Virginia Wine meets The Green Fairy

It was early December when I visited District Winery in Washington D.C. and posted an image from their tasting room. A comment had me a bit perplexed about a possible visit. Then I realized it was that time of year and Greg was coming home for the holidays.

He expressed interest in visiting the D.C. winery but I had other plans. To my “Rookie” mistake I had forgotten about the winter hours at most Virginia vineyards and had to make a late adjustment.

Linden Vineyards wasn’t open that Friday so I opted to take Greg to another vineyard not to far away, Arterra Wines.

Sandy and Jason are the owners and we were lucky enough to have Jason pour our wines. Here was the list and my notes along with Greg’s humorous feedback.

’16 Dry Riesling

Me: Herbaceous, light and bright with low acids. A touch of sweetness on the palette with a subtle dry finish.

Greg: D.U.I made easy (drink with great care).

’15 Chardonnay

Me: Soft golden colors, a touch of minerality on the front of the mouth with buttery textures to round out the finish.

Greg: Not Cali – But still has the fornication.

’15 Cabernet Franc

Me: Dark red fruit on the nose, black currants and stone fruits on the back of the palette with a touch of white pepper on the finish.

Greg: Relax campfire wine to talk to a bunch of woulda been coulda been.

’15 Petit Verdot

Me: My favorite varietal! Bright concentrated fruit with a hint of leather on the nose. Bold rich fruit flavors with a cigar smoke on the finish. This is the perfect deck/porch sitting wine.

Greg: Official seal of Virginia! Seriously run with this one! Thomas Dolby reading Edgar Allen Poe!

’14 Reserve

Me: A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tannat, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc. An intense nose with dark fruit flavors. Gorgeous tannins with a bright finish. Another true deck/porch sipping wine.

Greg: The Harold Baines, Coco Crisp and Johnnie Damon All-Star Team wine.

’15 Tannat (bonus pour)

Me: Robust dark fruit essence on the nose. A well rounded mouth flavors of stone fruits – great balance. Bright acid with nice tannins on the finish. Beautiful wine!

Greg: Mystery Wine – Ask Coop! Joan Jett, Rage Against The Machine and Beatles Mash-up.

Blueberry Apple Wine

Me: This wine reminds me of the old field party days drinking fruit wines of my childhood. Bright berry and fruity flavors with a soft acidic finish. Refreshing flavors.

Greg: Not cobbler, Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!!!

Apple Wine

Me: Refreshing fruit flavors from start to finish.

Greg: What really hit Sir Issac Newton on the head and made him giggle. Strong gravitational pull!

Overall wonderful wines and Greg truly enjoyed them.

Lunch at the Hunters Head Tavern followed. French Dip Sandwiches and craft beer were paired with the meals (Greg, Legends Brown Ale Me, Devils Backbone Black Lager). Then I mentioned that Absinthe was being made a few miles down the road and Greg was on board to visit with the Green Fairy.

Off to Mt. Defiance Cidery & Distillery we went.

To his surprise Virginia is making top notch Absinthe as well, or as he put it:

From the moment I entered this fine establishment I knew… I just knew… on the bar it was there. The fountain of the Green Fairy herself. My inner child of La Belle Époque knew I had a chance for a moment of real Steampunk Van Gogh in the Shenandoah Valley.

The slow drop of this magical fountain set the stage for the suspense and anticipation to build. Indeed… could this magic potion bring me somewhere near Aix-en-Provence?

With the first sip it was indeed the kiss of the Green Fairy… adding a new bit of surrealism to my expanding Absinthe Adventures.

Absinthe began as an all-purpose patent remedy created by Dr. Pierre Ordinaire, a French doctor living in Couvet, Switzerland… to this day I’m not sure what it really cures, but I can say this glass I found under this magic fountain made me quite happy to have the appropriate disease.

Thus far he has not been disappointed with any of the Virginia watering holes I have introduced to him.

His next visit I’ll try to get Greg to the Godfather of Virginia wine, Jim Law at
Linden Vineyards.

Until next time my friend…Cheers! Prost! Slainte! Cin Cin! And my favorite…Bottoms Up!

 

A Visit From Greg!

Last December, a familiar face appeared on Facebook. He hadn’t changed much since we last saw each other 30+ years ago. The only significant change was the town he was residing in…Vienna, Austria.

When he made the announcement he was coming state side, I made a point to meet with him. He was interested in reconnecting and told me to make the proper arrangements. I choose Glen Manor Vineyards for our meet and he truly enjoyed his first visit to a Virginia Winery.

A few weeks ago, he gave me the heads up that he would be visiting his mother over the Thanksgiving holiday. He told me to pick the venue and we could talk about the good ole days once again.

Greg was open to either beer or wine and I decided to show him the Vineyards of Frederick County.

