ON THE ROAD IN GEORGIA’S HEARTLAND

GEORGIA OLIVE OIL, WINE, BLUES AND GOOD FOOD

By Doc Lawrence

“You can reach over in the corner mama

and hand me my travelin’ shoes

You know by that I’ve got them

Statesboro blues.”

Blind Willie McTell, recorded by The Allman Brothers

STATESBORO, GEORGIA. It’s home to Georgia Southern, an acclaimed university that serves as the cultural hub of all that is wonderful about this deep South region nestled in the Coastal Plain. Vidalia onions are grown nearby and the town of the same name has a museum dedicated to this edible bulb and all it means to the local economy and food heritage.

Statesboro, made very famous by the Allman Brothers rendition of Blind Willie McTell’s blues classic, has all the energy of a college town and is a good place to lose those bad economy blues. Also, it is the launching pad for the annual Georgia Media Marketplace a press tour like no other in any state.

Joined by noted travel writers from other states and Canada, the itinerary includes visits to places like Horse Creek Winery in Nashville, a serious operation producing award winning muscadine and vinifera wines, with dinner and overnight at nearby Shadow Oak Plantation.

Lakeland is home to Georgia Olive Farms, the leading East Coast producer and marketer of olive trees and Georgia Olive Farms Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This is a near perfect prelude to Lauri Jo’s Southern Style Canning in Norman Park. Lauri Jo Bennett’s down home cooking is in Mason jars and blossomed into a full-blown market in 13 states

Other visits include Weeks Honey Farm in Omega, Gin Creek and Sparkman’s Cream Valley in Hartsfield.

Glass Enterprises Gator Houses in Camilla is one of only three-dozen alligator farms in the United States and Pelham, with a remarkable downtown, is home to the Pelham Wildlife Festival, held in October.

Still Pond Farm Winery in Arlington is Muscadine headquarters. The manicured vineyards supply fruit for the 11 award winning wines and many other wineries throughout the country.

Publix and Whole Foods feature the meats from White Oak Pastures in Bluffton a family farm that cooperates with nature to produce artisan products that are healthy, safe, nutritious and delicious.

Arlington’s Quail Country is an Orvis endorsed hunter’s paradise. Literally a step back in time showcasing Southern hospitality and a wildlife habitat.

Everything is finished with a tour of Blakely and Early County featuring the Coheelee Creek Covered Bridge and the 12th Century Kolomoki Indian Mounds.

Returning to the Atlanta International airport, a survey seems to be in order: Is it true that the Statesboro Blues make you feel good all over?

Memories of Mother

ROSES FOR MOM

By Doc Lawrence

My dear departed mother left a trove of priceless memories. She remains the best self-taught cook I’ve known, a kitchen magician who could transform things ordinary into a feast for angels. All moms are special and all things possible begin with them. Alabama’s tough and crusty coaching legend Bear Bryant always ended his weekly television show with a command: “Call your mama!”

He meant each day.

My stylish mom loved to cook and entertain. She glowed with beauty and strength of character. Her favorite hobbies were family and friends. At Christmas, I might get a handful of cards from a few close friends. Mom would be deluged, proving the old adage that you receive love by giving it.

She was from northeast Alabama. You can see towering Lookout Mountain from the place she was born. Old cemeteries nearby have graves of Revolutionary War soldiers, Confederates and many strangers who might be kin. The town, once a warm mineral water spa for tourists, no longer exists. The area is called Sequoia Valley and it’s as lovely as anything in Wyoming or Montana. Rural, big skies and underground caverns you can explore. I feel her presence there.

My mother was a child of the Depression and World War II. During my baby days, she was very ill, in and out of hospitals, but somehow managed to carve out a career with one of the South’s legendary retail stores, Rich’s.  I still have folks stop me while I’m shopping in Atlanta, asking about her.

With apologies to all the talented chefs I have the privilege to know and admire, my mother could take almost nothing and miraculously create a banquet. Sunday dinner (she never skipped church) was a spread of congealed salads, perfectly seasoned fresh vegetables, fried chicken, roast beef, biscuits and gravy plus cornbread and desserts. Tea was brewed and the table was set with boundless love.

To this day, I’ve never had a better dessert that her lemon custard pie with graham cracker crust topped with billows of soft meringue. And if she owned a cookbook, no one ever saw it.

I learned that Elvis died when my mother called me. Rain or shine, she attended his concerts in Atlanta. She adored the Atlanta Braves. A joke in our family was that mom would not die during baseball season. She departed on a cold December night.

Sunday I’ll make the journey to the cemetery with flowers. Mom is buried next to her youngest son who predeceased her by three decades, an unimaginable pain she carried with unwavering dignity.

