No one would ever leave Euphoria Greenville saying they didn’t feed us enough. As I’m not an early riser, I appreciate the late start to the tasting tents. I found some coffee and headed out. Once again, there were tasty nibbles from the nearby eateries. I was careful to eat enough to feel satisfied but not overdo it as I planned to attend one of the wine seminars in the early afternoon.
The wine seminars are held at various hotels all within walking distance of each other. I attended one at the Westin by Sommelier and Author, Wayne Belding. In this wine tasting we learned why geography, geology and climate can contribute to what you taste. It was fun and not at all stuffy. We sampled eight different wines from different parts of the world. Wines were from France, Italy, Argentina, New Zealand among other countries. My absolute favorite was the last, a 2006 Barolo. Finding a couple of extra glasses of this Barolo, the Mr and I fixed ourselves an additional pour pours and relaxed in a cozy corner of the Westin savoring each sip.
Heading back to our hotel for a quick nap and to get refreshed we found our bellies once again ready for some tasty morsels. After two days in a row of “tastes” or light bites from various restaurants, I was definitely ready for a sit down dinner. So, off to High Cotton it was for the Spirits dinner. While there were several wine pairing dinners and even a Beer pairing dinner, we attended a Spirits dinner. Passed appetizers of Heirloom Tomato Gazpacho with Spicy Crab and Corn & Shrimp Hush puppies went well with the Rhubarb and Prosecco cocktail.
Several vodka cocktails followed and after that there were several bourbon cocktails paired with our Halibut and Duck. The food was divine – no complaints there. I enjoy Vodka and Bourbon, and thought the drinks were well constructed. However, when it comes to my meals, I’d prefer wine pairings. But, Sly, the mixologist is good at what she does and very entertaining.
Alaskan Halibut with Georgia Clams and Bacon
Duck with Foie Gras Sausage, Carrot Puree and Grand Marnier Reduction
