Southern
Hospitality:
The Alabama Wine Trail, Part One
If you've ever felt that wine travel is best suited for summer time, perhaps by the end of this travelogue you'll have a slightly different perspective.
It's January as we write this, and winter has its usual vice grip on the Midwest. But all around the country, wineries are welcoming visitors and hosting wine trail events. Actually, the traditional off season is the perfect time to visit your favorite winery. Crowds are lighter and chances are you'll rub elbows with the owner or winemaker who can personally provide insight into their craft. It's an ideal way to learn more about wine in a relaxed, leisurely setting.
In spring 2008, we caught wind of a new wine trail being developed and marketed in the Deep South. And so, in an effort to escape the winter doldrums, we set out for the milder climate of Alabama to discover the burgeoning Alabama Wine Trail.
The Alabama Wine Trail: Background and Challenges
Although Alabama isn't typically known as a wine producing state, there is a long history of grape production and wine making here. Like other southern states, the muscadine grape reigns supreme, but Alabama winemakers are developing a surprising array of excellent wines. Much of north central Alabama offers a mountainous terrain, with numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation. Of course, where there are mountains, there are sure to be valleys. This, combined with a long growing season, gives the Alabama wine industry an excellent opportunity to thrive as time goes on.
Wine Trails USA was delighted to see Alabama designate an official wine trail. If you're interested, be sure to request an Alabama Wine Trail brochure from the Alabama Travel Council (contact information below). It's a beautiful brochure outlining Alabama's eight wineries, all within an easy drive from the state's three main cities of Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile.
There was, however, a large amount of publicity devoted to the Alabama Wine Trail at its launch, unfortunately not all positive. Long standing anti alcohol biases are quite prevalent in the state, and wineries have overcome numerous hurdles to open for business, let alone market their products. Fortunately, through a lot of hard work and persistence, the Alabama Wine Trail is open for business and capitalizing on the wine travel and agri tourism trend. We're rooting hard for the success of Alabama wineries and their wine trail, and we hope our visit and this travelogue helps open a few eyes.
With that said, this was a most enjoyable trip for us, milder temperatures aside. Alabama is a beautiful state! It's easy to navigate, the cities are charming and historic, and southern hospitality abounds. As of this writing, there are eight Alabama wineries - we visited seven and we're very pleased to introduce them to you. So without further ado, join us as we learn more about Alabama and the Alabama Wine Trail.
Birmingham: Cuisine And Culture
Located near the geographical center of Alabama, Birmingham is a rollicking and diverse city that's a mix of genteel southern charm and sophistication. This is a city for gourmands, whether your tastes trend toward slow cooked barbeque or bistro fare. Adding to the ambiance are several appealing and walkable shopping districts with independent stores galore.
Just over one million people call metropolitan Birmingham home. There's a wonderful diversity here, sprinkled with a youthful vibe and a love of life. Italian, Greek, Asian, and Lebanese cultures provide a melting pot of culinary tradition. And you can't wander far in Birmingham without hearing the sounds of jazz, blues, country, rock, or gospel. Immerse yourself for a few days to really feel Birmingham's pulse.
Arriving mid morning on our Southwest Airlines direct flight, we set our sights on exploring the city. The next day, we'd venture off and devote a day to discovering four Alabama wineries, but today is all about the hidden gems of Birmingham. Join us!
Birmingham's Sights, Sounds, and Shopping
Maybe wine and baseball aren't the greatest mix, but whether you love the game or just appreciate history, be sure to visit Rickwood Field, America's oldest ballpark. Built in 1910, this cozy nostalgic treasure of baseball's past has hosted some of the game's greatest, including Willie Mays and Babe Ruth. Every year, a turn back the clock game is played here by the Birmingham Barons, a Chicago White Sox farm team, complete with retro uniforms and 1920's ambiance.
From here, it's a short drive to the venerable Peanut Depot for a bag or two of freshly roasted peanuts (now there's something that goes with baseball!). Located on Morris Avenue near downtown, the Peanut Depot has filled the air with the wonderful aroma of roasting peanuts since 1907. Pick up a 1/2 pound bag for, well, peanuts! Delicious ... the best $1 we've spent in a while.
