Page 74 - washington state wine

house that joins an upscale throng of the best shrimp po’boys anywhere at Beall bought 174 acres here in 1994 but
places along Jefferson Street, includ- Smithtown Seafoods next door in The it took him nearly 20 years to discover
ing Nick Ryan’s and Enoteca. Historic Bread Box complex. that his land was site of a vineyard start-
homes filled with locavore specialties ed by the Swiss Dufour family in 1799.
keep this area jumping. Seek the First Vineyard in neighboring Lexingtonian Henry Clay took bottles of
Jessamine County where bucolic land- Dufour’s wine to Congress where Thom-
* At Coles 735 Main, every dish rein- scapes seem like live paintings. Tom as Jefferson became a fan. “Jefferson
vents an American classic, like bour- said, ‘It has excellent flavor and I would
bon-maple glazed salmon or shrimp and store it,’ “ Beall told us. “It became his
grits with truffle-infused lobster cream, favorite.”
served in a perfect setting for romance.
Grape vines had long been gone from
* At Dudley’s on Short, go from oysters this property but after copious research,
and crispy cauliflower to tournedos Beall found cuttings in a seed ware-
with crab or seared tuna with black rice. house and has planted the original Alex-
ander grapes that Dufour used. “Alexan-
Of course, they all serve crafted cock- der will come out under First Vineyards
tails made with bourbon. Or you could label in a few more years,” Beall said.
find yourself at Belle’s Cocktail House, Meanwhile, go to First Vineyard to taste
served up by the boys who produce The some of Kentucky’s own wines today
Bourbon Review, for a Gatewood’s Man- and gaze over that glorious landscape.
hattan that elevates that tradition with
a twist or two. Henry Clay’s homesite called Ashland is
one of four fascinating historic homes
Beer lovers will like to know that Lex- to tour in Lexington. At Visit Lexing-
ington is enjoying a craft beer renais- ton’s downtown headquarters, buy a
sance with more than 20 breweries on ticket for $20 to tour all four..
the scene today. At West Sixth Brewing,
we loved its Punchestown Irish Red La- Clay, known as “The Great Compro-
ger, especially accompanied by one of miser,” was a U.S. Senator, Speaker of

74 Wine Dine & Travel Summer/Fall 2015