Wines We Recently Enjoyed

We do love visiting our favorite wine bars!

We drink so much local wine, we cherish the opportunity to taste and learn of the many great wines around the world!

Willamette Damit!
Barone Ricasoli
Some wines surprise us!
Alsace Amazing
Müller Thurgau

The Call! United Flight 93

What words could I possibly add….

9/11/2001

Todd: Hello… Operator…listen to me…I can’t speak very loud. This is an emergency. I’m a passenger on a United flight to San Francisco.. We have a situation here….Our plane has been hijacked…..can you understand me?

Lisa: (exhaling a deep breath to herself) I understand… Can the hijackers see you talking on the phone?

Todd: No

Lisa: Can you tell me how many hijackers are on the plane?

Todd: There are three that we know of.

Lisa: Can you see any weapons? What kind of weapons do they have?

Todd: Yes…. they don’t have guns….they have knives they took over the plane with knives.

Lisa: Do you mean…like steak knives?

Todd: No, these are razor knives…like box cutters.

Lisa: Can you tell what country these people are from?

Todd: No…..I don’t know. They sound like they’re from the mid-east.

Lisa: Have they said what they want?

Todd: Someone announced from the cockpit that there was a bomb on board. He said he was the captain and to stay in our seats and stay quiet.
He said that they were meeting these men’s demands and returning to the airport… It was very broken English, and… I’m telling you…it sounded fake!

Lisa: Ok sir, please give me your name.

Todd: My name is Todd Beamer.

Lisa: Ok Todd….my name is Lisa…Do you know your flight number? If you can’t remember, it’s on your ticket.

Todd: It’s United Flight 93.

Lisa: Now Todd, can you try to tell me exactly what happened?

Todd: Two of the hijackers were sitting in first class near the cockpit. A third one was sitting near the back of the coach section. The two up. front got into the cockpit somehow; there was shouting. The third hijacker said he had a bomb. It looks like a bomb. He’s got it tied to his waist with a red belt of some kind.

Lisa: So is the door to the cockpit open?

Todd: No, the hijackers shut it behind them.

Lisa: Has anyone been injured?

Todd: Yes, ..they…they killed one passenger sitting in first class. There’s been lots of shouting. We don’t know if the pilots are dead or alive. A flight attendant told me that the pilot and copilot had been forced from the cockpit and may have been wounded.

Lisa: Where is the 3rd hijacker now Todd?

Todd: He’s near the back of the plane. They forced most of the passengers into first class. There are fourteen of us here in the back. Five are flight attendants. He hasn’t noticed that I slipped into this pantry to get the phone. The guy with the bomb ordered us to sit on the floor in the rear of the plane……….oh Jesus.. Help!

Lisa: Todd….are you ok? Tell me what’s happening!

Todd: Hello…..We’re going down….I think we’re going to crash……Wait wait a minute. No, we’re leveling off….we’re ok. I think we may be turning around…..That’s it we changed directions. Do you hear me….we’re flying east again.

Lisa: Ok Todd…. What’s going on with the other passengers?

Todd: Everyone is… really scared. A few passengers with cell phones have made calls to relatives. A guy, Jeremy, was talking to his wife just before the hijacking started. She told him that hijackers had crashed two planes into the World Trade Center……Lisa is that true??

Lisa: Todd…..I have to tell you the truth…..it’s very bad. The World Trade Center is gone. Both of the towers have been destroyed.

Todd: Oh God help us!

Lisa: A third plane was taken over by terrorists. It crashed into the Pentagon in Washington DC. Our country is under attack….and I’m afraid that your plane may be part of their plan.

Todd: Oh dear God. Dear God…….Lisa, will you do something for me?

Lisa: I’ll try….if I can….Yes.

Todd: I want you to call my wife and my kids for me and tell them what’s happened. Promise me you’ll call..

Lisa: I promise I’ll call.

Todd: Our home number is 201 353-1073…….You have the same name as my wife…Lisa….We’ve been married for 10 years. She’s pregnant with our 3rd child. Tell her that I love her…….(choking up)..I’ll always love her..(clearing throat) We have two boys.. David, he’s 3 and Andrew, he’s 1…..Tell them……(choking) tell them that their daddy loves them and that he is so proud of them. (clearing throat again) Our baby is due January 12th…..I saw an ultra sound…..it was great….we still don’t know if it’s a girl or a boy………Lisa?

Lisa: (barely able to speak) I’ll tell them, I promise Todd.