Birmingham loves to eat, and the downtown area boasts a few local treasures. For quick and casual, there are plenty of options. As an aside, did you know Birmingham is famous for its hot dogs? Try Lyric Hot Dog and Burgers, open since 1957 and located next to the historic Alabama Theater. Or, there's Pete's Famous Hot Dogs, a small hot dog stand in continuous operation since 1915. Being from Chicago, we know a little bit about hot dogs, and Birmingham's weiners take a back seat to no one!
If you're looking for something slightly more upscale, Birmingham has got you covered. You'll find more information about Birmingham restaurants at the end of this travelogue, but suffice it to say 2 1/2 days isn't near enough to sample all of this city's culinary delights.
For authentic southern style cooking downtown, try John's City Diner, a Birmingham tradition since 1944. Don't miss their gumbo, it's among the best we've had, even in New Orleans. For a down home breakfast, there's Lyric Hot Dogs & Burgers, open since 1957 and a real locals spot for fresh filling food. Or, there's the chic but moderately priced Zoe's Kitchen for upscale gourmet salads and more. And don't forget the outskirts of town, as Birmingham offers a dizzying array of wonderful local restaurants that are sure to please.
And if you're looking for interesting local shopping options, head just south of downtown to the neighboring Five Points South and Lakeview Entertainment Districts. These two friendly, walkable areas are home to all sorts of unique shops. Both areas come alive after dark, with Five Points South catering to a younger crowd and Lakeview attracting those with a bit more life experience (35+). You'll find antique shops, boutiques, restaurants, and live music galore, and a universal appeal designed to please anyone in your traveling party.
Alabama Wineries - East of Birmingham
We chose Birmingham as our base of operations for two nights since four of Alabama's wineries are situated within a 45 minute drive east of the city. Interstate 20 cuts east/west across Alabama and intersect with Interstate 59 just northwest of Birmingham. Either route will take you into a hilly, almost mountainous, terrain that's home to Alabama wineries.
Our first winery to visit was Wills Creek Vineyards, just a short distance off Interstate 59 exit 188 in the small town of Attala. Arriving just after 10 a.m. on a crisp but sunny day, we had the winery tasting room all to ourselves. Wills Creek specializes in muscadine wines with interesting twists, as some are dry and others the more traditional sweet.
We enjoyed just about everything we tried, especially the terrific Sirano Limited Release. This bold red wine, similar to a Syrah, is moderately dry with flavors of dark fruit - we tasted plum and blackberry. Also, don't miss Blazing Sun Pinot Grigio, a friendly white wine with pleasing citrus flavors. We bought a few bottles of this to take home, our very first Alabama wine purchase!
The winery itself is located in the midst of the Duck Valley Wildlife Preserve, and the grounds are pleasant and peaceful. Stop for a few moments and breathe in the fresh air ... it's almost as refreshing as the wine!
Just a few miles south of Wills Creek is White Oak Vineyards, in Anniston just north of Interstate 20. Open on Friday afternoons and Saturdays, White Oak boasts a beautiful tranquil farm setting amidst the rolling hills of central Alabama. Here you'll enjoy an eclectic variety of twelve wines, ranging from sweet to crisp, all made with Alabama pride. Surprisingly, we found a Chambourcin and also a Burgundy, with the Burgundy made from Norton grapes. Reflecting on last year's trip to Missouri, we noted the terrain is quite similar in this part of Alabama. The Burgundy in particular was outstanding, with bold intense flavors that to us stacked up against any other Burgundy we've tasted.
You should also try White Oak's fruit wines, especially the Peach. This is such a fun, easy sipper and it's a real taste of Alabama, as the state is known for its peach crop almost as much as neighboring Georgia. On the drier side, there's Villard Blanc, an elegant white offering that also made its way home with us.
As we crept into the early afternoon, it was time to head west back toward Birmingham. Our plans called for extended exploring of Birmingham's two shopping areas, a bit more sightseeing, followed by dinner.
