-
Pages
-
Categories
-
Archives
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- November 2023
- May 2023
- January 2023
- October 2022
- July 2022
- May 2022
- February 2022
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- June 2016
- May 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- November 2015
- October 2015
- September 2015
- August 2015
- July 2015
- June 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- February 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- November 2014
- October 2014
- September 2014
- August 2014
- July 2014
- June 2014
- May 2014
- April 2014
- March 2014
- February 2014
- January 2014
- December 2013
- November 2013
- October 2013
- September 2013
- August 2013
- July 2013
- June 2013
- May 2013
- April 2013
- March 2013
- February 2013
- January 2013
- December 2012
- November 2012
- October 2012
- September 2012
- August 2012
- July 2012
- June 2012
- May 2012
- April 2012
- March 2012
- February 2012
- January 2012
- December 2011
- November 2011
- October 2011
- September 2011
- August 2011
- July 2011
- June 2011
- May 2011
- April 2011
- March 2011
- February 2011
- January 2011
- December 2010
- November 2010
- October 2010
- September 2010
- August 2010
- July 2010
- June 2010
- May 2010
- April 2010
- March 2010
- February 2010
- January 2010
- December 2009
- November 2009
- October 2009
- September 2009
- August 2009
- July 2009
- June 2009
- May 2009
- April 2009
- March 2009
- February 2009
- January 2009
- December 2008
- November 2008
- October 2008
- September 2008
- August 2008
- July 2008
- June 2008
- May 2008
- April 2008
- March 2008
- February 2008
- January 2008
IWINETC Media FAM Reunion
Thousands of miles from Tbilisi, Georgia, the site of the 2014 International Wine Tourism Conference, several members of the Media FAM group are having a reunion under the hot Texas sun. We are meeting at fellow IWINETC presenters’ wine estate Messina Hof in Bryan, Texas. Paul and Merrill Bonarrigo are hosting the reunion. Kathy and I will join them along with Melba Allen from France, Tom Plant from Southern California and Allison Markin from Canada. This will be the first time we will share wine, food and stories together since we opened our qvevri of wine at Twins Wine Cellar in Napareuli in early April.
Kathy and I are looking forward to hearing about Allison’s adventures. After the FAM tour of the Kakheti wine region, Allison began a search for the village where her ancestors were from. We are also anxious to catch up with the others from our group. They have not been stationary but rather on the go traveling and tasting throughout the world.
Merrill and Paul are wonderful hosts and have planned an exciting four days. Actually the itinerary is similar to IWINETC Media FAM trips. We will visit several wineries in the Texas Hill Country AVA after enjoying the wonderful Texan hospitality in Bryan. Merrill and Paul planned a dinner at their house tonight. In addition to Messina Hof’s wines, we brought a bottle of our 2009 Cabernet Sauvignon, Paso Robles AVA. After five years, the wine is quite good now. We hope Tom will bring a bottle from Temecula. Tomorrow, we will help with the grape harvest. Kathy and I harvested grapes at Messina Hof last year as well as at a Maryland winery/vineyard and at Twins Wine Cellar in Georgia. Although hot and sticky, there is just something romantic about harvesting grapes.
Harvest at Messina Hof in Bryan, Texas
As with the IWINETC Media FAM trip, our reunion FAM trip will involve blogging, tweeting and writing articles. Kathy and I have visited a few of the wineries that the Bonarrigo’s plan to take us. We will update those articles. Perhaps the visit I am most interested in is Garrison Brother’s Distillery. They produce Bourbon, my go to drink when I get tired of drinking wine.
Just one example of the food served at Messina Hof
The Texas Hill Country AVA is about a three hour drive from Bryan, Texas. We will spend two days at the Messina Hof Fredericksburg Tasting Room and Lodging. In ways, Messina Hof reminds me of Winiveria Winery at Chateau Mere Vardisubani, Telavi Region, Telavi, Kakheti, Georgia. George Piradashvili and his wife, Nino Gagua are passionate about getting their visitors involved in the wine culture. Their estate in Vardisubani is next to vineyards, has a winery, restaurant and rooms for lodging. Like the Bonarrigos, they also built another lodging facility. Paul and Merrill are a prime example of wine tourism done right. They expect over 100 people to show up to harvest grapes tomorrow. Messina Hof has several opportunities to harvest during the summer at both their Bryan and Fredericksburg locations.
Cheers,
Terry