Todd: I’m going back to the groupif I can get back I will…

Lisa: Todd, leave this line open…are you still there?……

Lisa: (dials the phone..) Hello, FBI, my name is Lisa Jefferson, I’m a telephone supervisor for GTE. I need to report a terrorist hijacking of a United Airlines Flight 93….Yes I’ll hold.

Goodwin: Hello, this is Agent Goodwin.. I understand you have a hijacking situation?

Lisa: Yes sir, I’ve been talking with a passenger, a Todd Beamer, on Flight 93 who managed to get to an air phone unnoticed.

Goodwin: Where did this flight originate, and what was its destination?

Lisa: The flight left Newark New Jersey at 8 A.M. departing for San Francisco. The hijackers took over the plane shortly after takeoff, and several minutes later the plane changed course it is now flying east.

Goodwin: Ms. Jefferson…I need to talk to someone aboard that plane. Can you get me thru to the planes phone?

Lisa: I still have that line open sir, I can patch you through on a conference call…hold a mo…..

Todd: Hello Lisa, Lisa are you there?

Lisa: Yes, I’m here. Todd, I made a call to the FBI, Agent Goodwin is on the line and will be talking to you as well.

Todd: The others all know that this isn’t your normal hijacking. Jeremy called his wife again on his cell phone. She told him more about the World Trade Center and all.

Goodwin: Hello Todd. This is Agent Goodwin with the FBI. We have been monitoring your flight. Your plane is on a course for Washington, DC. These terrorists sent two planes into the World Trade Center and one plane into the Pentagon. Our best guess is that they plan to fly your plane into either the White House or the United States Capital Building.

Todd: I understand…hold on……I’ll…….I’ll be back..

Lisa: Mr. Goodwin, how much time do they have before they get to Washington?

Goodwin: Not long ma’am. They changed course over Cleveland; they’re approaching Pittsburgh now. Washington may be twenty minutes away.

Todd: (breathing a little heavier) The plane seems to be changing directions just a little. It’s getting pretty rough up here. The plane is flying real erratic….We’re not going to make it out of here. Listen to me….I want you to hear this….I have talked with the others….we have decided we would not be pawns in these hijackers suicidal plot.

Lisa: Todd, what are you going to do?

Todd: We’ve hatched a plan. Four of us are going to rush the hijacker with the bomb. After we take him out, we’ll break into the cockpit. A stewardess is getting some boiling water to throw on the hijackers at the controls. We’ll get them….and we’ll take them out. Lisa, …..will you do one last thing for me?

Lisa: Yes…What is it?

Todd: Would you pray with me?

They pray: Our father which art in Heaven

Hallowed be thy name,

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

And forgive us our trespasses

As we forgive our trespassers,

And lead us not into temptation

But deliver us from evil

For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory

Forever…..Amen

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want…

He makes me to lie down in green pastures

He leads me beside the still waters

He restores my soul

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I will fear no evil, for thou art with me…..

Todd: (softer) God help me…Jesus help me….(clears throat and louder)

Are you guys ready?……..

Let’s Roll……………………

Rosato – Piccoine Vineyards

Rosato from Piccione Vineyards.

Vintage 2021

Rosé of 100% Estate grown Sagrantino.

Swan Creek AVA, a sub-appellation of North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley AVA.

Beautiful light cranberry-ish almost crimson hue.

Nose of pineapple, blood orange, lemon, over-ripe banana, and cherry,

Dry on the palate, crisp acidity.

Tropical Flavors of blood orange, lemon, cherry, red plum, cranberry, and a certain exotic minerality finishing long with notes of pineapple, kumquat, and lime.

A very good high quality wine. Well-made!

ABV 13%

$24 a bottle.

Rosato

JenNis Beverage Marketing score of 90 points! We revisited our notes and upgraded the score. Thus wine does truly drink very well!

A very high quality wine proving once again that excellent fine wine can be produced in North Carolina!

Shop Rosato and other Piccione wine here!

Quick Trip to the Yadkin Valley

Impromptu Labor Day trip to the Yadkin Valley AVA in North Carolina.

Knew of a couple of wineries in the AVA which we hadn’t yet enjoyed a visit. So with intent we traveled!

First stop at Golden Road Vineyards. We rated our experience at Golden Road Vineyards very favorably and highly recommended. Give it an A-.

This was without doubt our favorite of this trip and we can most certainly see ourselves returning! 🍷🍷

We have previously met owner Crista at the North Carolina Digital Wine Summit and had a sense of their commitment. Crista owns GRV with her husband Chad.