We met in town and I proceeded to the Shenandoah valley’s northern most wineries. Our first stop was James Charles Winery. One of Virginia’s newer Vineyards, it is part of the Bogaty Family Wine Group which includes 2 other wineries Veramar Vineyard in Berryville & Bogati Winery in Round Hill.

Since opening last August, James Charles is making some noise with their red wines.

Greg and I did a tastings and decided to get a bottle of Petit Verdot. Rich Garnet in color, dark cherry and smoke on the nose. Complex red berry flavors with a dry spicy, chewy finish. This is your steak, burger wine even fish and chips would go well with this wine.

I believe Greg said: “This wine has the legs of a super model!” We will go with that!

The day was gorgeous and we decided to take advantage of the warm November weather and enjoy their patio. Our next stop will keep us indoors as the sun began to set but this vineyard has evening hours which is a great perk, Valerie Hill Vineyard & Winery.

It was almost 4 years ago that I stumbled upon this vineyard as I was taking back roads home due to heavy traffic on I-81. Tish and I visit often, knowing Greg is partial to Merlot, he will not be disappointed in their Merlot Reserve.

Subtle earthy notes with a touch of leather on the bouquet. Soft, warm flavors of currants and black cherries. Nice concentration and fruit forward that transcends to supple dry/low spice flavors on the finish. This is a true pasta wine that could be enjoyed by itself or with an after dinner cigar.

Greg is very impressed with how enjoyable the wines are in Virginia. I told him that when he comes back for another visit, we will take in some other vineyards in the surrounding area. With more than 30 within a 25 mile radius, we have plenty to choose from. And so do you!

Get out and visit the areas wineries and show your support for Virginia’s wine industry.

Cheers!

Stallion!

We made our way over to the East Village to visit and have a few drinks at Cooper’s Craft & Kitchen. We were able to get a table at 5:30 for snacks.  I enjoyed a Lager from Kansas City, sorry I failed to make a note of the brewery. I know…Rookie!

Then it was time to part ways until later in the evening. I had a nice stroll to meet Stallion and the girls were only a few blocks from the theater. I got on my high horse and headed down to Madam X to meet up with my old friend.

Using the GPS on my phone, I rolled up to my destination to discover this place was a basement bar. As I walked in, I first thought it was one of those places…

you know…N.Y. Ballet!

Strip Club folks, Strip Club.

The barmaid was very nice and began to laugh as soon as I spoke.

“You’re not from around here?”

“Yes Mama, I’m from Brooklyn!”

She wasn’t buying it!

I grabbed a brew and began to look at the décor. It was dark, big puffy vinyl seats in the back that just reeked of strip club without the brass pole. Then from the back I heard the voice:

“COOP!”

It was. Stallion! The last time I saw him it was 1997 at Camden Yards. He used to cover the Orioles.

He invited me to join him and a few others on the patio, I like a deck and patio as most of you know!

One beer lead to many, many more. He was wondering where I was heading too next. I told them about PDT and the city folk were impressed that this country boy knew so much about NYC’s night life. I mentioned to them that one friend told me to visit McSorley’s and another said not too. Stallion said; “If you’re this close you are going to visit.”

Once again we were walking, Stallion and I rolled into this vintage bar as the others had to grab a train for home. The beer selection was most interesting, dark or light. Which ever you choose, they brought you two mugs for $5.25. I believe we had 4 rounds of those. So much history that if you’re ever up there, you have to visit.

We settled up with the bartender and went over and met the girls. Stallion and I parted ways and it was so Awesome to see him after all these years. I assured him that I would be back and we would tear NYC up.

Now it was time for some craft cocktails, onward to PDT!

The Day After…

The following morning, photos and comments flooded the social media juggernaut from that nights outing at Anna’s. So many kind words about all who we haven’t seen in years. One reoccurring comment: “We need to do this more often!”

Just by the response from those who didn’t attend, it appears others are ready to join the regulars for a night of righteousness. We still party pretty hard but it is at a much slower pace.

You can see a change in a number of my classmates demeanor and for them it could be a life saver. In my case it was surgery that caused my 180 degree turn around, others it could have been as simple as the birth of a child. I’m happy to see those who are now going to live their remaining time on this planet to the limit.

Momma always said: “Your teenage years are the best years of your life.”

Since I have little to no memory of that stage of my life, I’m convinced the best years of my life are going to be my senior years.

Enjoy your time with your friends and family. Life is too short to have regrets on what could have been. Treat yourself every week to those little things that put a smile on your face.

I look forward to another visit with the Class of ’83. May we continue to enjoy each other’s stories 50 years from now. I hope you enjoyed this series and thanks for helping me remember some epic times. 

I believe the late Prince said it best:

“If you don’t like

The world your living in

Take a look around

At least you got friends” – Lets Go Crazy

Reunions…Good Times As Always!

1988 our 5 year reunion. We were still just babies!

