One person had the perfect last name to be a guest at the Sip TN Wine Festival.
Regina Cheers.
Cheers was among those who attended the festival, which was held November 4th in the Red Barn at the Agricenter International.
And, yes, people have held up their hands like they’re holding a glass and toasting when Cheers tells them her name. “First, they try to figure out if they’re hearing it right and mispronouncing it,” says Cheers. She then tells them it’s “Cheers … like the TV show.”
Cheers, who was a volunteer at the festival, also is a part-time bartender at venues, including the Orpheum Theatre. “And I wear ‘Cheers’ bracelets and things like that.”
Wine isn’t her drink of choice, but, she says, “I do enjoy going to taste and learn about wine.”
And, she says, “I learn a lot about regions. What this region is known for.”
Laura Swanson, executive director of Tennessee Wines a.k.a. Tennessee Farm Wine Growers Alliance, which hosted the event, says 483 tickets were sold. But she gave out 493 glasses.
“The Sip TN event is a showcase of Tennessee wineries,” Swanson says. “At at Sip TN wine festival you will only find wineries that only make Tennessee wine. In most cases, the person who is serving you your wine is the owner and the winemaker.”
Only one of the nine wineries represented at the festival was not the winery owner, Swanson says. “So, this differs from other wineries where you can only sample the wine and the person pouring the wine may have nothing to do with that particular winery.”
The participating wineries are “family owned and run and operated. That’s why when you go to a Sip TN wine festival you’re going to talk to the people who are manufacturing your wine. They’re family owned, family operated. Just small teams that care about what they do and are passionate about what they do.”
Also, she says, “Of the nine wineries there, two or three of the nine wineries are second generation winemakers.”
The festivals are beneficial to the winemakers as well as the wine drinkers. “Tennessee state law has enabled the state association, which is us, to have these festivals as another way for Tennessee wineries to sell their wine outside of their wineries.”
Tennessee isn’t known for just growing one or two varieties of grapes. “Tennessee grows as of right now, to my knowledge, 55 different types of grapes.”
Not every type of grape grows in Tennessee, though. “Some cold weather grapes don’t do well in Tennessee. So grapes that grow farther South don’t do well in Tennessee. So, it just depends on the type of grape as to what the climate they like. But there are other instances where wineries or vineyards are growing grapes that wouldn’t grow here, but the owner is out there doing something to them every single day to make them grow here.”
A vineyard in Somerville, Tennessee grows malbec grapes, which make a “dry red” wine, she says. “Malbec normally grows in Argentina, not in Tennessee.”
Delta Blues Winery in Lakeland, Tennessee is the closest winery to Memphis that is a member of the association, Swanson says. Delta Blues wasn’t at the festival, but, Swanson says, “Not every winery participates in the wine festival.”
Currently, there are 88 wineries in Tennessee, she says. “Not every winery is a member, but all but 10 are members of our association.”
Terry and Joanna Sevigney waited in line for the Beachaven Vineyards & Winery station. The Sevigneys, who now live in Byhalia, Mississippi, used to live in Clarksville, Tennessee where the winery is located.
Now, Joanna says, “We take the drive up, pick up a case, and get to visit our old winery we enjoyed.”
And, she says, “We were members of their wine club when it could be shipped to Mississippi. But the laws change.”
“I like chardonnays,” Terry says.
“I’m into the reds.”
They picked up a half case mixture of both at Sip TN.
