ALTUS -- My father is a real wine connoisseur.
His favorite vintage is Miller Lite.
I too am quite the wine enthusiast.
My favorite variety is a frozen margarita with salt.
Maybe we're not oenophiles. We don't even know our Adamados from our Abboccatos. Still, we had a fine time during a recent road trip to Arkansas wine country.
Conditions were less than Brut (it was raining, and Brut means dry, right?) when we made the two-hour trek from Little Rock to Altus, the Alsace (that's a wine-growing region in France, right?) of Arkansas. Known for its wine, Altus is also known for its "whine." As the setting for the 2003 first season of Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie's The Simple Life, it's the birthplace of celebrity reality TV.
Our first stop was Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, where we immediately met a new four-legged friend in the parking lot. He followed us into the Weingarten. And into the restaurant, which, we theorized, he did to merely kiss up in hopes we'd share lunch leftovers.
It was raining, so we got the abbreviated version of the free tour that included the store, the Weingarten Hall banquet area and the dark, dank cellar full of aging oak casks. We were led to the tasting room, where we were served the teeniest trickles of three wines in plastic cups (if we wanted more, we were told, we'd have to pay; other wineries, we found out, would be more generous with their pours). It was still more than enough of the sweet muscadine variety for our tastes.
From there, we headed to the charming, rustic Weinkeller Restaurant in what was once the original wine cellar hand-dug by Johann Andreas Wiederkehr, who emigrated from Switzerland in 1880. Low ceilings, heavy wood furnishings, Christmas lights and candles perched in wax-covered wine bottles give a coziness to the storybook surroundings.
Figuring we didn't need something as heavy (or high-priced) as the $21 fondue appetizer for two, we shared a meaty Weinkeller Sampler ($9.49) of knackwurst, bratwurst and smoked sausage joined by a wedge of cheesy quiche Lorraine. Next, we sampled the hearty Beef Stroganoff ($9.49) in a red wine sauce over egg noodles. We'd say it could have benefited from more mushrooms and a bit more sour cream, but it did come with a surprise side of (canned) peas. Neither of us had room for sweets like Swiss Apple Strudel ($4.49) or Black Forest Cherry Cake ($5.29).
We were full and wanted a nap, but still had three wineries to visit. And, not knowing the area or bothering with a map or GPS, we did so in the least efficient manner possible.
At Post Familie Vineyards, we passed on an employee's lunch offer (there's a dining area in the back of the well-appointed store and its fun gift items). They were more than happy to pour several kinds of wine and we were happy to let them, settling on a pinot grigio and a sparkling Spumante.
Not realizing Mount Bethel Winery was right around the corner, we drove back up past Wiederkehr to Chateau aux Arc (pronunciation: "Chateau Ozark"), home to Arkansas' largest chardonnay and Cynthiana vineyards. It has a beautiful, modern store complete with tasting area. It is there that I learned the importance of studying not just the character of a wine, but the cost. I decided on a red reserve wine before noticing the price.
"That will be $46.96," said the woman at the checkout. Aux my gosh! That would buy several margaritas! Nevertheless, I handed over my card, even though the amount -- unlike the wine -- was a bit hard to swallow.
Then we headed back in the other direction and visited Mount Bethel Winery, where we were greeted by Peggy Ann Post, who not only works but lives on site at her family's winery. She didn't roll her eyes when I sipped the sweet blueberry and blackberry wines -- oops, save the sweet for last -- and then wanted to try the more dry sauvignon blanc (which I ended up buying). Dad, who had tasted enough for one day, just drank in Peggy Ann's stories.
For more information:
Chateau aux Arc, 8045 Arkansas 186, Altus, (479) 468-4400, chateauauxarc.com
Mount Bethel Winery, 5014 Mount Bethel Drive, Altus, (479) 468-2444, mountbethel.com
Post Familie Vineyards, 1700 St. Mary's Mountain Road, Altus, (479) 468-2741, (800) 275-8423, postfamilie.com
Wiederkehr Wine Cellars, 3324 Swiss Family Drive, Wiederkehr Village, (479) 468-9463, (800) 622-9463, wiederkehrwines.com
Mark your calendar: The 32nd annual Altus Grape Festival, featuring food, crafts, grape stomping and more, will be held July 24-25 in Altus City Park. Visit altusgrapefest.com.
Have a grape day and email:
jchristman@arkansasonline.com
What's in a Dame is a weekly report from the woman 'hood.
Style on 04/21/2015