July 7 – Nature Nate’s & “The Count of Buena Vista”
We begin this week with a LIVE update from Jacob Liquor Exchange about the in-store tasting and wine education available today and the rest of the week. With the recent liquor law changes, in-store tastings provide a unique opportunity to taste and learn about new vintages and products. Saturday tastings begin at Noon, hope to see you there. www.jacobliquor.com This Saturday one of the wines you can taste is The Good Life Wine of the Week; 2008 Buena Vista “The Count” Founder’s Red Wine.
Then it’s all about Nature Nate’s 100% Pure Raw & Unfiltered Honey with my guest Nathan Sheets. Nate is the President and Owner of the North Dallas Honey Company…now known as Nature Nates.
No one could have possibly predicted that a completely random T.V. commercial featuring a woman in a bee suit would permanently change the face of North Dallas Honey. The year was 1996. Newlyweds: Nathan and Patty Sheets, eager to begin their new lives together, decided they needed a hobby. Running out of ideas, Nathan, late one night, found what he thought to be the perfect solution. A Lady in a bee suite appeared on the T.V. screen and boldly stated that you could literally find anything on the internet. Fascinated with curiosity and accepting the lady’s challenge, Nathan made a beeline for the computer. “So I googled bee keeping dallas”, says Nathan, and up popped North Dallas Honey Company.” Completely enthralled, Nathan contacted Fred Richardson (the founder and owner of NDH at the time), bought a hive, and placed the hive in his parents backyard in Plano, Texas. And so the story continues…We’ll tell you all about Nature Nates and his first class honey from Texas. www.naturenates.com
"The Count" with Mr & Mrs Good Life
In the second half I’ll introduce you to George Webber AKA “The Count” of Buena Vista Winery. We’ll explore the interesting history of Buena Vista and the role George plays today in promoting this colorful producer of great wines from California.
Buena Vista Winery has a rich, delicious heritage as the first premium-and certainly the most colorful-of all of the wineries in California. And its founder, the self-proclaimed “Count of Buena Vista,” Agoston Haraszthy, was a vivacious and eccentric pioneer with a veritable love and unending commitment to California wine.
Surrounded by his own tales of intrigue and political exile, The Count immigrated from Europe in 1840 in pursuit of opportunity and freedom in the burgeoning American West. Following the forty-niners in search of gold in the hills of Northern California, Haraszthy sought “purple gold”-the perfect ‘terroir’ for exceptional wine. He ultimately settled in Sonoma, birthplace of California and capital of the short-lived California Republic, where he founded Buena Vista Winery in 1857.
A committed farmer, an experimental innovator and vintner, a respected author, a shrewd businessman-and a brilliant and incredibly zealous promoter, The Count is considered California’s most acclaimed and flamboyant vinicultural pioneer and evangelist. Today, George Webber portrays “The Count” – not only because of his striking resemblance to Haraszthy, but as a consummate enthusiast for the history and heritage of Buena Vista and the wine that bears his likeness! www.buenavistawinery.com
Good Life Guy’s Wine of the Week:
2008 Buena Vista “The Count” Founder’s Red Wine
From prestigious vineyards across Sonoma, The Count’s intriging varietals intermingle seamlessly to produce an elegant and complex wine. Individual lots were fermented separately and aged for 16 months in American, Hungarian, and French oak barrels before final assemblage. The wine’s bouquet opens beautifully with rich aromas of black currant, cherries and just a hint of espresso. Smooth on the palate, the wine o offers flavors of plum and blackberry that give way to cardamom on the long, silky finish.
“All of the charms of this Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel blend are on the surface, but what a pretty surface it is. Polished raspberry and cherry fruit, bacon, cream and a splendid array of flashy spices characterize the flavors.” – Wine Enthusiast
