From N'Awlins to Tarheel Country

It appears we're going to start off our visit to North Carolina much as we ended our stop in New Orleans - with a beer. I suppose it only makes sense - particularly in the South - that man does not live on wine alone. Even when that man writes a wine blog.

We didn't arrive in Greensboro until late afternoon but Boo's two brothers surprised us by greeting us at the airport (and directing me to the nearest shop with a decent wine selection). By the time we'd checked in and made our way to his brother's home, we learned that Boo's twin, HDR3, had stopped by one of his local faves, the Liberty Tap Room, to pick up a little brown jug of one of their ales to go. I know the jug had a particular name, but darned if I can remember it. I do remember, however, that you can just take the bottle back to the brew pub and they'll refill it for you. I like that kind of customer care.

One activity on my wish list for the trip was to take in some southern BBQ. I don't know that I'd expected it so quickly and to be home cooking but, being the good ol' boy that he is, HDR3 lit up the flames and started us off with some fine grilling. Slow smoked, pulled pork was still on the horizon, but you won't catch me saying, "No thanks," to a nice slab of beef.

And a big, red wine to go with it.

986. 2008 Edmeades Mendocino County Zinfandel (Mendocino County - California)

There's little doubt that, when I'm State-side, I'm going to take the opportunity to grab some California Zin since there aren't any of those nasty Canadian duties and taxes that magically appear as soon as the same wines cross the border into Canada. Edmeades isn't a winery that I'm familiar with - even with all the California Wine Fairs and tastings that come through Vancouver. Edmeades is apparently one of the first wineries to set up shop in the Anderson Valley, above Sonoma. When they started planting grapes in the early 1960's, they were the first modern-day grape growers in the Valley and most of their neighbours thought it was pure folly.

That folly seems to have proved viable and the winery is still going strong (although it changed hands in 1988). Edmeades now specializes in single vineyard Zinfandels; however, this Mendocino County wine is a blend of grapes from the collection of vineyards that the winery sources from. It also features small proportions of Syrah and Petit Syrah to round out the wine.

The brothers had plenty to catch up on and the talk continued for awhile but tomorrow was to be the big get together and they'd be bringing Mom Mary over for dinner - the first time that Boo has seen her since she moved away from the Kootenays and Canada a little over a year ago. That called for a relatively early wrap up to the evening and a good night's sleep.