As I was driving into the area around Clarksville there was a billboard advertising a winery just a couple of miles down the road. How could I pass that up, the good Sonoma county wino that I am? I made a quick lane change, followed the signs and arrived at Beachaven Winery, the oldest winery in the state. They have been in business for 33 years and make several sweet and semi sweet wines, some from fruit other than grapes. I chose not to enjoy those wines. But I tried two whites, one blend and one Chardonnay. They were a little too fruity for me but they were refreshing and would be good on a hot day. With the exception of one red varietal, all the red wine grapes were from Lodi because, of course, they do not have the climate to grow Cab or Merlot or Babera. But the one grape that is grown in Tennessee is Chambourcin, a very nice light red varietal. It reminded me of French table wines, meant to be drunk young and enjoyed with food. They had a good red blend as well. I met the father who started the winery, his son who now runs it and the wine maker who looked like he would fit in at any wine party in Sonoma. Extremely nice people, they gave me a free travel corkscrew for the two bottles I bought to drink in the car. (Kidding, I meant in my hotel rooms during the next week.)
I also came away with a map of all the other wineries in Tennessee and I may stop at one later today, on my way to Nashville. I am curious about where other wineries get their grapes. And curious about the wines as well.
Time to find coffee and figure out my plan of the day.
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