The roses will be bright red. The prayer in gratitude. The memories precious. Somewhere from the backroads, I’ll hear her favorite hymn, “How Great Thou Art,” the version by Elvis and the Jordanaires.  I’ll be back for sure on her September birthday. Maybe then the Braves will be in first place with a chance to win it all in 2012.

Nothing would make her immortal soul happier.

A TASTY TAR HEEL CELEBRATION

By Doc Lawrence

NORTH WILKESBORO, NC- It’s the childhood home of the great Junior Johnson, the man who made NASCAR a national sport and gave Moonshine some legitimacy. Immortalized by Tom Wolfe’s story in Esquire as “The Last American Hero,” Johnson remains a legend in progress selling country hams and promoting his Midnight Moon, legal North Carolina-distilled moonshine that is, according to the irrepressible racer turned entrepreneur, “smoother than vodka and better than whiskey.”

This annual event, the “Shine To Wine” Festival showcases the food, art, music, folk traditions and yes, the always amazing and delicious wines of North Carolina. Daniel Boone once lived here and Tom Dooley, the subject of the folk song of the same name was executed here after the Civil War. Karen Reynolds’s outstanding play ‘Tom Dooley,” suggests that he might have been innocent. You make up your mind after watching the play performed locally during the ensuing season.

Carl White, the host and producer of the highly popular television series, “Life in the Carolinas,” is a native of Wilkes County and a familiar face in this small and lovely city considered by tourists as the gateway to the Blue Ridge Mountains. White’s television programs explore the cultural treasures of North and South Carolina. His programs have no equal anywhere in the South.

While the music may be favored to Bluegrass, North Carolina has a rich music heritage and everything from jazz to gospel manifests almost on cue. What draws visitors here, I believe, is authenticity. This is America and it is the South. You almost want to bottle everything, particularly the lovely, gentle accents, knowing that they will be absorbed by popular culture and soon disappear.

Some of my favorite wines from wineries I know well and admire were represented here including wines from Laurel Gray Vineyards. Kim and Benny Myers’ exceptional Viognier, Pinot Gris and  Meritage reminds the nation that North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley wineries are major forces on the Southern dinner table.

With some works by local artists, two bottles of Junior’s Midnight Moon and some Laurel Gray wines in the trunk, the next destination beckoned. But, I’ll be back. For those who love the unspoiled South, North Carolina from the Tennessee border to the Outer Banks is almost an obligatory journey 

“The Finest Food, Wine, Music and Art Found in the North Georgia Mountains”

The Georgia Fine Wine Festival returns June 9th and 10th, 2012 and is highlighted by more than 30 dishes from the area's finest restaurants and over 60 wines from a dozen of Georgia's finest vineyards. ALL wines are 100% authentically Georgia-grown, to be in compliance with the Georgia Department of Agriculture's "Georgia-Grown" sponsorship. Live Jazz Music throughout the festival, Arts and Crafts, and a Petting Zoo are just a small part of the 2012 Festival! There's much, much more!

Get Your Advance Tickets Today!

Festival Dates and Times: Saturday, June 9th. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. $30 per person. Includes lunch, tasting  glass and unlimited samples. Sunday, June 10th. 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. $30 per person. Includes lunch, tasting glass and unlimited samples. Children admitted free. Call 706-219-2789 ex 223 to purchase tickets today!

For information regarding the Fine Wine Festival or other events that Blackstock Vineyards and Winery in Dahlonega, Georgia is doing, visit www.bsvw.com. 

Interested in this event? Check out www.winesdownsouth.com for other relevant events and events in the southeast region!

