Triangle Wine Experience Over the Years

Paul Hobbs

 We have enjoyed the Triangle Wine Experience (TWE) for many years.  This event supports the Tammy Lynn Center. While drinking good wine is reason enough to drink wine, I am really putting myself out to drink wine for charity.

We have had great times and great dinners.  Last year we went to Midtown for Paul Hobbs' wine and had a wonderful evening of great fellowship and wine.  Years before I fondly (and vaguely from too much wine) remember a great night at current Bloomsbury Bistro chef John Toler's Cary restaurant, Cosmopolitan, and Switchback Ridge.  Kelly Peterson of Switchback Ridge told us of her grandfather's vineyard and how they had decided to keep it alive and make it special for his memory.  She enlisted one of the best winemakers, Robert Foley, to make the wine.  She said, "I am the wine faker, not the winemaker."  She is the vineyard manager and she manages to produce some great wines.

Switchback Ridge

As the years have gone by we have enjoyed this event a number of times at Four Square in Durham, An and Maxximillians in Cary.  One less than memorable evening was at  Vin Rouge where the chef said we cooked the meat on Tuesday and put in back in the pot to absorb the juices.  I turned to my dining companions and said "we are being fed leftovers!"  I was also influenced by trying to stay away from red meat.  Then we ended up seated with a number of Duke fans.  This must be hell, I thought.

So over the years we have used TWE to enjoy great wine and food.  Tonight we explore Favia.  The Wine Spectator writes:  Husband-and-wife team Andy Erickson and Annie Favia bring some impressive credentials to this new wine company and are certainly worth following. Erickson, is a U.C. Davis enology grad who has worked for Harlan and Staglin and currently makes wine for Screaming Eagle , Arietta , Dalla Valle and Jonata and consults for Dancing Hares (a new 5-acre vineyard at the foot of Howell Mountain and wine label focusing on a Cabernet-Merlot-Cab Franc blend, due soon) and Ovid , a startup with its debut 2005 vintage due this fall.


A review of the Favia website shows lots of yummy big reds.  I suspect there will be some red meat this evening.