Strolling through the tents of Nashville’s first Music City Eats Food & Wine Festival 2013 sampling wines and spirits was outstanding! Two glorious days of perfect weather spent in the beautiful city of Nashville at Public Square Park sipping on some of my favorite wines and cocktails was just about as good as it gets!
Let me share with you some of my favorite wines and spirits that I so happily sipped and contemplated pairings with all of the fabulous foods throughout this two-day event.
Dark Horse Wines was a proud sponsor of the festival and we were happy to have their great wines in Nashville! I enjoyed learning about their wines. The BOLD Dark Horse Cabernet is filled with aromas and flavors of dark berries including juicy blackberries with balanced tannins and a lovely finish of espresso and dark chocolate. Dark Horse Chardonnay was a big hit with medium body and aromas and clean flavors of baked apples, pears, buttery caramel and a long juicy finish.
Bold wines without the bold price~around $8 per bottle. Currently, you can find Dark Horse Wines at Trader Joe’s.
Dark Horse Wines can be purchased on-line at The Barrel Room.
Dark Horse wines are not quite yet in Nashville’s market but I hope that they will be soon! They work hard to bring forth wines that drink like expensive wines for an affordable price! They are great for sipping and for pairing with your favorite fall recipes!
Marieke Bianchi and Bukky represent Dark Horse well! It was fun talking to them while sipping on the wine!
Nashville is lucky to one of the largest markets for Silver Oak wines. On my recent trip to Sonoma, I spent an unforgettable day at Silver Oak Winery and Twomey Cellars,from the family of Silver Oak wineries, sampling different vintages of Silver Oak Cab and Twomey’s sensational Sauvignon Blanc.
It was good to meet Director of sales at Silver Oak & Twomey, Charlie Campbell, who was pouring the current release of the distinctive Silver Oak 2009 Alexander Valley Cabernet and the Twomey 2012 Sauvignon Blanc of which are two of my favorite wines!
Deep Eddy Vodka! Bringing a little bit of Austin to Nashville! After living in Austin for a total of 3 years, I was thrilled to see my favorite vodka here in Nashville.
Whether it’s the refreshing Real Grapefruit Vodka, Sweet Tea Vodka with Real Honey or the smooth unflavored Vodka, you will love these small batch distilled vodkas. Check out their website for recipes. My favorite is the South Bound Greyhound!
Thank you AUSTIN for sharing! LOVE YOU! MISS YOU!
There’s a new brew in town! The Black Abbey Brewing Company is brewing up fantastic artisanal Belgian-Style beer made right here in
Nashville, Tennessee. Run don’t walk to their tasting room and sample these great hand-crafted brews. Head to the website and find out the location and hours of the Tasting Room that JUST opened at the end of September. Meet John Owen, the founder of The Black Abbey and enjoy sipping on this really well-crafted brew! I am also thrilled to find out that this fine establishment is very close to my neighborhood!
Another great local brewery very close to my neighborhood too, is Yazoo Brewing Company. My personal favorite- Yazoo Pale Ale. Yazoo’s Tap Room is another great way to sample some of the finest local brews in town, again, close to my neighborhood.
Apparently I chose my neighborhood well!
Yet another amazing neighborhood brewery Jackalope Brewing Company! You’ve got to visit this one too! My husband and I recently visited the Tap Room to sample some of their handcrafted brews and yes we loved their brews too! I love the citrusy and hoppy American Pale Ale Thunder Ann and the Bearwalker with its distinctive maple flavor from 100% Vermont Maple would be a perfect accompaniment to our Tennessee fall evenings.
It wouldn’t be Tennessee without moonshine! Ole Smoky Distillery Tennessee Moonshine is hand-crafted using local Tennessee ingredients in a variety of flavors. Sip on some Apple Pie or Blackberry Moonshine or any other flavor you like. Or, top of your dessert with Moonshine cherries! I love my Tennessee and I’m glad we can now enjoy that “forbidden” homemade corn liquor anytime! By the way, the Ole Smoky Blackberry Moonshine is my personal favorite straight from the jar!
Here’s my friend Nathan pouring a rocking J.P. Wiser Rye Whiskey! I am learning so much about whiskey and enjoying every drop!
Champagne was flowing at Music City Eats 2013. I was truly sipping in style and luxury! Perrier Jouët Grand Brut Champagne from the Champagne region is one of my favorite champagnes. We toast to beautiful,crisp fall evenings at our home in Tennessee with Perrier Jouët Champagne!
I thoroughly enjoyed sipping on New Zealand’s most elegant wines of Craggy Range. The amazing story of Craggy Range wines and how they came to be is a testament to New World classics. Two of my favorites are the single vineyard Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc and single vineyard Craggy Range Pinot Noir and really everything in between. If you don’t know these amazing wines of New Zealand, you should!
Enjoy wines from family-owned winery in Argentina, Alta Vista Winery. These terroir-driven wines represent some of the best Torrontes and Malbec available. Thank you, Aliza Ray, for representing these amazing wines!
Harmony Overstreet was pouring another favorite of mine, Rodney Strong Vineyard ‘s 2010 newly released Symmetry Meritage Red Wine of Alexander Valley in Sonoma. This wine is an opulent blend of Bordeaux-style varietals with concentrated dark fruit on the palate and elegance that lingers on the palate.
I love Sonoma wines and this is just one more reason to drink more of them!
Here is my friend, Daryl Gibbs District Manager for Winebow, Inc. pouring their Italian portfolio which is delightful and I especially the always refreshing Zardetto Prosecco Brut, Zenato Pinot Grigio 2012 and the two Italian reds Vitiano Rosso 2011 and Allegrini Palazzo Della Torree 2009. These wines are especially great for pairing with my rustic Italian dinners for the fall!
I enjoyed the 2011 Siduri Rosella’s Vineyard Pinot Noir to the last drop! Wine Spectator gave this complex Pinot Noir 92 points.
Have you ever had Jameson Irish Whiskey with Ginger Ale and fresh lime aka Jameson Ginger and Lime? That was my first but will not be my last. Jameson’s booth was at the end of the tents so I did not know it was there until later in the day and what a cool refreshing drink! I never considered drinking Irish Whiskey-until now….
What a great way to top off a fabulous day of sampling some of the best foods and spirits Nashville has to offer!
Cheers! I can’t wait until next year!
Lisa, that’s a great run down of the real fun at Music City Eats. The moonshine looks the most interesting to me.
Hey Girl! The Moonshine is great! You can’t live in Tennessee with out sipping on some Moonshine! I’ll have some on Saturday night!