Mountain Spirits: Wine and Beer this week, November 3

Nov 3  5-7PM  Bruisin' Ales, 66 Broadway Street,  Asheville  NC.  Meet-n-Greet with Fred Bueltmann of New Holland Brewing Co. The Tasting includes: Mad Hatter IPA - Dry-hopped for a distinctive, floral hop aroma; subtly balanced with delicious malt notes; Envious -  Michigan pears fuel a second fermentation, providing subtle nuance between grain & fruit; Charkoota Rye - Charkoota Rye is a Smoked Rye Dopplebock; Dragon's Milk -  Expect a complex ale with a soft, rich caramel-malt character intermingled with deep vanilla tones; all dancing in an oak bath.

Nov 4, 5-8 PM    Heinzelmannchen Brewery, 545 Mill Street in downtown Sylva NC. Beer Pairing - The Brewery welcomes The Bone Shack to the brewery to pair their food with Heinzelmannchen beer samples.   Stop by the brewery for an appetizer, stroll around town for Sylva After Dark  then head over to The Bone Shack for dinner - Prost!

Nov 4,  5:30-8 PM   Maggie B's, Wine and Speciality Store, 113 North Main Street,  Weaverville NC. Fall Back Tasting - Free! Daylight savings is this Sunday, so don’t forget to fall back an hour.  Fall has definetly arrived and Maggie B’s will be celebrating with the perfect fall friendly wines.  Fall friendly wines are also great wines to pair with your Thanksgiving meals, so stock up early for your feast.

Nov 4, 5 PM - 7 PM  Hops and Vines, 797 Haywood Rd, Ste 100 in Asheville NC. Limited release beers - very Old Jubilation - Avery's winter seasonal has a gorgeous mahogany hue, a hint of hazelnuts, and a finish reminiscent of mocha and toffee.; Highland Cold Mountain - The much anticipated 2011 release is full bodied with balanced spices and a smooth finish; Bell's Christmas Ale - Made with 100% Michigan grown barley and and mix of Northwest Pacific and Michigan hops.  Nov 5, 3 PM - 6 PM Free Wine Tasting: Hacienda Araucano Wines from Chile - From winemaker Francois Lurton comes this Chilean line of wine: Hacienda Araucano Reserva Sauvignon Blanc 2010; Hacienda Araucano Reserva Pinot Noir 2009; Hacienda Araucano Reserva Carmenere 2008; Hacienda Araucano Syrah.

Nov 4, 4 PM - 7 PM at Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Suite 102, AAA Travel Center in Asheville NC. Friday Winedown - Banshee Wines -  Presented by Banshee Wines Marketing Director Emily Peterson. Banshee Wines has a goal to deliver distinctive wines that beat the pants off many costing twice as much. $5 per person, free to Grape Nuts.

Nov 4, 7-10 PM at The Classic Wineseller, 30 church Street, Waynesville NC. Friday Night Live - Now inside the Wine Bar for the winter. This week enjoy Lorraine Conard and Gregg Kid. 

Nov 4 at 1- 4 PM  Asheville Wine Market, 65 Biltmore Ave, Asheville NC. Free WIne Tasting: Join Rick Bowman for an informative tasting of four outstanding, and very affordable, hand-picked wine selections. Two French and two Italian wines.

Nov 4, 6 PM - 8 PM, at Divine Wine, 1011 Tunnel Road East Asheville NC . Friday Wine Tastings - complimentary tastes of special wines and beer, along with an assortment of hors d’oeuvres. Each week we celebrate with a different theme and a few surprises.

Nov 4,  4 PM - 7 PM LaBouteille, 10 N Trade St, Suite A Tyon NC - Complimentary Wine Tastings every Friday. The last Saturday of each month 3-5 pm is a 10 beers for $10 beer tasting. Bring a dish of food to share.

Nov 5  12 PM - 6 PM  RagApple Lassie, 3724 Ragapple Lassie Lane Boonville NC  - Mood SwingZ, Enjoy the music of this popular band,  playing everything from the old vocal jazz classics to the always popular beach tunes, to classic pop. 

Nov 5,  2 PM - 5 PM The Wine Guy, 555 Merimon Ave and 1200 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville NC. FREE Saturday tastings are a great way to sample new favorites in a casual setting. Every week we sample 4 to 6 new wines. Light hors d’ oeuvres will be served and all wines poured will be specially priced.

Nov 5, 12 PM - 5 PM at Vino Vino Wine Market, 178 Weaverville Rd., Asheville NC. Every Saturday anytime between 12:00 and 5:00pm enjoy a sampling of wines from around the world. A 10% discount on each of the wines we are featuring.
Nov 5 , 11 AM - 5 PM  PM at Falderal Winery, 131 3rd Ave, Hendersonville NC. Free tasting -   Regular Saturday wine Tasting.

