It all started with an invitation to visit dear friends in Charlotte last weekend. It had been years since my husband Mike and I had been to Charlotte, NC and were excited about our plans. Our reservations were for Mimosa Grill, a restaurant, consistently named one of Charlotte’s favorites. Mimosa is described as a farm-to-table restaurant located downtown.
I found the menu full of options and was delighted with the wines offered. I spotted a Sonoma coast wine I had not heard of, and asked our waitress about the wine. She shared with us that it was a Dave Mathews wine??? I didn’t know the artist Dave Mathews made wine. It’s called Dreaming Tree Crush, 2009, a blend of Merlot and Zinfandel, from Sonoma Coast, California. It was under 35$ and fit our budget. Mostly I was curious, I enjoy wines from that area of Sonoma and love to discover a new wine.
After a little Google search, it turns out Dave Mathews had made wine before. He started a winery in 2000, known as Bienheim Vineyards, close to Charlottesville, VA where he calls home. Now Mathews is collaborating with a wine maker in California and together they launched the Dreaming Tree wines in 2011. Their motto, “I make wines for people to drink, not to put in their cellars.” I really enjoyed the Crush, with its bit of spice and big luscious fruit. The wine was nicely balanced and had good acidity. I have to say it worked with everything from our appetizer selection–stuffed hushpuppies–to my hanger steak. The wine made the food flavors sing.
We’ve all noticed other artists, athletes, even NASCAR drivers owning wineries, but this artist’s wine; I will look for and order again. I found it on line at $15 a bottle.
And as for Charlotte, we can’t wait to visit again. For those of you who have not taken advantage of restaurant week, I highly recommend you do. We were charged 30$ a person for an appetizer, entrée and dessert off the regular full menu. What a wonderful way to try new restaurants, especially the ones highly rated.
Mark your calendar for May 28th – June 5th for Atlanta, and Midtown has their own from August 27th to September 4th, 2012.