The French Resistance
These Wines are Not New to the Shop but RESIST Being Rotated! ** En Passant Rhone 2017 $18.99 ** Pick Up a Case. Call (828) 575-9525 |
Metro Wines Blogs
*** PRIEST CHOKER *** Will economic conditions reinvigorate a traditional Tuscan savings plan? https://www.news.com.au/ the-choking-history-of-italys- Your Discuss it Over OR Pair with the Pasta - Wine 92 Points Wine Enthusiast A blend of 60% Sangiovese, 20% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, this has alluring,
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*** Save Alsace ***
New York Times reports that 6 million liters of wine Shop ALSACE @MetroWines! Wine Enthusiast 93Wet stone and fresh lemon are faint but distinct on the nose. A pure lemon flavor streaks across the slender, taut palate, with a comet-like spray of freshness. This wine is dry and, if it weren't for juicy glimpses of ripe lemon, would be almost austere. Vinous Media 91 James Suckling 90 Wine Spectator 90 $21 (red tag) |
It comes with a heavy heart that I must tell you...
JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE TO GO OUTSIDE! Yalumba Viognier 2019, South Australia This Y Series has lovely aromas of orange blossom and honeysuckle $13.97 at Wine Chateau *** $9.99 @MetroWines! *** |
In Memoriam
"Meme"
An idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture. Memes (discrete units of knowledge, gossip, jokes and so on) are to culture what genes are to life. Just as biological evolution is driven by the survival of the fittest genes in the gene pool, cultural evolution may be driven by the most successful memes.— Richard Dawkins I don't care! I am sick of seeing this word. Think about it. How long have you To Celebrate the Happy Demise of "Meme"
Savoie, a quintessentially Alpine region bordering Switzerland, $21 for an awesome in glass experience. |
*** CHILL OUT and IN *** The TOOU Outo Rocking Chair is Born to stay out, enjoying the sun and rain, unafraid of heat, humidity or temperature changes High-end comfort and design out in the open air showcasing quality, ergonomics and diversity, balanced with perfect aesthetics. Chilling in a Chair. Chill IN the Kitchen.
Shop Spicewalla Mediterranean 3 Pack, Spigadoro Penne Rigate from Italy, Stanislaus Red Sauce, Greek Olive Oil and Divina Large White Beans. Cool off in the chair OR the Kitchen with a glass of ......................
$14.99 for centuries of history in bottle. |
Lettie Teague Talks Summer https://www.wsj.com/articles/ easygoing-and-excellent-value- Lettie likes Burgans Albarino 2019
We love Burgans too! It's the classic version of this varietal. |
News Release: Tuesday, July 28th, 2020
OUR VINEYARDS
We planted our first vineyard back in 1981 with a mission to make world-class Bordeaux-style blends. Since then, we’ve expanded both our knowledge of viticulture in this unique region as well as our acreage.
SOIL
Rich in fossilized limestone from eons of marine deposits, JUSTIN’s soil is ideally suited to creating big, Bordeaux-style reds. The limestone “stresses” the vines, producing grapes that fully express their varietal character.
CLIMATE
Paso Robles’ distinctive microclimate offers the widest day-night temperature swings of any grape-growing region in California. The hot days allow the grapes to develop intense flavor, while the cool nights create great structure and balance.
OUR WINEMAKING PHILOSOPHY
At JUSTIN, we combine traditional Old World methods—like hand-harvesting and small-barrel aging in French oak—with New World technology. For example: the “Air Knife,” an ingenious process invented by our winemakers, boosts grape quality and efficiency.
Once the grapes are harvested, our winemakers—some of the best in the business—gather to sort, select, age, taste, blend and decide what goes into every bottle.
Summer (Big) Red
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Alto Adige, 13% ALC Lis Neris Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 Why is this the Summer Big Red? The Cabernet Sauvignon of Lis Neris winery is an elegant and precise wine, Lis Neris winery is one of the most interesting realities of Friuli Venezia Giulia, $23 (red tag) |
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NYT says "Watching any one of Mr. Wegman's short video takes on his practically human Weimaraners, you can laugh at their slow, poignantly befuddled reactions, and even utter a faint "Awww" without feeling square. In Duet, he has them looking up and around maybe at-a circling UFO. That's probably what we'd do if we saw one, too, and that's Wegman's point." More about what's it's all about? Recent Interview with Wegman: https://www.youtube.com/watch? Your Discuss it Over Wine: Red fruit flavours of cherry and strawberry give way to minty freshness *** $13.99 *** |
From The MetroWines Summer Paperback Read Department The Sentence is Death by NYT Best Selling Author Anthony Horowitz The author plays a part in this mystery about a celebrity divorce lawyer murdered with a bottle of 1982 Château Lafite Rothschild!