The five acre vineyard was planted in 2011 and the tasting room opened in 2020.

The tasting room is very comfortable and a really nice outdoor seating area is available with views overlooking the vineyard.

Our favorites were the crisp Petit Manseng and the bold Petit Verdot.

Next we enjoyed our first visit to Serre Vineyards.

It was a rainy day but that didn’t damper the incredible Mountain View’s from the tasting room.

The views are great and the outside covered patio and lawn are perfect for hanging out. We weren’t overly impressed with the wine especially considering the inflated cost.

We give our experience at Serre Vineyards a B.

Favorite here was the 2018 Petit Verdot, though sorry Serre this isn’t a $45 bottle.

The Cab Sauv was lacking in body and structure. The Montepulciano tasted more like a blend and we’ve certainly enjoyed better in the Yadkin Valley. The Chardonnay was good.

We certainly enjoyed our quick impromptu trip. We believe that we now visited every currently operating winery in the Yadkin Valley!

Wine Competition Process

I decided back in July to try and gain a better understanding of what drives our views on our blog. 🍷🍷

This September we will try the formula of consistent content.

I hope we can……lol!!

Tonight’s content could be construed as a bitch session….but maybe it’ll be insightful to some!

August 29th we held the 2022 North Carolina Mead-Cider-Fruit Wine Competition at The Lodge in Flat Rock. It’s insane how much preparation goes into planning a beverage competition!

First…you have to secure a venue..,a suitable venue for a wine competition. A restaurant doesn’t work…too many smells…can’t be too noisy…..and need ample space!

You have to create the competition rules and the entry forms!

Then you have to invite participants. Though first, you’ve got to research your potential participants. Then, always, you must contact them multiple times…you must create emails that sell your competition!

You’ve got to find and recruit qualified judges!

Got to sell sponsors on supporting you competition!

Many many thanks to our sponsors Beer Law Center of Raleigh and the Van in Black wine tours out of Western North Carolina! 🥂

You’ve got to recruit wine competition stewards to help in pouring and serving the wines to your judges!

This crew was stellar!!

The final scores have to be calculated and averaged!

Write press release to announce the competition results!

Design medals, order medals, deliver and present medals!

Whew…without doubt the above process is so overly simplified!

I write all this to say….a lot of individuals have opinions on how wine competitions should be operated….but those people aren’t putting in all the work and effort mentioned above!

We encourage ideas and suggestions. We have learned a ton and gain very valuable insight from many of our friends!

However…we do the work…so we run the show! Our decisions are final! That may seem harsh, but we feel through our hard work we will earn our success!!

Cheers! 🥂

North Carolina Mead-Cider-Fruit Wine Competition

With the 2022 North Carolina MCF in full preparation mode, we’d thought it be great to look back on the 2021 NCMCF!

If you’ll looking for the entry form for the 2022 North Carolina Mead-Cider-Fruit Wine Competition please click below.

https://jennisbeveragemarketing.com/north-carolina-mead-cider-fruit-wine-competition/

Check out this video of the 2021 North Carolina Mead-Cider-Fruit Wine Competition judging and medal presentations!

We’re so thankful for our incredible sponsors!

VAN IN BLACK
BEER LAW CENTER

Mead Day 2022

Celebrating Mead Day on Saturday August 6th, 2022!

To celebrate, we opened up the Amarena from Keeper’s Cut Meadery in Marion, North Carolina.

With the North Carolina Mead-Cider-Fruit Wine Competition being judged on August 29th in Flat Rock, North Carolina, we’d thought it be fun to look back to our 2021 medal presentations!

We delivered medals to Wehrloom Honey and Meadery tasting room in Asheville! I love the picture with the taps in the background!! This tasting room is so cool you must check it out!!

Wehrloom Honey In Asheville

Next we had a fun presentation at Keeper’s Cut Meadery in Marion! We always enjoy visiting and tasting Charlie’s new releases!

Keeper’s Cut Meadery in Marion!

What a great experience we enjoyed presenting medals in the triangle area! First stop in Durham at Honeygirl Meadery!

Honeygirl Meadery in Durham!

Next stop was in the Chatham Beverage District to present medals to Starrlight Meadery. We love this area and can’t wait to visit again! This is our favorite picture from all of our medal presentations ever! How great is this!!

Starrlight Meadery in the Chatham Beverage District

Our final awards presentation was to deliver the Best-in-Show award to Moonjoy Meadery in Lenoir, North Carolina for their Dark Horse mead! Moonjoy Meadery is just such a cool place….an absolute must visit!

