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

ATLANTA’S HIGH MUSEUM WINE AUCTION

THE GREAT WINE EVENT-PRESTIGE WITH PURPOSE

By Doc Lawrence

Celebrating its 20th anniversary, The High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction, the largest charity wine auction in the U.S. benefiting the arts and the fifth largest overall has brought more than $19 million over the years to the museum. All of Georgia and the Southeast directly benefit from the educational and exhibition events made possible from these funds.

Everything is ready to begin. From March 28 through March 31, the auction, held under the big-top tents in Atlantic Station, offers gourmet excitement including Dine Around Dinners on March 28, the all-inclusive global Trade Tasting plus in-home Winemaker Dinners on March 29. On Friday, the highly popular and meaningful tasting seminars fill the day, followed by the highly-anticipated Friday Night Fête, a special evening under the tents with acclaimed guest chefs preparing a multi-course menu served with fine wines while couples dance to live ballroom music. Saturday is the main event: the Vintners’ Reception and Live Auction.

2012 marks my 20^th year at the Auction and almost everything I know about the importance of wine to the arts has been acquired by countless enlightening encounters and priceless experiences. Over the years, thousands attending have been enriched by learning from authentic celebrity chefs, legendary winemakers, authors, television personalities, all intertwined with the culinary culture of the South and the planet.

I’ll be at the renowned Iberian Pig in Decatur on March 28 for a wine dinner, followed by appearances on seminar day beginning with a blind tasting challenge featuring 20 Oregon wineries, an event that is equal parts competition, classroom and mingling with winemakers.

Another special seminar is titled Discover Your Alter Ego with Château Palmer. The heralded wines of Château Palmer express the estate’s unique terroir and long history. With precision and concentration, Palmer’s wines represent finesse, elegance and emotion, the pinnacle of Bordeaux wines. Jean-Louis Carbonnier, U.S. manager of Château Palmer, shares insights into this acclaimed estate and conducts a tasting of six vintages of Château Palmer and Alter Ego.

Some say the word Chile may have been derived from a word that means “where the land ends.” You cannot learn too much about Chilean wines. This South American country’s winemaking dates back to the 16th century when Spanish conquistadores brought vines with them. Winemaker Miguel Torres Jr., leads a journey through the origin of Chilean viticulture featuring 2011 Torres “Santa Digna” Savignon Blanc, 2009 Torres “Santa Digna” Carmenere, 2008 Torres “Cordillera” Cariñena and 2007 “Manso de Velasco” Cabernet.

Please take a moment to say hello. Atlanta is home and I love to meet new people who will soon become friends.

March 2012 eNewsletter

WARMER DAYS, LOVELY FLOWERS, LIGHTER FOOD and WINE Spring releases so much of what we’ve stored since the Holiday Season. Walks are now more common. Spirits soar with the laughter of children playing in the schoolyard. Women glow in pretty print dresses and men down south are about to don seersucker suits again. Songbirds, the harbinger of wonderful things returning, serenade all the livelong day. Although vacation season isn’t quite here, the irresistible temptation is to get in the car and go somewhere. A change of scenery for even a long weekend invigorates. The Atlantic and Gulf Coasts are ours with little effort. Georgia and South Carolina’s barrier islands offer retreats from rustic to luxurious. North Carolina’s Outer Banks are the stuff of novels. Our food is from local sources, particularly near the ocean where the lifestyle is slow and easy. Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, Chattanooga, Raleigh and Richmond are major culinary centers. Louisville has emerged as a top gourmet destination. With museums, art galleries, sports, live theater and all that comes from their major universities, a visit there will always be fruitful. The mountains are glowing again. Wineries are uncorking those lighter reds, whites and some now have sparkling wine. These are perfect for food from outdoor grilling and the omnipresent barbecue. The March edition of Wines Down South features Doc Lawrence’s journey to Mississippi’s Gulf Coast, a day at Chateau Blessey in Biloxi, and a return to the restaurants of Thomasville, Georgia and the heralded Sweet Grass Dairy, plus a dine around inTallahassee and the ultimate farm to table in Tallahassee and Monticello, Florida. Florida prepares for the 500th birthday celebration with anticipation of the visit by Spain’s King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. The Sunshine State is showcasing Major League Baseball teams including our Atlanta Braves at Lake Buena Vista. Behold fresh cut grass, clear skies, outdoors concerts and the intoxicating aromas from the grill. It’s springtime in Dixie and Wines Down South is your guide. We live and work here. It’s what we know and this is the land and home of the people we love. Join us as we enjoy the roses, azaleas, dogwoods and nature’s symphony! Friend Us! Follow Us! Share Us! ClLICK HERE to enjoy Doc Lawrence's appearance with host Chef John Folse on the show, Stirrin' it up. DOC'S WINE SELECTION Norton from Georgia's Tiger Mountain Vineyards in Rabun County, is Doc's choice for March. This is also called Cynthiana, the grape of the Cherokee and one of America's finest wine products. WINES DOWN SOUTH SUPPORTS THE HIGH MUSEUM ATLANTA WINE AUCTION The High Museum Atlanta Wine Auction is Georgia's greatest food and wine party and the largest fundraising event for the High Museum of Art. This year is a Salute to the Glorious Grape with old friends and new, world renowned winemakers, and legendary chefs from across the country. Join Doc Lawrence and many others from the four corners for these unforgettable days and nights of celebrating wine, art, food and friends: March 28 - 31. Wines Down South Sheila Brewington    Doc Lawrence    Stephen W. Cannon    Val Kruse  Jordan Bloomingdale    Guy McKenzie     Anne Marie O'Keefe  Copyright © 2011 Wines Down South, All rights reserved.

