Dr. King and Fine Wine

Three men from different backgrounds and strongly differing beliefs met totally by chance on a rainy evening in Atlanta. While sipping fine wine the wide divide in their beliefs did not disappear, but for a time, Jim Sander's hospitality and a mutual enjoyment of the wine bound them together in pleasant conversation, and a little known but historic meeting passed into history.

The Great Wine Challenge

Our editor, Doc Lawrence, was chosen by rising star winery Yonah Mountain Vineyards to serve as a member of a panel of distinguished judges for the Great Wine Challenge on January 15, 2011. This remarkable event, described by Doc as "daring and visionary," actually takes the wines from Yonah and puts them in the taste arena with some of America's most prestigous and expensive wines.

Joe Smith, Yonah Mountain's winemaker described this inaugural event as "pairing three of our wines from two vintages and pairing them against Ghost Horse Cabernet Sauvignon at $250 dollars per bottle, our Chardonnay versus Kittler Dutton Ranch at $90 dollars per bottle and our Viognier against Darioush which sells for $43 dollars per bottle."

Calling this a variation on a theme of "David and Goliath," Doc Lawrence praised Yonah Mountain and Joe Smith for "thinking and acting way outside the box. This is a very serious operation here at Yonah Mountain. They deserve a chorus of praise from the summit of the imposing namesake mountain."

Other judges include Michael Bryan, founder and president of the Atlanta Wine School, legendary Jane Garvey, one of America's top wine authorities and Gil Kuylers, wine columnist for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

January 2011 Newsletter

We've closed the books on our maiden year and Wines Down South is positioned to provide more tourism and travel news to readers with even more interesting, relevant and exciting features. 2011 is the launch year for the Civil War Sesquicentennial and we are delighted to share stories, events, festivals, lectures and items of great interest useful to our readers who will be visiting the places where great battles were fought along with the many museums that showcase exhibits related to the tumultuous events 150 years ago. 2011 marks the 75th anniversary of Gone With The Wind, Margaret Mitchell's immortal novel that remains a global favorite to this day. Many events have already been scheduled in Atlanta during different times of this year and our own veteran travel journalist Doc Lawrence, an Atlanta native, will be there to cover them, making it easy for tourists to visit the best and most interesting. Destinations from Virginia to Florida will fill our sections and we will add more wine and fine dining stories, plus the barbeque havens off the beaten path. The wineries and vineyards from just outside Washington, DC, down into North Carolina's Yadkin Valley, over into Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama continue to be major tourist attractions and the first stop for so many travelers are the great wine producing venues of Georgia, our home state. You'll want to plan your winery vacations through our exceptional resources and expert knowledge We are so happy you are on board with us and invite you to tell others about all Wines Down South offers for readers and advertisers. Like our beloved Southland, we will only grow and get better. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

This holiday season, find that “something special” in Rockingham County, NC.

Rich in art, history, nature adventures and unique shopping, a visit here offers you the ability to getaway from it all and experience small-town southern charm in North Carolina’s northern Piedmont.  

As one of our most famous residents said: 

“Come and you may find some

meditation for the mind,

solace for the soul

and harmony for the heart. 

Anyhow, come!”

--Jeff Penn, local tobacco magnate, 1875-1946

2010 Holiday Happenings In Rockingham County, North Carolina’s North Star:

Friday, November 26 at 6:30 p.m. - Olde Leaksville Night-time Christmas Parade (Eden)

     

The Olde Leaksville Night-Time Christmas Parade winds its way along Washington Street and Kings Highway in Eden.  There will be lighted floats, fire engines, marching bands and of course, Santa Claus. For more information call Peggy Good at 336-627-1332.

November 26- January 2, 2011 - Chinqua Penn Plantation Holiday and Candlelight Tours

     Thomas and Beatrice Penn built Chinqua Penn Plantation in the 1920s with the idea of grandly entertaining friends, family and business associates. The current owners of the Rockingham County estate will continue the tradition this holiday season by hosting the annual Holiday and Candlelight Tours from Nov. 26 to Jan. 2. At least 13 theme-decorated Christmas trees will be scattered throughout the 27-room mansion, including a 14-foot live North Carolina Fraser fir in the massive living room of the house. Hundreds of live poinsettias will be displayed throughout the house. Holiday lights and decorations will be installed across the 22 acres of grounds. For pricing and more information, visit Chinqua Penn.

Draper Children's Christmas Parade

Saturday, December 4 at 11 a.m. - Draper Children's Christmas Parade

     44^th Annual Draper Children’s Christmas Parade in the Draper area of Eden.  Don’t miss the largest Christmas parade in Rockingham County.

