How did your wine journey begin? Mine started in college with a fruity, fizzy, wine "cooler" that actually had no wine in it at all. But I thought I was cool.
I then graduated to a Blue Nun Riesling.
(That makes me wince and grit my teeth just thinking about it.) I tried to impress a boy in my class by telling him my favorite wine was a "Riesling." Yeah. He was a wine rep. Not cool. But what did my young inexperienced pallet know?
What happened next I'm ashamed to admit. Boxed wine at camp-outs and pink wines that came in a jug. Wooooow. It's about that time that winemakers started jazzing up their labels with catchy names and graphics. Then I started picking my wine based on whether or not I liked the picture on the bottle. A label snob in all the wrong ways. I became a fan of Yellow Tail and had to try one of each "color." From the yellow label, to the blue label, to the hot pink label ... I drank them all. But at least it introduced me to reds.
One wine I picked up entirely because I liked the label was a bottle of Tango Malbec.
The label lured me in with a hologram where the dancers feet moved when the bottle was rolled from side to side. Malbec. Boy, oh, boy, did I think I was pretty smart because NOW I could order something that wasn't a usual choice on most house wine lists. But at this point wine was becoming more than just a way to get a buzz with my friends on a Friday night, it was becoming a pleasurable experience of discovery.
I finally learned the only real rule about wine ... you either like it ... or you don't like it ... and either way, it's okay. I'm currently at a great place in my wine tasting journey. I'm not afraid of tasting something new. I can openly admit when I don't know about a certain wine ... and yet I know just enough to be dangerous. But I have to admit, I still do feel silly sticking my nose in a glass of wine and snorting a big whiff the way the "experts" do.
Which brings me to the monthly wine tastings at the Adora Inn. Their wine-pairing dinners have given me plenty of tasting practice to get me out of my old bad habits. Luckily, they're our neighbors, so I can taste all I want and then walk home.
This past month's wine tasting featured
Dutch Henry, a small family owned vineyard winery in California. We were fortunate enough to have one of the wine makers from Dutch Henry sitting at our table. He was quite the entertainer, not only through his knowledge of wine, but through music as well. He talked about the same evolution of "cool" of wine drinkers. I guess we've all experienced that journey at one point or another.
The first wine poured was a Rose. Hmm. I had flashbacks to the pink wine in a jug that I used to drink and wrinkled my nose at the thought. However, I trusted the pairing expertise of my neighbors and since the wine maker was actually sitting right there in front of me, I gave it a whirl and was sweetly surprised! Well I'll be darn, I discovered I like Rose. And it was not a fruity little light wine like I expected. It stood well on it's own and was even better when paired with the first course of Arthur's
savory pumpkin soup. I could go into great detail about how deliciousness of the food and wine ... but then you'd just get drool and get saliva all over your keyboard. So, to spare you the clean up I'll just invite you to attend the next wine tasting dinner at Adora Inn. Where are you in your wine tasting journey? Tantalize your senses with a traditional Italian-style Christmas including wines perfectly paired at the
Adora Inn's next wine tasting on December 13th.
--Rachelle
One of our guests was an exhibiting artist, Teresa, creator of Minds Eye Journals. Her hand crafted leather journals are truly one-of-a-kind and perfect for artistic sketches or journaling an adventure. I'm looking forward to taking a water colors class to learn to create something worthy of her craftsmanship.
The Grinch didn't steal Christmas this year! Even after our March of Wines event had to be canceled due to unforeseen circumstances, local businesses and restaurateurs still gathered to share the Christmas spirit. Over 60 people stopped by M
aggie's Attic on Sunday to show their support, enjoy some free food and drop off their unwrapped toys for Toys For Tots collecting well over 100 gifts for children of Lake County. Maggie's also generously donated 10% of all wine sales that evening toward Toys for Tots. The Wine Den contributions are still forthcoming.
Hopefully next year we'll be able to enjoy the progressive holiday wine tasting featuring local restaurateurs, tour Mount Dora's festively-adorned inns, and enjoy the spirit of the holidays.
Edward Johnson created the first string of electric Christmas lights in the late 1800's and it seems we have been in awe of the luminescence of the season ever since! You can't help but smile while driving by homes and businesses decorated with strands of lights, illuminating the night during the darkest month of the year.
How did your wine journey begin? Mine started in college with a fruity, fizzy, wine "cooler" that actually had no wine in it at all. But I thought I was cool.
The label lured me in with a hologram where the dancers feet moved when the bottle was rolled from side to side. Malbec. Boy, oh, boy, did I think I was pretty smart because NOW I could order something that wasn't a usual choice on most house wine lists. But at this point wine was becoming more than just a way to get a buzz with my friends on a Friday night, it was becoming a pleasurable experience of discovery.
This past month's wine tasting featured Dutch Henry, a small family owned vineyard winery in California. We were fortunate enough to have one of the wine makers from Dutch Henry sitting at our table. He was quite the entertainer, not only through his knowledge of wine, but through music as well. He talked about the same evolution of "cool" of wine drinkers. I guess we've all experienced that journey at one point or another.Dora artists.
Taking place in the center of town at Donnelly Park, art enthusiasts were able to find great pieces of original Highwaymen paintings and pose for photos with the original artists including Al Black, Roy Mclendon, Issac Knight, James Gibson, R. L. Lewis, and Mary Ann Carroll.
One gentlemen had found a painting quite unexpectedly while shopping for pottery. Upon entering the pottery makers home, he recognized it as a Highwaymen painting, but it was unsigned. He purchased the artwork and brought it with him to the show here in Mount Dora to confirm if it was indeed a Highwaymen Painting. James Gibson himself recalled painting the piece in 1962. Gibson signed the back of the canvas and nearly doubled it's value in a matter of seconds.
Influenced by R. L. Lewis in the early 70s, long before the Highwaymen were even known, a former student turned art teacher came to seek out and thank his inspiration. It was quite a reunion as they had not seen each other in over 30 years.
It is said that when you catch the bug for Highwaymen Paintings, you can't just go out and purchase one. Oh no, that would spoil the fun. The thrill for a collector is in the hunt. And Geoff Cook is certainly winning the game. An avid Highwaymen Painting collector for over 10 years, here is our interview with Geoff Cook:very large colorful photo of a Highwaymen painting. I was hooked. It was all about that photo. Had it been in black and white instead of color I probably would not have even noticed. I had retired from a career as a farmer and nursery grower, so the scenic Florida landscape really caught my eye. Reading about their history, I thought it was a great story and I caught the bug.
So how do a group of Innkeepers stay busy during the "off -season" ... they create a charitable event highlighting history, art and a popular cultural movement, that's how! Typically summer is hot and hoppin' in Florida, but Mount Dora is just now getting a new heat wave of activity with this new Festival.
the official Florida Highwaymen Festival taking place on Saturday, August 23rd, where six of the original Highwaymen Artists will be present to meet and talk about their work.
Grant and National Philanthropist Trust Project working towards advancement in breast cancer research, education, treatment and prevention.
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