February 2012 eNewsletter

OUR SALUTE TO LOVE IT'S FEBRUARY, VALENTINE'S DAY AND BUBBLY!         While February can be gloomy, it’s also joyous, the month of love featuring Valentine’s Day, a moment set aside for thoughtfulness, quiet gratitude, and intimacy and for many, an affirmation of union. Being with those you share life and friendship with is a continuing pleasure. Isn’t it nice to have this one day to honor the noble institution of love?       Some of the greatest love stories are told through dance and include iconic pairings of dancers, or pas de deux, a French ballet term meaning “steps of two,” in which two dancers perform together. The pas de deux usually includes an entrée, adagio, two variations (one for each dancer) and a coda all throughout which the dancers communicate expressions of love and emotion. This Valentine’s Day and all through the month, lose those winter blues with a little help from the lovely Pas de Deux sparkling wine. Click the bottle on the right. Pair it with the dessert of the month. Then, toast the glory of love.             The current edition of Wines Down South includes Doc Lawrence’s stories about Florida’s 500th anniversary (click) and the 100th anniversary of Henry Flagler’s railroad that literally connected Key West, Palm Beach, Jacksonville and St. Augustine to New York City. Doc will tell us about his trips to Biloxi/Gulfport and later on two more major Florida excursions. Lynne Brandon’s terrific story about the Raleigh Museum of Art  (click) will prompt readers to visit this wonderful North Carolina facility.      This month, Georgia tourism is retracing the route of the famous “Great Locomotive Chase,” an epic Disney movie and a major event for the Civil War Sesquicentennial.  Doc Lawrence will be on board to report the adventure as Wines Down South continues to promote tourism.      Spring really is around the corner and Wines Down South guides you to those places where peace and serenity is just an easy drive to the excitement of the big city.      Go to Wines Down South for travel opportunities, the best restaurants, local wineries, lodging, art, and heritage. We live, work and play here and want everyone to join us in the fun!   Friend Us! Follow Us! Share Us! DOC'S WINE PAIRING FOR VALENTINES DAY Biltmore Estate Pas de Deux Méthode Champenoise Biltmore Estate  Pas de Deux–Sec is a lively and sweet sparkling wine made from 100% Muscat Canelli grapes. Aromas of orange blossom, mint, red currant, and roses make this wine a sensual choice as an aperitif or with desserts. Pair with chocolate dessert. You’ll find that sweet combined with sweet balances and the result is pleasant, prompting a yearning for more of the same. Not at all different from true love! Click on the wine bottle for a special video from The Biltmore Estate Chocolate Brownie Pie 1     unbaked piecrust 2     eggs ½    cup granulated sugar ¾    cup light corn syrup ½    cup powdered cocoa ½    cup butter or margarine, melted        (1 stick) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Decoratively fit piecrust into a 9-inch pie pan. With an electric mixer on medium speed, combine eggs, sugar, corn syrup, cocoa and butter.  Pour into pie shell and bake for 45 minutes.  Serve warm or cold. This delicious Valentine’s Day recipe is from the gourmet kitchen of Vicky Murphy, Public Relations Director for Inland Seafood in Atlanta. It pairs perfectly with Doc’s selection of Pas de Deux sparking wine from Asheville’s Biltmore Estate.

