So Saturday Jim and I were able to go back to Ingleside Vineyards. Hooray! They were having their Harvest Celebration. So we did get to see our wonderful friends from Ingleside. And I missed you guys terribly! And BTW those who did not work or show for this event were missed as well.
There were so many things to do there. And I mean besides drink the wonderful wine. Which is one of my main reasons for going there. Besides seeing my buddies, of course. There was a band and dancing demonstrations (something that was new, the demo I mean), food vendors and craft vendors, plus alpacas. We didn't pet the alpacas, because Jim said they looked like filthy animals. Insert giggling here. They did the wine tasting and you could buy wine by the glass or bottle. We bought a bottle of the Rosato for immediate consumption. I saw Justin from the boat and Saturday was the last boat of the season. They did the grape stomp like last year. Only this time you put your feet print on tee shirts. I didn't do this, but now I'm kind of wishing I did. And they also had hay rides into the vineyards with the vineyard manager, Floyd. It had been titled 'Tour de Floyd'. I thought it was a riot! And I learned a few new things.
Afterwards we went to dinner with our friends and had a really good time. It took a bit of work to close down, but it normally does and man were they hopping that day. We ended up buying a case of wine to take home with us. Hey what can I say? The holidays are coming up. And didn't get home until nearly one in the morning. But it was oh so very worth it.
It was a lot like coming home. We missed the place terribly. Especially the people. Some things were the same, but there were changes. New faces were mixed in with the familiar. And there were some old faces that were gone. A sad statement, but that's life.
Of course the question that seemed to keep popping up was when was I coming back to work. :-) Boy that makes a person feel missed. When they can invent a transporter so I don't have to drive 2.5 hours to get to Ingleside then I'll be back to work.
Another thing that was nice to see was some of the wines were sold out. In an economy that is supposedly going down hill, it's really good to see that a winery is sold out of some of it's higher end wines. Although I will miss the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserves. And I'd really wanted a bottle of their Sparkling Wine. But I'm sure they'll have more Sparkling Wine by Thanksgiving. Hint! Hint Maria!
So on December 5th Mr. Carl Flemer signed copies of his books, Four Centuries of Little Known Washington Parish History and Birthplace of the Nation: A Story Worth Telling, at Ingleside Vineyards. The only place that you can get these books, it would seem is at Ingleside.
So Jim and I jumped at the chance to have the author, of two books we have enjoyed, sign our book.
Amy was quite handy with that camera of hers. She managed to get Doug Flemer, Carl Flemer and Bill Swain for a photo op. If you are interested in who these fine gentlemen are then please click here.
We did enjoy our visit to Ingleside, even if it is a 2.5 hour drive one way. We got a chance to sit down with Bill Swain, the winemaker, and chat. He is, after all, my favorite winemaker. No bias here I swear. We got to see some old friends. And, of course, purchase some wonderful wines.
And I end this blog with one more photo of Mr. Flemer enjoying a glass of Ingleside's Reserve Petit Verdot. A new favorite in our household.
