1 Terroir in a Glass: The Rise of Southern Winemaking
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Kaitland M. Byrd
Abstract
I grew up in what is today labeled the Northern Virginia American Viticultural Area (AVA), a designation given to established wine regions based on the shared environment that contributes to the final taste of the wine or terroir. Yet these established AVAs and the plethora of Virginia wineries (over 300 at the beginning of 2020) are a relatively new phenomenon on the East Coast. Before most of the vineyards down the road from my childhood home were planted, the region was known as the edge of Washington, DC, and horse country, where cows outnumber people, and wine was not yet on the cultural radar. One Friday evening in the summer as a young teenager, I was left at home while my parents went to a dinner party I wasn’t allowed to attend. Less than 30 minutes after my parents departed for the party, my father returned and quickly rummaged through the pantry for several bottles of wine before leaving again. The party had begun with a wine tasting of a bottle each of red and white wine from the two wineries in the county where I lived. After trying each wine and subsequently pouring it out on the grass, my father decided to go home and get a couple of bottles he knew were good from long-established California wineries. Suffice it to say, the local wines that evening were not “up to snuff,” as my parents would say, and could have easily been confused with “purple vinegar” or syrup.
Abstract
I grew up in what is today labeled the Northern Virginia American Viticultural Area (AVA), a designation given to established wine regions based on the shared environment that contributes to the final taste of the wine or terroir. Yet these established AVAs and the plethora of Virginia wineries (over 300 at the beginning of 2020) are a relatively new phenomenon on the East Coast. Before most of the vineyards down the road from my childhood home were planted, the region was known as the edge of Washington, DC, and horse country, where cows outnumber people, and wine was not yet on the cultural radar. One Friday evening in the summer as a young teenager, I was left at home while my parents went to a dinner party I wasn’t allowed to attend. Less than 30 minutes after my parents departed for the party, my father returned and quickly rummaged through the pantry for several bottles of wine before leaving again. The party had begun with a wine tasting of a bottle each of red and white wine from the two wineries in the county where I lived. After trying each wine and subsequently pouring it out on the grass, my father decided to go home and get a couple of bottles he knew were good from long-established California wineries. Suffice it to say, the local wines that evening were not “up to snuff,” as my parents would say, and could have easily been confused with “purple vinegar” or syrup.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgments viii
- Series Editor Preface x
- Introduction: Crafting Revisions from Southern Food Culture 1
- Terroir in a Glass: The Rise of Southern Winemaking 17
- Water and Waves: The Rebirth of Coastal Fishing Communities 43
- Local Markets: Value-added Products at Farmers’ Markets 75
- Smokehouses: The Art of Curing Meats 105
- Beyond Popeye’s and KFC: The Whitewashing of Southern Food Restaurants 129
- Conclusion: The Future of Southern Food 159
- Oral History Participants 173
- References 181
- Index 191
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Front Matter i
- Contents vii
- Acknowledgments viii
- Series Editor Preface x
- Introduction: Crafting Revisions from Southern Food Culture 1
- Terroir in a Glass: The Rise of Southern Winemaking 17
- Water and Waves: The Rebirth of Coastal Fishing Communities 43
- Local Markets: Value-added Products at Farmers’ Markets 75
- Smokehouses: The Art of Curing Meats 105
- Beyond Popeye’s and KFC: The Whitewashing of Southern Food Restaurants 129
- Conclusion: The Future of Southern Food 159
- Oral History Participants 173
- References 181
- Index 191