January 2012 Newsletter

NEW YEAR-NEW ADVENTURES The South has so much to offer in the winter months. The trees may be dormant and our bears are taking their long nap, but the hotels, resorts, B&B’s, live stages, restaurants and trout streams are in fine form. The winter menus glow at the Capitol Grille in Nashville, Lemaire in Richmond, King’s Kitchen in Charlotte, Peninsula Grill in Charleston, and the Café at the Ritz-Carlton Buckhead in Atlanta. This month Doc will be touring the restaurants of Chattanooga that are getting close looks from gourmets, The city’s dining scene will be reviewed with more than a little about the wines and cocktails served in the river city. The Civil War Sesquicentennial is the second year and attending the programs, re-enactments, lectures and the like will be even more fun as we introduce you the to parks, rivers, resorts, galleries, and wineries you will always be near. . Folk art remains a hot item in the South. Bill Traylor’s works are featured at Atlanta’s High Museum of Art. And for those headed down to Florida, the lovely city of Winter Park has an exclusive exhibition of the works of Missionary Mary Proctor, a frequent visitor to Georgia. Join Doc Lawrence in Milledgeville at Georgia’s Old State Capitol. Now one of the country’s great museums. We’ll tour and even sit in the room where the Marquis de Lafayette spoke and where Georgia seceded from the Union in 1861. The Steffan Thomas Museum in Madison/Buckhead, Ga is one of the best curated art museums anywhere and we’ll have an entertaining story about this glorious collection located in the lovely area of the South. Marietta’s La Familgia restaurant with be reviewed by Doc Lawrence who will take readers for a performance by the renowned Atlanta Lyric Theatre at Marietta’s historic Strand Theatre Enjoy the story about Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. at a wine tasting (on right) and don’t forget to prepare those crab cakes from Chef Jimmy Noble’s recipe, all expertly paired with a North Carolina wine selection. HAPPY NEW YEAR! Friend Us! Follow Us! Share Us! Dr. King's Historic Wine Tasting (Click to enjoy) JIMMY’S CRAB CAKE (from The King's Kitchen/Charlotte, NC) Jumbo lump crab meat, gently cleaned Salt and pepper to taste 2 eggs ½ cup mayonnaise ¼ cup Parmesan, grated fine ¼ cup chives ¾ cup crackers ½ cup shallots ½ cup celery ¼ pound butter Method: Sweat together the celery and shallots in butter.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.  Mix the rest of the ingredients (except the crab) together in a bowl, add cooled celery and shallots.  Fold in the crab meat carefully to keep the lumps whole and portion to 3 ½ oz.  Should Yield 12 – 13 cakes.  Garnish with herb or maitre d’hotel butter.   DOC'S WINE PAIRING Few wineries do Riesling better than Shelton Vineyards in North Carolina's Yadkin Valley. This wine from the nationally acclaimed winemaker fits Jimmy Noble's Crab Cakes nicely.

Copyright © 2011 Wines Down South, All rights reserved.

MY BOURBON JOURNEY

MAKING AN OLD FASHIONED

"Our people live almost exclusively on whiskey" - E H Taylor, Jr.

By Doc Lawrence

LOUSIVILLE. Bourbon is all over the pages of newspapers and magazines, even featured on network television news. For a product that has been quintessentially American since the days of George Washington, in his own right a highly successful whiskey maker, one might think that intrepid investigative reporters had recently discovered this elixir.

 

No amount of sleuthing can uncover anything new except that Bourbon has returned to it’s place of prominence in a way that parallels the return of red wine over white to the casual enthusiast. Dark or brown drinks now threaten clear ones dominated still by vodka.

My Bourbon experiences are up close and personal, garnering wisdom and a better-educated palate by traveling to Kentucky to drop in places like Buffalo Trace, Maker’s Mark, Jim Beam, Woodford Reserve, Wild Turkey, Michter’s and more. After several Kentucky trips, I decided the most memorable moment was a recent afternoon tasting Wild Turkey in its various forms with the legendary Master Distiller Jimmy Russell. In the private bar outside his office in the distillery’s Lawrenceburg headquarters, he poured each of his products sold in the market, told how he made them while I, like an obedient student, dutifully sipped. This, I thought, must have been how the first person who tasted Dom Peringon’s bubbly felt after sampling the monk’s Champagne centuries ago.