Our first stop was the Lakeview District, home of an old Dr. Pepper plant that's been transformed into a hub of Birmingham's art and design community. The district itself is roughly 16 square blocks and is anchored by Pepper Place, a showplace of galleries, showrooms, and a popular Saturday farmer's market. On the surrounding streets, you'll find some well known Birmingham dining destinations, like Rogue's, an authentic down home diner serving southern specialties like meat-and-three plates.
There's also Golden Rule BBQ and Grill, one of dozens of barbeque restaurants in the Birmingham area. We enjoyed an insanely delicious sampler plate here, a bounty of pulled pork, ribs, pulled chicken, and sides. And not far from here is Dreamland BBQ, well known for their simple menu of ribs and white bread and universally loved by locals.
For happy hour or late night drinks with friends, you've got ample choices. We loved Barking Kudu, voted Best New Bar by Birmingham Weekly. The draught beer selection is astounding! There's also an impressive array of live music most nights. And how can you go wrong at a place like Lou's Pub, in the heart of Lakeview. This neighborhood pub bills itself as Birmingham's Cheers ... you'll feel like a regular in no time. We promised ourselves we'd come back in warmer weather to soak in some time on the Lou's Pub patio.
Alabama Wineries - Day Two
After a healthy sampling of Birmingham nightlife, our next day's plans called for two winery visits south east of the city, in the valley between I-20 and I-65. Here you'll find two of Alabama's most well known wineries, Bryant Vineyards and Morgan Creek Vineyards.
About 35 minutes southeast of Birmingham in Harpersville, AL is Morgan Creek Vineyards, a state of the art winery producing a wide range of wines. Ranging from dry to very sweet, Morgan Creek's wines are made with fruit and various grape varieties, including the muscadine grape. A stalwart of the south, the muscadine grape is generally quite sweet but are also a perfect blend with fruit and other grapes.
We sampled most of Morgan Creek's wines and came away most impressed with three in particular. First in our hearts was Noble, a dry red offering with a unique finish of strawberry and dark cherry. We'd serve this one room temperature as a partner to a mild cheese or a strip steak. Next, we liked Cahaba White, just slightly sweet with a bit of a spicy palate mixing well with the fruit. Finally, Regal Red, in the burgundy style and brimming with dark cherry flavors.
In summer, Morgan Creek offers fireworks displays in conjunction with live music nights. You can bring a picnic, enjoy wine tasting, and listen to music under the stars, all capped off by a rousing fireworks show.
Our final winery in Part One of our Alabama Wine Trail travelogue takes us to Bryant Vineyards in Talladega. If that name sounds familiar, it's due to the famous Talladega Speedway that draws thousands of visitors each year. Bryant Vineyards is just a few miles away from the track.
Bryant Vineyards has been producing wine since 1985, with grapes grown on land that has been in the Bryant family since the late 1800's. You'll find a full range of muscadine wines here, including our favorite, Country White. This is a perfect wine for warm summer nights, or cold January nights for that matter! We also liked Festive Red, a dark red table wine that we felt benefitted from a slight chill.
Bryant is a small operation with no website at press time, so be sure to call ahead to make sure someone is available to greet you.
Looking Ahead To The Rest Of The Trail
The next morning, we headed south on Interstate 65, with our ultimate destination being one of our favorite southern cities, beautiful Mobile, Alabama. But we'll save that for Part Two of our Alabama travelogue, and we hope you'll join us as we visit more of Alabama's wine country.
In closing, we encourage you to get your wine travel "fix" in some of the southern states during the winter months. Travel is easy as temperatures stay above freezing for the most part. And, you won't need to fight the crowds while you linger at unique small wineries and discover interesting cities and sights along the way.
Until next time (for part two of the Alabama Wine Trail),
Cheers!
RECOMMENDATIONS
Alabama Travel Information: www.alabamatravel.org Alabama Wine Trail Information: www.northalabama.org Birmingham Visitor Information: www.birminghamal.org
BIRMINGHAM ATTRACTIONS
Pepper Place: www.pepperplace.net Rickwood Field: www.rickwood.com Alabama Theatre: www.alabamatheatre.com
THE WINERIES
White Oak Vineyards: www.whiteoakal.com
Morgan Creek
Vineyards: www.morgancreekwinery.com |