May 2012 eNewsletter

WARM WEATHER VACATIONS  CONCERTS, FOOD AND EXCITING ARTS  May is our vacation kickoff. Garrison Keillor’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” takes the stage at Atlanta’s Fabulous Fox Theatre, broadcasting to the world all we have that makes us special: Vidalia onions, the best American music (we practically invented it), storytelling, poetry, barbecue, literature and folk art. Wines Down South is covering the vacation roadmap, recommending the best places to visit and what to do there. The Atlanta Botanical Gardens opens a new sculpture exhibition and has a season of live concerts featuring legendary Merle Haggard. From the great festivals and events in Nashville to exciting Myrtle Beach and Fernandina Beach and points in between, we’ve provided a rich selection of fun and affordable destinations. The entertainment in Tennessee is riveting and the food and wine in Alpharetta, Dahlonega and Charleston will make this a spring to remember. We support our Atlanta The annual Georgia Media Marketplace is in Statesboro this month. Doc Lawrence and our staff journalist Lynne Brandon will be joining distinguished travel writers to tour Georgia’s amazing farms, small towns, and historic sites including a visit to the Vidalia Onion Museum. This year was the inaugural of the Golden Onion cooking competition and the winning recipe is included. Just click on the onion icon (on right) and pair it with a delicious wine selected by Doc Lawrence. (click wine glass.) The New Orleans Wine and Food Experience highlights Memorial Day weekend and, of course, Doc will be there again, hobnobbing with famous chefs for new taste trends in the South. May is graduation for thousands in high schools and colleges and Wines Down South salutes these young men and women, wishing you the best life has to offer. Also, here’s a shout out to your parents. You, the graduates, are our future and we’re very proud of you. Vacation season is in high gear. Places that offer so much adventure, convenience and savings are often less than a half-day’s drive. The most romantic and those with the finest food, abundant natural beauty and friendly smiles are where you’ll find Wines Down South. Enjoy our stories about Sweet Grass Dairy in Thomasville, Georgia, Bradley’s Country Store in Tallahassee and join Doc Lawrence on his culinary adventure in the food triangle of North Florida and South Georgia.(Click) Friend Us! Follow Us! Share Us! Sweet Grass Dairy is in Thomasville, Georgia. Click the Cheese Tray to Enjoy Their Story.   DOC'S WINE SELECTION FOR MAY BLACKSTOCK VIOGNIER Perfect With Any Vidalia Onion Recipe "Aromas of peach and honeysuckle accompany a nutty, lingering finish.".    Caramelized Vidalia® Onion Fritter Click here for a downloadable copy of the competition recipe!

Wines Down South Sheila Brewington    Doc Lawrence    Stephen W. Cannon    Val Kruse  Jordan Bloomingdale    Guy McKenzie     Anne Marie O'Keefe     Lynne Brandon Copyright © 2012 Wines Down South, All rights reserved.  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

Taste the Future Wine Tasting Fundraiser

April 2012 Enewsletter

IT’S APRIL IN PARADISE During this first full month of spring, read Doc’s exclusive profile of renowned Chef Art Smith. Doc spent a few hours with the acclaimed star of Oprah and The New York Times best-selling author whose latest restaurant, Southern Art and Bourbon Bar in Atlanta’s Intercontinental Hotel is garnering rave reviews. Wines Down South covered the events during the Atlanta High Museum of Art Wine Auction, and made new friends with enthusiasts who attended from throughout the nation and world, sampling the wines and food that define the South as America’s culinary epicenter. This month, Doc visits some old friends in Thomasville, Georgia with stops at Sweet Grass Dairy and Liam’s, the great gourmet restaurant in downtown Thomasville, plus a return to the live-oak streets of Monticello Florida and the adventures in Florida’s capital city, Tallahassee. (A stop at Bradley’s Country Store means homemade sausage and stone ground grits for all of us here at Wines Down South!) VIDALIA ONIONS The sweet delight, one of the nation’s most renowned farm products, is just hitting the retail shelves. The great chefs from coast-to-coast tell us they can’t really prepare gourmet dishes without them. Also, Doc will be visiting the Vidalia Onion Museum, giving readers an exciting and delicious story! BBQ TIME AGAIN Few things are more Southern than the backyard grilling ceremony and the festive wines and other libations enjoyed by family and guests. Each year, there are more barbecue adventures and even more homegrown experts. We’ll reveal some of our favorite stops along the byways of the region, share recipes and some heretofore-secret ingredients and keep pairing the wines with the proper meats, fowl and seafood. BRAVES 2012 “Play Ball!” is the call heard from Atlanta and Wines Down South will tour the Turner Field parking lots all this season looking for tailgating baseball fans from throughout North America. It’s near the end of the school year, vacations are about to begin and the long weekend trip has become a tradition. Where to go? How to get there and what to do? Where to stay and dine? Wines Down South makes it easy. Just click on www.winesdownsouth.com and you’re on your way! Friend Us! Follow Us! Share Us! Chef Art Smith cooks for Lady GAGA on an ABC special last year. Click to enjoy!   DOC'S WINE SELECTION Carlos dry muscadine is an elegant wine from Monticello Winery, a wonderful product from Dr. Cynthia Connolly's Ladybird Organic Farm near Monticello, Florida. Served chilled, it is wonderful with Chef Art Smith's Tomato Pie. CHEF ART SMITH'S TOMATO PIE Click here for a downloadable copy of the recipe!

Wines Down South Sheila Brewington    Doc Lawrence    Stephen W. Cannon    Val Kruse  Jordan Bloomingdale    Guy McKenzie     Anne Marie O'Keefe     Lynne Brandon Copyright © 2012 Wines Down South, All rights reserved.  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences