...and my favorite winery is? Todd Taylor Wine.

I have mentioned this a thousand times, my life sucks! Ok, not REALLY, but it is pure joy visiting as many wineries as one can in the space of a year. In all of my travels, I have met some of the most interesting wine makers. Their stories of why they do what they do, are varied. However, their passions are very similar. Of them all, Todd Taylor stands a notch above many in his own unique way.

Why?

Well, the guy can cook. Emeril Lagasse, look out! Members of the wine club at Todd Taylor wines are treated to a release party at least twice a year. What is a release party? As members of the wine club, whenever a new wine is released, whether it is a new vintage of a previous offering, or something that Todd has never made before, (we'll go into that later. Think barrel tasting), Todd throws down...(this means he can SERIOUSLY cook) on the grill. With the help of his son, T.R., and his wife Gloria, there is no end to what culinary feats he can create.

On a recent visit...who am I kidding, I stalk this winery, Todd and Gloria happily allowed me to use them as guinea pigs for my new skill of video production and editing. As compensation for my efforts, I was treated to a phenomenal lunch of Grilled pork loin and brussels sprouts. Just my luck, I was not feeling well this day, thus I was only able to nibble on a little of the food. Worse yet, I could not enjoy any of his awesome wine. One small sip, and, uhhh, where's the sandbox?

As I mingled among the guests and tasting room folks, Todd gave me a history lesson in his humble beginnings. Believe it or not, he hails from an exciting career as a package salesman! Oh wait, it gets better. His first wines were made in his garage, and...he never intended to make his blessing a life long vocation. I'm so glad that he did. He doesn't take himself too seriously, which is refreshing, and underneath his mellow personality belies a man who seriously enjoys spoiling his wine club members. Note: Everyone who enters the tasting room is equally spoiled, wine club member or not.

I could go on for days about Todd and Gloria's good natured, old fashioned kindness, but I really want all of you to enjoy this production. This is the first time that I am embedding a full length video into this blog. Please, do not bite your PC screen while watching Todd and his son prepare a feast for their wine club members.

As you can see, Todd can cook! Lord, I wish I had some aluminum foil for a to-go plate! Anyhoo, about those barrels? Yes, Todd sells his wine as futures. What are futures? Well, when a particular wine becomes popular and people begin to deplete it's supply, wineries will sometimes pre-sell a wine before it is finished. Why? Usually it is because the previous vintage was stellar, and wine connoisseurs...or those who just love wine, will buy a wine based on the prospect that the new vintage will be better, different, unique, etc. The reality is, they get first dibs and usually a healthy discount if they buy the wine as a future. The good news is, that if the wine turns out to be a whole lot better than the previous vintage, the price usually goes up. This means that a person who invests in a "future" could be the holder of a rare and unique vintage of a particular wine. (Note: futures are often sold in case (12) quantities which is why they are sometimes discounted)

Ok, enough about futures. Did you like the video? I hope that you did, because I plan to add these little productions to future blogs. A lot of work goes into putting these promo's together, and some feedback would be appreciated.  Thanks to Todd, Gloria and T.R for sharing their day with me, and thank you everyone who reads this blog.

PS...visit Todd Taylor Wine in the Old Sugar Mill in Clarksburg. He is open Saturday and Sundays or by appointment.

Until next time,

Cheers!

Karen