 

Saturday, December 4, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. - Madison Christmas Stroll

     Join the Historic Downtown Madison Merchants for the "Madison Christmas Stroll." Contact the Western Rockingham Chamber of Commerce for more information: 336.548.6248

Sunday, December 5, 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. - Eden Preservation Society Annual Christmas Tour of Homes

     Eden Preservation Society's Annual Christmas Tour of Homes,  featuring five historic & seasonally decorated homes in Eden. Tickets are $10 in advance and are also available at each location the day of the tour.

Call 336.623.1043 or 336.623.0773 for more information.

-Johns-Osborne House: 1011 Center Church Rd.

-Matthews-Hagood House: 114 N. Oakland Ave.

-Shaw Home: 208 Green Knolls Dr.

-The Farabee: 1301 W. Washington St.

-Phillips Home: 1581 Rhodes Rd.

Tallulah Falls Christmas

     Once again the Town of Tallulah Falls and the Tallulah Falls Business Association will host the annual Community Christmas Celebration on Friday December 3rd at 6pm. The Lighting of the area's only Floating Christmas Tree will happen around 7 pm with Christmas Caroling around the bonfire on the shore of Tallulah Lake. Join the town for a potluck dinner at 6 inside TF Town Hall. Santa will be there to talk to the kids as well as a hay ride around town. Bring a dish to share and come join us as we share in the simple pleasures of this holiday season!

Fantasy In Lights

Callaway Gardens Celebrates The Season!

By Doc Lawrence

Callaway Gardens is Dixie heartland, a joyous place where nature is celebrated throughout each season. For now, it is a Southern winter wonderland where family holiday traditions are honored.

The Fantasy in Lights, a phantasmagoria of color and melody, is at the very top of those things not to be missed during the holidays. Nestled in the wooded landscape of Callaway Gardens, Fantasy In Lights is the Southeast's most spectacular holiday light and sound show with more than eight million twinkling lights celebrating the holiday season.  This spectacular show has attracted almost two million visitors since it opened in 1992. Fantasy In Lights has become an essential holiday tradition for many families, as much a part of the season as caroling or attending "The Nutcracker" at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. 

Fantasy In Lights remains unique to Callaway Gardens, a celebration of not only the joys of the season but the wonders of nature in an idyllic setting. Drive your car or ride the Jolly Trolley to experience scenes like March of the Toy Soldiers and Snowflake Valley.  At Robin Lake Beach, enjoy ‘Twas The Night before Christmas and The Nativity Light. These inspire visitors to absorb the cheer and goodwill of the holiday season.

It’s five miles of larger-than-life custom designed holiday scenes, all set to classic Christmas music, making holiday memories that will last a lifetime. www.callawaygardens.com

The Jack 2010

     LYNCHBURG (pop. 361), Tennessee – It was the location and the Jack Daniel’s legend that first attracted me. The ancient distillery in bucolic rural Tennessee is host to the world’s most prestigious and selective barbecue competition,
the Jack Daniel’s World Championship International Barbecue Competition.
They gather annually in the autumn leaf season to
compete in “The Jack,” as it is known, sporting imaginative names like Jack’s Old South, Doctor Porkenstein, Parrothead Smokers, Guzzlin’ Gourmets, Que Ball BBQ, Smokin Clones, IQUE and Smokin’ Triggers, part of more than 100 American teams that took on 21 international teams from countries including Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Estonia, Germany, Puerto Rico, Switzerland and the United Kingdom who earned the right to compete.

     “Barbecue competition is serious business and the rules for winning are strictly enforced,” said one of the high-profile judges, television celebrity Kelly Sutton, morning news anchor at Nashville’s WZTV. To compete at “The Jack”, domestic
teams must have in the past year won a state championship. “Being on the professional barbecue circuit is a way of life and many people spend their whole lives trying to get to ‘The Jack’,” said Lynne Tolley, great-grandniece of Jack Daniel. Ms Tolley, a successful cookbook author confided that she keeps her ancestor’s Tennessee whiskey in her pantry. “I use it as a substitute for vanilla flavoring.”

Any award at The Jack is a victory. Because the level of competition is very high, winning carries enormous prestige. Lynchburg is dear to all who have precious memories of the rural South. Everything is somehow directly tied to Jack Daniel’s and a tradition of genuine hospitality. Down here, it’s called Americana.

     To read more about this exciting trip by Doc Lawrence and many stories told about the South, visit our Adventure and Culture Sections on Wines Down South!