On March 28, 2020 there was an event, originally aimed at East Coast wine aficionados, originating between wine folks from New York (Lenn Thompson), Michigan (Gina Certa Shay), and Virginia (Frank Morgan). Even Dave McIntyre of the Washington Post joined in to promote the event.
The idea was open a bottle of local wine to show support of the local wine community during the pandemic. The event was a huge success! Just on Instagram, there were more than 2,100 posts over the course of 24 hours or so (with even more on Facebook and Twitter). In fact, even west coast wine folks eventually joined the fray, hosting their own local bottles.
"Wow. This past Saturday was the first-ever “Open That Bottle of Local Wine Night” and I think I can speak for my Cork Report colleague Gina Shay when I say that it exceeded every expectation."
I opened several bottles to celebrate the day. And of course, I was a horse's ass. I started early. Not to garner attention, but I had too many bottles to go through.
The first bottle I opened was a Land of Nod Bianca 2010 from Goshen, Connecticut, maybe 30 minutes from my house. I had reviewed the wine eight years previously, writing, "The first I started off with was the Bianca. This is quite simply one of the nicest white wines in New England, and can give any white form the east coast, including New York and Virginia a run for it's money. Very aromatic with pears and exotic spices on the nose, with lovely fruit and a good solid dose of acidity. It's light, bright and refreshing. An absolutely elegant wine. Fantastic!"
I had cellared the wine, but never intended to let it go that long. I was in shock when I had found it earlier in the week and slated to try it some time soon. The #openlocalwine event seemed like the right opportunity. Admittedly, I had several back up bottles. I wasn't sure it would be good anymore. I uncorked the bottle and then tentatively put my nose near the opening, afraid I might get a big whiff of sherry or worse, vinegar. It would have served me right.
Instead, the wine was as fresh as ever! The color was a tad darker. Pear and a lovely deep red apple bounded out of the glass. The nose was a little more intensified. More dried apricot and dried pineapple came through. The wine was succulent and sexy. It was fantastic! Wow!"
Great job to winemaker and owner William P. Adam! It was the right wine to start that Saturday off with!
"I just want to thank each and every one...who took part. It was so much fun to scroll through my various social channels Saturday night, seeing what everyone was drinking. I tried to comment on, like and share as many posts as I could. The local wine community isn’t about just New York or Virginia or Michigan. It’s all of us. Together. Saturday night proved that," concluded Thompson.