Rich & Cheryl with Patterson in the background. Where is he?

The 10 year reunion…I remember it being an “S” storm. This was the part of my life when the Dr.’s had complete control of me, I was miserable beyond belief and I was married.

The hardcores were making the circle that I remembered at the field parities. A bottle of Boone’s Farm would be opened, take a swig and pass it around. I remember Stickles going around taking up a collection and going to purchase more wine. 36 empty bottles were left behind. The story goes that we as a class were barred for life at the Moose Lodge. Like I said, a “S” storm.

I only attended 1 of the next 3 and that was the 20th in 2003. Tish and I had just moved in together and she hadn’t been around too many of my classmates. But if you’re going to be with a Strasburg man, you need to meet his family from S.H.S.

The 30 year reunion, we are aging well just like fine wine!

Just 3 years ago we celebrated our 30th , Margo had organized a picnic for the town park all the way from Portland, Oregon. We attended and we left around 1 and took Horton and his better half to Glen Manor Vineyards to enjoy the warm July afternoon and wine. A group assembled at the Depot Lounge and more drinks flowed. During this time a talk of a field party were discussed and plans were made. In Sept. of that year, we had a good ole redneck field party.

Now that a good group of us are on the social media’s, we make plans to meet more often. The Depot Lounge seems to be a good meeting place but I’m always interested in other options if one is suggested.

A good many of my classmates are now facing an empty nest. Although in Brenda’s case, she’s dealing with grandkids because she started way too young. Damn Granny.

Then a familiar face appeared on Facebook, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. The last time I saw Joey was at SVP where a good number of ’83 worked and some still do. I heard rumors about him moving but I exhausted them as that. When I visited the Southwest in ’84, I never thought about looking him up. Then again I was with my Grandparents and they were keeping a tight lease on their grandson. I recently found out that Joey hadn’t moved out that way during that time. So all is well.

A year ago, Joey had posted that he was going to be at a conference in DC for a week. I reached out to him and asked if he would be making a trip to the valley. To my surprise, he was going to come and visit with family and we decided to grab a cocktail at the Hotel.

Joey came to town and we showed him a large time. Hey enjoyed so much he came back for more this year!

My phone began blowing up from members of the family wanting to know if they could join us. I’m all about a party. I coordinated with Joey and he agreed to the small group. I put additional info out to those who turn their nose up to Facebook. They were informed and some showed. I believe we had close to 20 folks show and we had a large time.

Over the past year, we have gotten together 2 other times and I truly enjoy meeting up with these good friends. I’m confident that if I needed bail money, I have plenty of folks to contact. With that being said, I’m blogging from lock up in Woodstock, I went streaking down Main Street this morning and I need some one to pick me up and bring me a towel.

Hmm…that would be an interesting way to celebrate my 60th birthday.

Add.

To.

Bucket.

List!

The End – June 3, 1983

 

By the way I am dressed, there’s no wonder I was a walking wedgie!

I spent my last day of school mowing the yard and getting the car loaded for the evenings celebration. The graduation ceremony was held indoors because of the early Virginia summer, it was hot and humid. Having to wear a shirt and tie along with the ceremonial gown was making a brother sweat. As the time approached, we were lined up on both sides of the hallway, I glanced down to see all of my classmates have smiles on their faces and out of a doorway came a group in similar outfits but in black. It almost look like a covenant of witches walking down the hall. The first face I saw was Mr. Hodson our Principle.
My Cousin, feeling his oats addresses Mr. Hodson as “J.D.” and proceeded to call all the teachers by their first name but one…Coach Proctor. To this day I refer to him as Coach or Mr. Proctor.

 

We were in and out in about 2 hours. As we exited the gymnasium and I began to hear the sounds of girls sobbing. Little did I know one those sobbing just so happened to my Cousin. Tears flowed and hugs were everywhere. As we met up with our families, we handed them our diplomas caps & gowns. I went and changed cloths and was told that if I was going to consume to stay at the field. I informed them that I would see them at sun up.

Hours after the event, my classmates were still hugging and tears still flowed. A few made plans to visit Ocean City, Md. the following week. I was scheduled to work at 8:00 Monday morning, so I maintained my composure and partied the night away.

A few of my classmates were only going to relax and enjoy their new freedom for just a short period. Uncle Sam called their number and they were heading off to basic training. Those who went to college, we would run into each other in town on the weekends and we would gather some where to talk.

Over time, some got married, some moved away, some stayed close, and some never left. But it so funny how we can go months even years and not see each other yet we live only 5 to 10 miles from each other. So much for the small town mentality.

When it was time for our 5 year reunion, I knew our class lacked funds to pull off renting a venue. Somehow, we were able to scrap enough together to rent the VFW in Strasburg and get crazy just like we did back in the day. The most important thing was…we still were a tight knit group and I can only hope in 25 years we are still that close.