Wine & Sex Tour '07

I’m back at work today after taking an extended four-day weekend hitting the southeast trails and celebrating an abbreviated Wine & Sex Tour 2007. Fall break at Chaos College started last Thursday and this year I took off both days to make up for losing my July vacation time thanks to the ill-fated car accident. After a stormy, water-logged Wednesday in which I managed be driving both to and from work when the angry, tempestuous fronts came through, conditions turned warm and sunny making for beautiful traveling weather. So let’s get started, shall we?

Day 1


Our first stop was Stable Ridge Vineyards on historic Route 66 in Stroud, Oklahoma. This lovely building was once a former Catholic Church and in its quaint and cozy tasting room, TBC and I sampled all the bounteous liquid offerings presented to us. I particularly enjoyed sampling Wine Thang.

Wild Thang – "It Makes Your Heart Sing." This is a fun wine for spring and summer. Slightly sweet blend of four distinct wines. Really good with spicy (Tex Mex) foods.

I also loved Jeremiah’s Red, a lovely crimson thirst quencher that tastes simply divine with dark chocolate.

Jeremiah’s Red - One of our most popular wines. It is wonderful blend of full-bodied red wines and Blackberry. It is a perfect dessert wine or for any occasion. It can be enjoyed alone or paired with rich dark chocolate or cheese cake.

After Stable Ridge, we headed down the road to Sparks Vineyard & Winery in charming downtown Stroud. They have a lovely banquet room right off the tasting area that features paintings done by Oklahoma artists. I couldn’t resist snapping a pic of a lovely wooden door that would have fit right in as a banquet room for King Arthur.

Our new tasting room is located at The Wine Village, downtown Stroud on Route 66. It is only a 15-minute drive away from the winery. The Wine Village tasting room is the result of renovating a near 100-year old building on the north side of Route 66 in the heart of Stroud.

By now I was feeling kinda tipsy and downright sentimental as we made our way toward our third and final stop for the day, the Grape Ranch. For a brief, passing moment, we traversed I-40 and much to my and TBC’s astonishment, I felt my eyes welling up with huge crocodile tears. When TBC turned to look at me and asked what was wrong, I loudly sobbed “I want to go home!” He knew precisely what was meant as I-40 East holds a very special place in my heart. It’s how we head for North Carolina’s Outer Banks and we haven’t made my favorite pilgrimage since the late ‘90s. (But we did fly there in ’02.)









The building housing the tasting room was nothing to write home about but the surrounding grounds were so picturesque and serene with grapevines, a trickling stream, and lovely back deck overlooking a pastoral orchard. Here I am basking in the bright sunshine, enjoying a delicious glass of vino. Wish I could remember which wine I’m happily imbibing but, what the heck.









Thursday night we stayed in McAlester at the Best Western. I had no idea McAlester was such a beehive of bustling activity (though there is Big Mac), but we were barely able to secure room lodging as the place was packed with people. The only room still available was a smoking suite, and though lovely, made for some unpleasant breathing.


Next up: Wine & Sex Tour—Day 2...