Moonjoy Meadery in Lenoir, North Carolina

Get out and celebrate Mead Day tomorrow!

Don’t forget these award-winning Meaderies in South Carolina. Each of the mead-makers at the two below served as judges for the 2021 North Carolina Mead-Cider-Fruit Wine Competition!

Bee-Town Mead & Cider in Bluffton won Best-in-Show in the 2020 Palmetto Wine Competition.

Bee-Town Mead & Cider in Bluffton SC

Wandering Bard Meadery in Greenville, SC has accumulated many awards from the Palmetto Wine Competition and other national mead competitions across the country! Their tasting room is an awesome gathering place in the fun Hampton Place walking community!

Wandering Bard Meadery in Greenville, SC

Here’s to Mead! The Honey Wine!! 🍯

Prestigious 2022 Palmetto Signature Half-Case

Introducing the 2022 Palmetto Signature Half-Case! 🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅🏅

Each year, the Palmetto Wine Competition celebrates wines produced in South Carolina.

The Palmetto Signature Half-Case awards the top six highest scoring wines produced solely from fruit harvested in South Carolina!

Grown on South Carolina farms! In South Carolina soil! By South Carolina vineyards and farms!

Produced and bottled in South Carolina wineries!!

The real deal! South Carolina grown, produced, and bottled! 🍇🍾🍷🍷

Without further ado, we present the 2022 Palmetto Signature Half-Case award-winning wines! 🙌

Anchoring our half-case is the 2022 Palmetto Wine Competition award-winning Best Estate grown off-dry Chardonel from Wellborn Winery in the Woods!

Wine: Lily White (Chardonel) Winery: Wellborn Winery in the Woods. Travelers Rest, SC Winemaker: Tony Beninati. Description: Off-Dry estate-grown Chardonel

Wine: Scuppernong – Winery: Elevation 966 Winery, Greenville, SC Winemaker: Donny Lockaby Description – Semi-Sweet wine produced from scuppernong harvested in Hickory Tavern, SC

Wine: Harvest White (Muscadine) – Winery: Island Winery, Hilton Head Island, SC Winemaker: Loren Mortimer Description: Sweet wine produced from 100% South Carolina grown Carlos muscadine!

Wine: Magnolia (Scuppernong) – Winery: Deep Water Vineyard, Wadmalaw Island, SC Description: Sweet muscadine wine produced from 100% estate-grown twenty-five year old Carlos muscadine.

Wine: Carlos (Muscadine) – Winery: Enoree River Winery, Newberry, SC Winemaker: Laura LaBarre Description: Semi-Sweet muscadine wine produced from 100% estate-grown fifteen year old Carlos muscadine.

Wine: Single Vineyard Dry Chambourcin – Winery: Cityscape Winery, Pelzer, SC Winemaker: Josh Jones Description: Dry Chambourcin harvested from a single vineyard in Belton, SC and barrel aged for 7 months.

Six amazing wines! All grown, produced, and bottled in South Carolina.

How many have you tried?

Tag us @WineryEscapades (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) with your selfies while enjoying one of these six amazing South Carolina wines with the hashtag #PalmettoWine.

We are so grateful for our sponsors of the 2022 Palmetto Wine Competition!

The Van in Black, the coolest rides and hands-down most stylish winery tours in the Carolina’s!

Bristow Beverage Law, your go-to beverage law partner in South Carolina!

Our host site The Belmont Inn in historic Abbeville, South Carolina.

Western North Carolina Regional Wine Competition

The French Broad Vignerons are set to host the annual Western North Carolina Regional Wine Competition the weekend of September, 17 and 18.

This competition invites commercial and amateur entries. The first day of the competition with judge vinifera and hybrid wines, with muscadine and fruit wines judged on the following day.

Members of the French Broad Vignerons serve as competition judges. Judges qualifications include certification from the American Wine Society (AWS) and Wine Spirits Education Trust (WSET). Seated are members with years of competition judging experience.

Judging Station

Deadline for submitting entries is September 9th.

Commercial and amateur entries incur a fee of $15 for the for wine, and $10 for each wine thereafter. Commercial entries requires two (2) 750 ml bottles or four (4) 350 ml or smaller bottle/can.

Entry form can be accessed on the website of the French Broad Vignerons

As members, Jenni and I were blessed to judge the 2021 competition. We excitedly look forward to the 2022 Western North Carolina Regional Wine Competition.

2021 Western North Carolina Wine Competition

Please feel free to contact us with any questions regarding entry into this competition. We’ll more than pleased to assist.