Newspaper Page Text
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♦ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 23, 2006
American
varietals:
Can they
compete?
I was talking with anoth
er writer and he asked
me, “Do you think wines
made from American grapes
will ever be able to compete
with traditional European
wines?”
There it was.
The question was out there.
How would I answer?
Honestly, of course.
But would I take the dip-
loma t i c
approach?
Would I be
blunt and
sound like
a snob?
Or would I
answer in
the affir
mative,
perhaps
the most
shocking
thought
Brian Goodall
The Wine Guy
Morris News Service
of all?
There are two main barriers
to this happening.
One is the legal aspect
of producing and selling
wine in the United States.
I won’t go into all of the
details of interstate com
merce laws and Supreme
Court decisions, but suffice
it to say that it is very dif
ficult for small wineries in
most states to get their prod
ucts to market beyond the
winery itself or a very small
geographical area nearby.
Without a distributor,
tourism, local restaurants,
and the Internet are the
primary avenues of income.
Second - and this is where it
gets a bit dicey - American
grapes are not included
among the noble variet
ies because they are of a
different family of grapes.
They simply do not produce
wine on the same level.
The major players in wine
Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Pinot Noir, Riesling,
Chardonnay, and so on, are
all grapes of the vitis vinif
era species. American grapes
hail from the species’ of vitis
labrusca, vitis riparia, and
vitis rotundifolia.
The difference is
more than just Latin.
So you have three levels, or
categories, of grapes that are
being grown for the purpose
of making wine.
The above mentioned
vitis vinifera grapes,
American natives, such as
the Concord or Muscadine,
and hybrids, cross breeds of
various types and species.
Case in point. In and around
Hermann, Missouri, are
seven wineries that make
up the Hermann Wine Trail.
They all produce wines from
local varietals and hybrids.
No vitis vinifera grapes
among them.
They are growing Norton,
Vignoles, Seyval, Vidal,
Chambourcin, and the like.
These are the grapes that
are well suited to the climate
and soil of the area.
And some of the wine is
fairly good. Some of it is
rather regrettable.
See WINE, page jfl
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Maryland
Annapolis, Md. is famous for its history and its sailing. It is also the home of the U.S. Naval Academy.
Memories: chinquapins and broken hearts
By Audrey Batchelor
Journal Guest Writer
During a
recent visit
to Perry
to attend
a family
reunion,
I was
delighted to be invited to an
open house.
The hosts, whom I had
never met, welcomed me
into their beautiful new
home just as if I were fam
ily. Both the food and the
company were delicious.
This is when I met that
rascal, Charlotte Perkins. A
friendship bloomed and I
thoroughly enjoyed her col
orful stories.
Each time I encounter
such true southern hospi
tality, I’m delighted. I recall
my grandparents’ home dur
ing my childhood, and, as I
do, it makes my heart sing.
Grandma had three broth
ers, who like my grandfather
were Southern Maryland
tobacco farmers. Two never
married. There were stories
about Uncle Joe having had
a love affair when he was
young. We children knew
her name - Sally. She broke
his heart by running away
with another. She “done
him wrong.” It was said
that he swore he’d never
let anyone break his heart
again. However, I suspect
never loving again, or hav
ing a special someone in his
life really broke his heart.
And there was Uncle
George, who was so loving
yet so scary. Uncle George
was the exact image of the
Hunchback of Notre Dame.
I’ve never met or seen any
one quite like him again.
Uncle George never left
the farm except to attend
Sunday Mass, he wouldn’t
even go to the wonderful
church suppers.
I spent every summer
on the farm (heaven on
earth!) with my grandpar
ents. I recall wonderfully
lazy days, a deliciously
chilly stream with wild vio
lets on the banks, picking
Lady Slippers in the woods,
catching fireflies at twilight,
and only wearing shoes for
church.
I read lots of books, espe
cially “Nancy Drew.”
Grandma prepared gour
met meals: fried green
tomatoes, fried apples with
onions, hot biscuits with
homemade apple butter and
fresh sour cream, liver and
onions, cuumber sandwich
es, chicken and dumplings.
On Sundays it was fried
chicken, mashed pota
toes and gravy, or potato
IraL rm
Ho 0 /. DISCOUNT
STUDENTS ON THE DAY
I.OF COOKING CLASSES!.
FOOD
salad, and I do mean every
Sunday.
We picked blueberries,
boysenberries, raspberries,
dewberries and chinquapins
(an absolutely delectable
tiny nut.) Grandma made
elderberry wine. On sum
mer Sundays, family and
guests gathered on the lawn
for serious croquet competi
tions. Grandma served each
one a cheese glass of wine,
no more, no less.
Since I was from out of
town for the family reunion,
I wasn’t able to prepare any
thing to bring. So, I went to
the grocers and bought love
ly, buttery croissants and
party trays of fresh fruit
and caramel dip. This was
fine. But, if I’d been home,
I would have made a couple
of my favorites.
Broccoli Salad
2 medium purple
onions
2 (16-oz.) packages
fresh broccoli florets
2 (3.75 oz.) packages
sunflower kernels
2 cups golden raisins
2 cups mayonnaise
8 bacon slices, cooked
and crumbled
6 tablespoons red wine
vinegar
Chop onion and broccoli
florets. Stir together onion,
Mennonite
Owned
m
I Wenger I
HOURS:
Mon - Fri 11am - 2pm
Thurs & Fri Nights
spm - Bpm
broccoli and remaining
ingredients. Chill at least
two hours. Serves 12 to 15.
Grandma’s
Excellent Potato
Salad
12 medium red pota
toes, cooked and cut up
Blend together:
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 cup oil
Salt and pepper
4 stalks celery,
chopped
1/2 red pepper,
chopped
2 medium Vidalia
onions, chopped
5 tablespoons mustard
5 tablespoons mayon
naise
Mix all ingredients. Best
if made the day before.
Simply Simple
Delicious
Vegetable Salad
1 family-size package
frozen vegetables
(corn, peas, string
beans, limas, carrots)
1 medium can red kid
ney beans, drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green
pepper
[LUNCH
L A. A. - .A. A
1 Meat + 2 Vegetables + Bread + Tea
$6.25
EVENINGS - Thur& Fri spm-Bpm
Roast Beef Dinner
$7.50
Qil
626 Courtney Hodges Blvd. • Perry, GA
478-988-2643
00036399
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Yikitaimapolis.org
1/2 cup chopped red
pepper
Mix together: 3/4 cup vin
egar, 1 cup sugar, a dash of
salt.
Cook veggies a little
less than prescribed time.
When cool add remaining
ingredients. Mix and chill.
Marinate at least 24 hours.
Refrigerated, this keeps
indefinitely.
Until next time ...
Editor’s note: This is the
sixth in the Journal’s series
on food from the 50 states.
Our guest writer lives in
Annapolis, but has close ties
in Perry.
Note to our
readers
The “Sea to Shining
Sea” series has,
now covered Idaho,
Pennsylvania, Texas,
Hawaii and Maryland,
which means we’ve got
45 to go! If your home
state has a special food
you’d like to see fea
tured, or if you have
childhood memories of
great food, like Audrey
Batchelor, we welcome
suggestions and guest
writers.
Home
Cooked
Meals
i