shop. The owner is a professional dog show judge and dog portrait artist. We just had to have a print of the painting featured on the masthead of the website.

North Carolina Wine Tasting

The Yadkin Valley in northern North Carolina has some great wines! The area is successfully reinventing itself from tobacco farms to vineyards. The dry reds are surprisingly bold (California and Tuscany aren't the only vintners of big reds).

Thanks particularly to Stony Knoll Vineyards. The Coes have a beautiful facility, a wonderful selection, and are just nice people! Please visit them and tell them the budding vintners from Ohio who drive the black Charger say "Hi!"

A Tender Vine

Just returned from the lowcountry. A week on Hilton Head Island and two days in Charleston. On a day trip we headed on down past Beaufort to Huntington Island, stopping at the Chapel of Ease on St. Helena Island. The tabby ruins are awe inspiring, but we were touched by the poetic verse on a broken headstone for a ten-month-old in the cemetery. It reads, "A tender vine transplanted to flourish forever in the vineyard of the Lord." Amen.

The "Family" Winery

In 2005 we finally realized a long time dream to visit the "family" winery on the Rhine in Germany, Schloss Vollrads. While the Tower dates to the 14th century, the land had been cultivated with vines since 983. There is evidence that the Romans planted grapes here even earlier. Even though we share the Americanized version of the Schloss (castle) name, Follrod, we cannot find any documentation that we are related -- only in our love of fine wines and beautiful vines.

Vineyard Dogs

Every vineyard needs a good dog or two. We have Sangi (short for Sangiovese, the grape from which Chianti is made) and Ries (short for Riesling – our favorite is a dry German-style). Jointly, they are the Basset Brothers. They are half-brothers born a couple of days apart July 2007. Not sure if they are in their terrible twos or rebellious teens!

Living in vineyard!

Well it's official -- we live in a vineyard! Mike planted 100 Marquette grapes next to the BOB (big old barn) and 230 White Cayuga in the front yard (pictured above).

Marquette is a cold-hardy red wine grape from the U of MN. The lineage is long and complex, but one of its parents is Pinot Noir.

White Cayuga is obviously a white wine grape. From NY, White Cayuga has Seyval parentage. We picked this varietal in MI last fall. The resulting vintage is similar to a semi-dry Riesling. Yum!

Just planted!

Pix and chat coming!