Arthur Barham of Merlot2Muscadine media is known for his wine tastings, pairing foods with wines he wants to share with fellow wine lovers. In honor of NC Wine Month in May, Arthur hosted two tastings to allow his wine friends to taste and compare North Carolina wines with wines from other producers. The result? So much fun and a new appreciation among the tasters for sparkling wines and Tannat.
A newly minted Sommelier I, Arthur enjoys the planning and pairings that go into his wine tastings. “I love conducting wine tastings especially when I get to expand a person’s knowledge of wine or promote their curiosity about learning more,” he said.
Arthur’s tasting event for sparkling wines drew a some stormy response. We had barely started the tasting, and Arthur was explaining various methods for creating sparkling wine, when suddenly the wind picked up, rain started to pour, and the lights went out. No more slides!
But that didn’t stop the fun. With light from the windows, candles and cell phone flashlights, we started pouring and tasting four NC sparkling wines and rating them. It was clear that our group had a diverse palate and preferences in sparkling wines. In the end, the group’s favorites were sparkling wines the 2022 Raffaldini Augurirom and 2019 Piccione Vino di Lusso.
The sparkling wines were paired with some yummy, salty rich foods, including French fries, horseradish potato chips, candied bacon strips and prosciutto-wrapped dates. We finished it all off with cheesecake and strawberries with whipped cream.
Tasting 2: Tannat
If you are a lover of red wines, you’ve surely tasted Tannat, which is produced in Europe, South America and North America. As we learned from our tasting, North Carolina is making some pretty good Tannats.
Arthur rented a community center in Fuquay-Varina to host this tasting. The foods he served up included barbecued pork and smoked turkey, with “drunken beans” and a chocolate brownie for dessert. Participants in the tasting included Matt Kemberling and Joe Brock, the NC Wine Guys; Brianna Burns of the NC Wine and Grape Council, Dave Nershi of Vino Sphere, and Dathan Kazsuk and Jen Primrose of Triangle Around Town and Local 919 wine and beer shop.
We took an hour to taste and rank seven Tannats, including three from North Carolina, two from Virginia, one from Texas, and one from both France and Uruguay.
The third-place winner was the 2008 Kerrville Hills Tannat from Texas; second place went to a 2019 Surry Cellars Tannat from NC; and the top pick was the 2019 Shelton “259” Tannat, also from NC.
Arthur wonders if the strong showing of NC wines in this tasting shows that wine lovers, particularly in this state, are developing a taste for the local terroir and winemaking styles. Definitely a possibility!
Tarheel Taps & Corks 