October marks the official start of Nantucket Bay scallop season, yippee! This special delicacy unique to our island is available first to anyone who obtains a recreational shellfish license from the Town of Nantucket before the commercial harvest season begins November 1st. Not only is it an adventure to put on your waders and spend some time on the water, it is also an experience to shuck all your little gems and easily use them to create a culinary masterpiece. Advanced Sommelier Jenny Benzie offers a selection of fabulous, distinctive white wines of distinction to pair with your favorite Nantucket Scallop recipes. COME ON IN, THE WATER IS FINE The Anjou region of the Loire Valley in northwestern France is better known for their red wines than the limited production of their stellar whites. Located in the heart of this region is the estate farmed by Jean-Bernard (4th generation vigneron) and Catherine Chauvin, along with their son Denis. Here they...Read More >
While Labor Day weekend may mark the end of summer for some, it is the beginning of a new drinking season for others. Gone are the days of crisp, mineral driven wines that have your mouth sweating like a hot afternoon at the Nobadeer Beach. Lighter style reds take a back seat to ones that have more depth and complexity like a Whalers football game. Even rosé drinkers rejoice as they continue to discover the sea of well-made pink options as we fade into an Indian Summer. Advanced Sommelier Jenny Benzie offers a selection of home-grown, patriotic picks to celebrate with this weekend, including an unique spirit to toast into September. ROCKETS RED FLARE Labor Day is an annual American tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country. Cliff Lede has taken this one step further in his creation of FEL Wines. The letters in FEL represent Florence Elsie Lede, founder Cliff Lede’s...Read More >
There are those who live and die by the game of football, and then there are those who enjoy everything else about the game. Creating new traditions and long-lasting memories by tailgating with friends and family, trying out the latest and greatest of lip-smacking snack food recipes, showing your utmost team spirit by donning your colorful game-day uniform, and ultimately spreading good cheer and being a good sports-person no matter what the outcome of the game. All of this hard work, either by the host providing such an experience or attendees cheering on the game, is sure to draw up a thirst that needs to be quenched. Advanced Sommelier Jenny Benzie offers us a quick list of “First and Ten” wines that will not only be game day crowd-pleasers, but also leave room in your pocket to do it all over again next weekend! THE AWAY TEAM In the division of West Coast wines from the United States, Washington State is...Read More >
For anyone arriving on Nantucket via the ferry, one of most iconic and picturesque scenes you will see as you come into the Nantucket harbor is also one of the island’s most recognizable structures. Nantucket is home to not one, but three lighthouses, and this is what you will see when first arriving to island on a boat. Lighthouses are an essential part of maritime navigation at sea or with inland waterways. For Nantucket, this means making your way through the Grey Lady fog and avoiding the dangerous shoals off the coast. The US Bureau of Lighthouses was created by Congress in 1789 but today lighthouses fall under the United States Coast Guard. Once widely used, the number of operational lighthouses that are monitored by actual personnel has declined due to the expense of maintenance and also the use of electronic navigational systems. While it is safe to say that getting to see all three of the Grey Lady’s lighthouses...Read More >
