Fun, food, music, wine and dancing.
Just because Mardi Gras is supposed to fall on a Tuesday doesn’t mean there can’t be an early Cajun Occasion to celebrate it.
That, at least, seems to be the philosophy of Sanctuary Vineyards, and as philosophies of life go, it’s not all that bad.
We had a great time yesterday—Saturday—at the Cajun Occasion in Jarvisburg. Strictly speaking, of course, that’s up there on the mainland, about 11 miles north of the Wright Memorial Bridge, but all things considered, it’s close enough.
Besides the whole concept of the event was about as Outer Banks as it gets…find a good reason to celebrate something and have some fun doing it.
Here are the basics to what it was all about.
Dan Lewis down there at Coastal Provisions in Southern Shores whipped up a batch of rice and beans, jambalaya and cornbread. Just Playing Dixieland were on hand for musical entertainment. Pay your money at the door, get some beads and take a mini trip to New Orleans.
It wasn’t quite pure New Orleans; no one was marching around or riding in a float throwing beads and such to the multitudes, but in its own way it had wonderful flavor of a last “hurrah” before Lent. Which was the original purpose for Mardis Gras.
Tucked away in the all the celebrations was a chance to do a barrel tasting with Sanctuary Sales Manager Nick Beadles of wines that are not quite ready to be released yet. They were good.
We tried the Whalehead White, a white blend featuring two hybrid grapes designed for the East Coast—chardonel and traminette. There’s always a bit of chardonnay blended in for balance and to make sure the wine is consistent from year to year.
There was a really nice fruit to it. Dry but by no means tart. Chilled on a summer’s day—perfect.
Keeping in mind that everyone’s palette is different, the Orange Viognier really caught our attention.
According to Nick, the juice sat on the skins for a while and the result is unlike any Viognier we have tried. The skin of the grape is actually gray and has some tannins in it.
The result is an orange hued wine with some real complexity. Viognier as a white wine is very floral on the nose. In this wine that was very subdued, but the flavors that make the wine so interesting were still in the glass.
The wine tasting was just one part of a great party. There was dancing, great music, tasty food and wonderful wine—in short, a great time.
Content created by Kip Tabb.