ANTHONY HOROWITZ is the author of the US bestselling Magpie Murders Well the obvious Read it With Wine is Lafite Rothschild! A good compromise is Rocca di Frasennili, a collaboration between 93 Points from Robert Parker: We aged for 6 years in bottle. Ready to GO |
From The MetroWines Book Suggestion Department
How a New York Times bestselling author and New Yorker contributor Men rule the world she had entered, said Michael Paterniti in The New York Times.
Clovis Wines is a collaboration between T. Edward Imports and some of the best small producers in France. Clovis CDR comes from Remi Pouizin. *** $15.99 @MetroWines *** |
*** Zoom Etiquette ***
Maestro White 2016 Winemaker Notes: The name Maestro pays homage to the Baroque music $24 to take control of the future! |
*** Put a Chill on It ***
*** Schiava *** Teaching Moment: Schiava is a light-bodied red wine (like Pinot Noir) with aromas Alois Lageder's great grandfather founded the winery over 150 years ago in Alto Adige, Northeast Italy. In 1934, the family acquired the Lowengang estate in Magre and continued adding other prime Alto Adige vineyards. Now in its fifth generation, the company is led *** 12% alc. $15.99 ***
*** Ruche *** Teaching Moment: Ruchè is a varietal of Piedmont in Italy that has risen Ruchè wines can be characterized by their lightness in color and complex aromas, Ruchè is a very unique wine from the Ruchè di Castagnole Monferrato Forbes Magazine on Ruchè and Surroundings 13.5% alc. $23 |
*** REDUX ***
The book will present recipes from Bluffs Restaurant and Coffee Shop Andy Hale, Director of The Asheville School of Wine says the classic pairing
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In Memoriam
Brooks Brothers Files for Bankruptcy. We need something structured, balanced, not too trendy but in good taste, Cotes du Rhone 2018 Andy Hale, Director of The Asheville School of Wine @MetroWines, *** $19.99 *** |
*** MAGIC *** Bored? Learn Magic Tricks to Amuse Your Family! https://www.vanishingincmagic. tricks/how-to-learn-magic-for- And Then Treat Yourself to a Treasure Hunter Wine ** MOUTH MAGIC ** A Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon for $24? Now That's Magic! and That's (also)The Big Red of The Week! |
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Story by Julie Hubbard
Julie Hettiger at left in Wilkesboro, Anna Kerley (now Holland) with Blue Ridge Parkway Ranger at front door of Bluffs Restaurant and Coffee Shop in 1966. Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
Interior renovations of the Bluffs Restaurant and Coffee House on the Blue Ridge Parkway near Laurel Springs are scheduled to start in a few weeks in preparation for a scheduled midsummer opening.
To help raise remaining funds needed to complete work on the historic facility, former Wilkes County resident Julie Hettiger and her husband, Ken Nelson, have announced that they will match donations for the work dollar for dollar up to $25,000.
Julie Hettiger, Author of the upcoming book about the culinary tradtions along the Blue Ridge Parkway!
“When I was growing up, the Bluffs restaurant was the favorite destination for Sunday outings with my grandparents, my parents and many other relatives, and I have always cherished those memories,” said Hettiger, daughter of Holly Farms co-founder Harry Hettiger. “For my family, driving up the mountain from Wilkes County to Bluffs restaurant was a monthly trip. Guests and relatives would always join us for fried chicken, grits, cobbler and the real deal—ham biscuits.”
The restaurant opened in 1949 in a building completed the same year and was an attraction for Parkway visitors and residents of Wilkes, Alleghany and other area counties until it closed in 2010 when no one stepped up to take over an expired contract with the National Park Service (NPS) for operating the eatery.
