through the grapevine
oenophile: a lover or connoisseur of wine [from Greek oinos for wine]
this past weekend was so nice. my parents came to visit me. i happen to live in the heart of my state's wine country. the foliage is at its peak, the weather was absolutely beautiful, and all of the local wineries are located outside the city limits, so the drive out there is quite scenic. i decided it was time to take them to oakencroft vineyard and winery for some wine tasting. (it's the closest winery to where i live). it was lovely, and my parents ended up buying four bottles, two reds and two whites--including one to be had at thanksgiving dinner later this month. i've decided that oakencroft's are probably my favorite among local wines here, and with good reason:
*in 1987 President Reagan included a bottle of Oakencroft's Seyval Blanc in a case of American (mainly California) wines which he presented to Premier Gorbachev at the Summit meeting in Moscow.
*Oakencroft's Chardonnay has been served on Japan's All Nippon Airlines.
*That same Chardonnay was served at President Clinton's first White House dinner in 1993--the only East Coast wine included on the menu.
if you ever travel through where i live, or you see wines from my state at the store (and you also happen to be a oenophile), they're definitely worth a try.
sometimes i think it would have been neat to have gone to UC Davis and majored in their department of viticulture and enology.
for now, though, i just may need to break out the cheese and crackers and have a glass of wine.