The evening before, I had dinner with Kentucky’s heralded bartender, Joy Perrine in the Oak Room, a place frequented by the rich and famous in Louisville’s luxurious Seelbach Hotel,

For the record, the ebullient and eloquent Ms. Perrine, the best known and most acclaimed bartender in Louisville. rejects the  yuppyfied mixologist label.

Joy gave me a signed copy of her book, The Kentucky Bourbon Cocktail Book, co-authored with Susan Reigler, (The University Press of Kentucky, 2009), and ordered everyone an Old Fashioned, arguably America’s first cocktail, and told me how to make a great one.

Here is the one Bourbon cocktail that has been served since time immemorial. It’s an American classic and a splendid drink for the holidays.Joy Perrine’s Old-Fashioned

Ingredients:

1 orange slice

1 maraschino cherry

1/2-ounce simple syrup

5 dashes of Angostura bitters

2 ounces bourbon

Ice

In a rocks glass, muddle the orange slice and cherry with the Simple Syrup and bitters. Add the bourbon and a few ice cubes and stir well.

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Enjoy the story about Koinonia, the birthplace of Habitat for Humanity:

http://bytheseafuture.org/Southwind_12-16-11.html

December 2011

CHRISTMAS IN DIXIE   The flavors and aromas suggests evergreens and berries, good cheer and great joy. It’s everyone’s favorite time of the year, our celebration of miracles and the fulfillment of hope. For a few days, we gather to share food, song, wine, spiced cider and lots of magic. This is the 19th year of “A Celtic Christmas,” perhaps the best celebration of the music, dance, poetry and camaraderie that we have today. The production has always been under the creative leadership of Emory University’s professor James Flannery, one of the country’s most renowned Irish tenors and Chairman of the W. B. Yeats Foundation. The performances are in the majestic Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts on Emory’s campus, but this year, Georgia Public Television is showing this as a seasonal delight for everyone to enjoy at home. For a sneak preview, click photo on right. The Georgia Governor’s Mansion is open at certain times for the public to enjoy the decorations including the lovely Christmas Tree and when you’re through with this tour, the nearby homes are among the most beautiful in the South.The 2011 Christmas Mansion tour begins today, Dec. 5 through Dec. 15 and the schedule is December 5 - 16, Monday - Friday, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., Saturday, December 10, 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 11, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. Call 404.261.1776 for reservations or further information. The Governor's Mansion is a drop-off location for Toys for Tots.  Not far from there, near the Fernbank Museum of Natural History is Callanwolde, and the annual “Christmas at Callanwolde” is one of those celebrations that have a firm place in Southern traditions. “One of my special Christmas Eve memories,” recalls Doc Lawrence, “is sitting down with a few friends and family to enjoy oyster stew.” This is a tradition today in many Southern homes and Doc selected a very simple recipe by Georgia’s own queen of Southern cuisine, his friend Paula Deen. “It’s easy to prepare but be sure to buy those oysters early because they sell out everywhere on the 24th. There are festivals galore this time of year and click here to find some of the best in Wines Down South. Blessings include the songs of the season, the laughter of children, the exchange of meaningful gifts, an abundance of pretty smiles and the meaning of these precious days. Let us join together and pray for peace on earth, good will toward men and celebrate the season with love and gusto, readying ourselves for 2012. MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR! Friend Us! Follow Us! Share Us! Celtic Christmas Is On GPB. ClickHere To See Preview! PAULA DEEN’S OYSTER STEW Ingredients 2 green onions, chopped, plus additional slices for garnish 2 tablespoons butter 12 ounces fresh raw oysters undrained 1 quart half-and-half or whole milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon white pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper Crackers, for serving Sliced green onions, for garnish Directions Saute onion in butter until tender. Add remaining ingredients. Cook over low heat until edges of oysters begin to curl and mixture is hot but not boiling. Serve stew with crackers and garnish with sliced green onions. DOC’S WINE PAIRING Oyster Stew will be even more wonderful with a dry or semi-dry Riesling from Germany or Alsace or one from our few Southern wineries that produce this like Biltmore Estate. A Cru Beaujolais will pair well for those who prefer a red wine. And this time of year, don’t hesitate to serve Champagne or a quality sparkling wine, preferably a rosé.