Original Interior of the Bluffs Restaurant and Coffee Shop at right. Current condition at left.
Photos courtesy of Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.
The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation responded to an outpouring of public interest by conducting fundraising for reopening the Bluffs Restaurant and Coffee Shop, which required extensive renovation, new equipment and infrastructure and remediation of mold that appeared while it was shuttered.
All but about $60,000 needed toward the endeavor’s total cost of $942,280 has been raised, said Rita Larkin, foundation communications director. This includes a $300,000 Appalachian Regional Commission grant and $350,000 from the N.C. legislature in consideration of the restaurant’s role as a tourism anchor enabling visitors to spend more time in the area and 14 new jobs it will provide.
The foundation, a private, nonprofit based in Winston-Salem and founded in 1997, is the Parkway’s primary fundraising partner. For more information or to make a donation, including in response to the challenge grant, go to BRPFoundation.org.
The foundation leased the property through the NPS historic leasing program and advertised for someone to operate the Bluffs restaurant. Larkin said concessionaire applications for operating the restaurant are no longer being accepted and a new operator will be announced in March.
Foundation CEO Carolyn Ward called the challenge grant of Hettiger and Nelson a huge step toward securing final funding needed. “It is another example of how meaningful this revitalization project is to the community and thousands of Parkway visitors who stopped here,” said Ward.
Hettiger said, “My husband and I are very excited that the foundation is so close to reopening the restaurant, and we have created this challenge grant to get the project across the finish line.”
The Bluffs Restaurant and Coffee Shop in Doughton Park, Near Laurel Spings, south of Sparta and north of North Wilkesboro. Photo courtesy of Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
Remediation of the mold problem was completed in 2016 and a new roof installed in 2018. New state-of-the-art kitchen equipment and amenities will soon be installed and HVAC, plumbing and electrical work completed to meet current safety standards. The project also includes new furniture and communication equipment.
The work is being carried out in accordance with NPS and N.C. Historic Preservation Office guidelines to maintain the property’s original features and historical nature. Hickory-based Atriax Group is overseeing the design and construction.
“Members of the surrounding communities and people from across the country hold fond memories of their experiences at The Bluffs,” said Willa Mays, the foundation’s chief development officer. “We are honored to play a role in bringing this special place back to life for all the people who have championed its return over the past 10 years.”
At Milepost 241 in Alleghany, the Bluffs Lodge and Coffee Shop was the first provider of meals on the Parkway. It seated 76 and was one of only four restaurants on the Parkway. The Bluffs Lodge, in another area of Doughton Park, was the Parkway’s first lodging. There are no plans to reopen the lodge.
Hettiger is collecting recipes used in the original Bluffs Restaurant and Coffee Shop for a book she plans to publish as a fundraiser. She and her husband now live in Asheville and she can be reached at jhettiger@aol.com.
The foundation also is seeking photos of the restaurant or any mementos featuring the Bluffs logo from its operating days. To share images, contact Larkin at rlarkin@brpfoundation.org or 866-308-2773, ext. 418.
Hettiger graduated from Wilkes Central High School and East Carolina University and worked in the Lowe’s Companies Inc. advertising department before moving to Houston, Texas, where she had a long career in food styling and food photography. She is a standing member of International Association of Culinary Professionals.
She also is on the Boone-based Blue Ridge Conservancy Board of Trustees, which has protected over 20,000 acres of forestland and farmland in Wilkes, Alleghany, Watauga, Ashe, Avery and Yancey counties through conservation easements and deed transfers.
Read More About The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation HERE!
From National Picnic Day, a time honored recipe passed down from Julie's mother!
Skillet Fried Chicken!1 whole chicken cut into piecesor 8-10 chicken pieces, cut up but Must have Skin On.2 cups white flour6 TBS garlic salt1-2 TBS Seasoning saltBlack pepper,groundIn a brown paper bag ,toss flour and seasonings with chicken until well coated.Using the fatty pieces of chicken ,place in preheated cast iron skillet. Remove after their/fat has been rendered.Add the coated pieces of chicken skin side down into the medium hot skillet.After the chicken pieces have seared,but not burned, place entire skillet into 350 oven.15 -20 minutes usually allows for completely done crispy chicken.remove from hot skillet and drain.Pack up your picnic and have fun.
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