Nov 23 - Winery times Two

First, let me report for the record, that yesterday's Thanksgiving Dinner was, without a doubt, the best we've had in many years... certainly the best we've had since starting our Sabbatical over 5 years ago. Our hosts and best-friends Tim and Chris were the culinary artists who pulled it all together in a seemingly effortless manner and we could only stand aside and marvel at the sensory performance, choreography, and simply scrumptious results. It'll be one we'll remember for a long long time. "Thanks" is not an adequate word to describe what we feel about it all.

On Friday we (all four of us) loaded up in the car and drove a short distance to the Shelby North Carolina area to visit a couple wineries. The day was a good one... sunny and seasonably warm. Considering the calorie load from the previous day, we probably should have walked the 40 miles each way.

While my taste runs more toward craft beer than wine (hops!... I want hops!), the purpose of the day was really to get out, move around, and experience a nice fall day in rural North Carolina with friends. Tim and Chris picked two wineries relatively close to each other and the two they picked were winners. First up was Owl's Eye Vinyard and Winery. Second was Baker Buffalo Creek Vinyard and Winery. We tasted a lot of good wine, met some knowledgeable and fun people, and had a great time at both.

Tasting wine isn't my strength. I've written before about Dar's ability to discern fine variations in subtle flavors and smells... she can pick out hints of pepper, chocolate, coffee, melon, various fruit and berries, and things as obscure as dirt (??), peat, and smoke. I, on the other hand, can only pick out sweet or dry, like or don't like. I'm a simple guy with simple tastes.