Brookgreen Gardens hosted its sixth annual Spring Wine Festival, with nearly 800 guests in attendance, on Saturday, April 25.
Proceeds from the sold-out event benefit the mission and programs of Brookgreen Gardens, providing support for garden enhancement and renovation, educational offerings, preservation and conservation of sculpture and protection and care for native plants and endangered animals.
Guests at this year’s festival had a choice of 24 vintages to sample from 12 tasting tents set up around the Fountain of the Muses. Each station had a theme to go with the wines they were serving. For example, the “beach day” tent had a choice of Cote Mas sauvignon Blanc vermentino and Cote Mas Syrah grenache, French varieties that give a fresh and vibrant taste with coastal ease. At “Date night,” the options were Theoleo sauvignon Blanc or Kali Hart pinot noir, smooth, alluring and lingering alternatives from California. “Bubbly banter” offered a Santa Margherita prosecco and a Cipriani bellini, both lively, effervescent palate refreshers from Italy. At the “dinner party” tent, a personal favorite, Louis Jadot Macon-Villages, a light, refreshing table wine from Burgandy, France, was paired with a Smith & Hook red blend from California.
Additional Old-World selections such as Raimund Prum Essence Riesling and Biokult Organic Gruner Veltliner came from Germany and Austria, respectively, while a newer sauvignon Blanc and malbec hailed from New Zealand and Argentina.
The collection was carefully curated by Tiffany Phillips, wine distributor with RNDC of South Carolina, the sponsor who supplied the inventory.
On the Pegasus Lawn under ancient oak trees dripping with Spanish moss, food and desert trucks offered a variety of options that guests enjoyed at picnic tables while a jazz duo performed in the center of the clearing.
On the Pegasus Lawn, guests mingle, listen to a jazz duo and sample food truck offerings during the sixth annual Brookgreen Gardens Spring Wine Festival, Saturday, April 25.
By Tanya Ackerman
In the Judith Wall Courtyard, shoppers delighted in perusing keepsakes at the vendor’s market.