Nov 9-13   South Creek Vineyard and Winery, 2240 South Creek Road, Nebo, NC. Pre-Thanksgiving Open House - Relax while you Taste 6 Premium Wines at our bar, and then select the wine for your Thanksgiving feast. Check out the 3-Pack Wine special for $49.50.

Tasting Rooms:

Biltmore Winery, located on the Biltmore Estate, Asheville NC. Daily tasting and tours with Estate admission. Special events and tastings throughout the year.

Old North State Winery, 308 North Main Street, Mount Airy NC. Hours of operation are: Monday-Wednesday 11am-6pm, Thursday-Saturday 11am-9pm, and Sunday 12pm-6pm. Sample wines and browse the gift shop featuring wine related and gourmet gift items.

RagApple Lassie, 3724 Ragapple Lassie Lane Boonville NC Tours are "on demand" noon to six PM daily. Tastings are available noon to six PM daily and include up to 11 varieties of wine.

Calaboose Cellars, 565 Aquone Road, Andrews NC. Tasting room summer hours: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Noon to 5:00. This week check out the "Warden's White".

Daily Tastings at Wedge Brewing Company, 125 B Roberts St. Asheville NC. Micro-brewery regular Tasting room hours: Monday - Thursday 4 PM - 10+ PM; Friday 3 PM - 10+ PM; Saturday and Sunday 2 PM - 10+ PM.

Daily Tastings at Greenman Brewery, 23 Buxton Ave., Asheville NC. The tasting room is open seven days a week at 4 o'clock, or maybe earlier

November Music Schedule at The Purple Onion

November 3 - Scoot Pitman -

Music to satisfy that sweet spot in your brain.

November 5 - The Stereofidelics

Incredible musicianship from this young duo.

November 10 - Michael Reno Harrell

Our favorite singer/songwriter/storyteller.

November 12 - The Lonesome Road Band

Fabulous bluegrass band from Hendersonville.

November 17 - Galen Kipar Project

Folk, blues, jazz group from Asheville.

November 19 - Aaron Burdett

No other info needed about Saluda's own troubadour.

November 24 - Thanksgiving - No Music

Have a great day with family and/or friends.

November 26 - Gigi Dover & Big Love

A blend of rock, r&b, country & jazz - with a southern, soulful vein consistently running thru the middle.

Every Friday Night - Fred Whiskin at the piano playing Blues to Brubeck

The Purple Onion is located at 16 Main Street in Saluda NC. Get a link for the Purple Onion and other Saluda NC attractions, lodging and information HERE

NC fall Leaf Color Report: 11-2-11

As the 2011 fall color season comes to a close, there are still opportunities to enjoy the last of what has been a remarkable year. In elevations below 3000 feet and in the foothills areas color is still showing nicely.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park reports there is still very good color below 3,000’ in the Park, and  you can still see some great foliage displays. There was snow high up in the peaks last week, but the trees down lower are still showing nicely.

Around the Franklin area the colors have been coming in waves with no well-defined peak. Most of the early turners, including some maples, dogwood, sourwood and tulip poplar, have lost most of their leaves now. The oaks are peaking though, so you get that rust-red color standing out amongst the other barren trees, which is quite striking when the light hits the trees. Leaf fall is progressing quickly, so the leaves may not last the full week.

Cades Cove courtesy GSMNP

In the Cullowhee/Sylva area  there are beautiful oranges, copper-reds and rust-reds, mainly due to the various oak species, such as red, black, and scarlet, but also because of the remaining sourwoods, red maples and some yellow hickories.

Cashiers and Highlands, though, have passed their peak, and many trees are now leafless. The oak species tend to hold on to their leaves for relatively long time, so their colors, highlighted against the remaining yellow maples and birches, make for a nice contrast on the landscape. Japanese red maples are displaying vibrant red colors now and the Bradford pears are just starting to turn (both of these are ornamentals, so don’t look for them in the woods). Bradford pears are about the last of the trees to turn colors (a deep red) and often highlight parking lots and downtown streets with their color throughout the month of November.

There are still great colors in the city of Asheville and just along the Parkway before it goes up high in elevation. However,  the leaves are falling fast, so there is no guarantee they will be around the entire week.

For your best viewing now, you should concentrate in the foothills around places like Wilkesboro, Lenoir, Hickory, Morganton, and Hendersonville, perhaps down to Murphy, for good color. And also try the state parks located along this band, where the colors should be peaking this week.

Polar Express Chugs into Bryson City this Weekend

November 4-6  The Polar Express comes to life when the train departs Bryson City for a journey to the "North Pole". Read along with the magical story and meet Santa. Enjoy holiday caroling, hot cocoa and a special treat and  memento for the children. Daily departure times vary. Ticket price includes admission to the Smoky Mountain Trains Museum! Event runs from November 4 through December 24.

Get a link gor the Polar Express and other
Bryson City events, lodging and visitor information HERE