A modified portion of
this blog post was Published in The Dispatch Thursday, October 20th
2016
For a girl who rarely eats pork (other than bacon), there is
nothing more alluring than this mouthwatering time of year when our town is
filled with the aroma of wood-smoked shoulder, drizzled in a sweet red sauce,
chopped to perfection and served up as part of the celebration known throughout
the world as the Lexington Barbecue Festival.
As I child, I remember the fall tradition of heading uptown
for live music, crafts galore and juicy barbecue sandwiches. Those were years I
could barely fit my tiny hands around the mound of meat, with perfectly
caramelized edges, and topped with the phenomenon of zesty, red barbecue slaw.
Looking back, Lexington barbecue was my first “foodie”
experience and little did I know before heading east for college, I had become
a bonafide barbecue snob. I even managed to convert college buddies from the
north and east. It wasn’t hard to do. After all, Chapel Hill had a lot of
perks, but the blessing of good barbecue was not one of them. Each year, I
brought a caravan of classmates to the festival and wowed them with the virtues
of the World’s Best 'Que. Many conceded that thou shalt not eat a chopped
sandwich any other way.
As an adult, I’ve come to appreciate new traditions that are
considered extensions of the festival. The Hawg-Run and Pre-Pig Shindig are two
of my favorite special attractions. And over the past few years, the Fine Swine
Wine and the evolution of the Barbecue Festival Wine Garden have made it a
destination for my vino loving buddies.
It is still all about the ‘cue, but for way too long beer
has been the standard accompaniment for barbecue aficionados. The growing
demand for wine pairings was a tasty proposition that probably began with the
remarkable partnership between Bob Timberlake and Richard Childress. For the
past 12 years the dynamic duo has joined forces to create Fine Swine Wine,
specially blended to complement Lexington barbecue.
This year’s label, “Piglet’s Moon,” pictures a piglet gazing
into the night sky. Timberlake’s painting, in honor of Charlotte’s Web, pays a
sweet homage to the birth of his great-granddaughter, Charlotte.
The 12th installment of Fine Swine Wine, crafted by
award-winning winemaker Mark Friszolowski, will make an appearance at the 33rd
annual festival. Friszolowski described the wine with these words, “This year’s
blend features rich, bright flavors of cherry and ripe strawberry. Soft and
smooth tannins provide an enticing palette for the smoky, Lexington barbecue
flavors.” I’ve tasted the blend and couldn’t agree more.
And this year for the first time, Our State Magazine will
join forces with returning host TRIP (the Davidson County Tourism Recreation
Investment Partnership) to sponsor a wine garden featuring selections from
award-winning North Carolina vineyards and our friends at Bull City Ciderworks.
Thanks to this partnership we will be able to sample a variety
of N.C. varietals - from bold reds and sweet whites to crisp Rieslings brought
to us by Childress Vineyards, Native Vines Winery, Weathervane Winery, Cauble
Creek Vineyard, Douglas Vineyard, and Chestnut Trail Winery.
Native Vines Winery was a hit with my buddies a few years
ago with their popular Green Tea Wine. This Native American Indian family-owned
and operated company was the first in the nation. The winery was built on a
farm that has been in the owner's family for hundreds of years and was part of
the original Wachovia Land Grants of the 1700s. I’m not much of a sweet wine
person, but Native Vines has been producing seasonal fruit wines since 1998,
with a focus on apple and blackberry. The popular green tea wine is a non-grape
white wine with hints of citrus and green tea. It's so unique that I can only
compare it to a softer style of Riesling that doesn't compete with the smoked
barbecue flavor and as one friend confirmed, it is light enough to give the
illusion of being healthy.
Wine tastings are one of the many aspects of a festival
appeal, but there is truly something for all ages from rides and games for
children, to the an array of stages, to family friendly attractions like the
antique car show, the Hogway Speedway - racing pigs, a bicycle stunt show, a
50-ton pig-themed sand sculpture, a Corvette display, the Festival Chop Shop -
Lumberjack Sports show, and a rock climbing wall.
I've enjoyed it all, but I have to admit that at any age
nothing tops my annual tradition of stopping by the Square for a chopped
sandwhich, red slaw and pigtail french fries served in the signature style that
has always made me proud to call my hometown The Barbecue Capital of the World.
Antionette Kerr is a writer and author of “Just Sayin':
Conversations My Mother Would Never Let Me Have at a Southern Dinner Table.”
You may email her at akerr@thewritefolks.net.
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#worldsbestq #lexingtonnc #bbqfest33 #queup
