Bacchus had to be smiling recently as he witnessed two distinctly different events that could only happen at Gundlach Bundschu. We recently returned from our annual WOMer (wine club) Revel in Charleston, SC. Shortly thereafter, an apparition of Jacob Gundlach appeared at the winery.
On the 23rd of April, an adventurous group of our wine club members (we limit revels to 60, and it was once again sold out, thank you!) convened in Charleston. Many were veterans of previous revels in Boston, New Orleans and Memphis, but many were first timers. This balance is core to an ancient Bacchanalian axiom: old friends + new acquaintances + wine & fine dining + no responsibilities = … (If you don’t know the answer, hand over your club member card).
Destination on Friday morning was Middleton Place Plantation, about an hour trolley ride from downtown Charleston. A guided tour of the pre-Civil War rice farm culminated by walking through the Middleton Family manor, preserved as though they’d exited just before our arrival.
We learned a great deal of history, but the highlight for some of us non-locals was seeing our first water moccasin slither along the shaded wall of the small rice mill. Our tour guide, who had not seen the snake, wondered what she had said that made us all jump and scramble so.
We found shade and protection from the southern sun in the lunch pavilion overlooking the grounds, shaded by towering oaks. An ample southern buffet was quickly served and the tables were provided with bottles of ice-cold Gewürztraminer along with Pinot Noir and Merlot. Not a glass of sweet ice tea was present, usually a ubiquitous sight at southern lunches, but indeed this was not a typical group.
Just as the crescendo of conversation and laughter was peaking, Ann Caldwell and the Magnolia Singers appeared. She immediately stilled the enthusiastic WOMers with a brief introduction of her Gullah heritage – a local community that has preserved the culture and language of their African ancestors. The group sang us their traditional songs and eventually coaxed some timid members to join the chorus line.
Saturday morning in the hotel lobby we were greeted by belles who instructed us on the rules for a competitive treasure hunt through downtown Charleston. They turned out to be somewhat diabolical, as two of the required items (along with historically significant buildings and paintings) were a palmetto bug, which mostly come out at night, and a urine marker, a device used by the horse-drawn carriages to mark the spot where steeds may relieve themselves, so street cleaners can clean up properly. In both cases, the clues instructed us to find but don’t touch.
After the exertion of the hunt, we adjourned to McCrady’s, the oldest and one of the most respected restaurants in Charleston. Delicious food, graciously served, much devine wine presented by Jeff Bundschu, toasts, no iced tea, and again, much laughter and camaraderie.
Once again, WOMers proved themselves worthy of Bacchus’ praise. This is an adventurous group that enjoys life and wine, and they made those of us from the winery feel proud.
On a totally different note, I’d like to briefly share a story that probably no other winery in America could tell.
A few weeks ago, we received an email out of the blue from Heinz Gundlach. He explained that he is a winemaker in Germany and a relative, as he is descended from the brother of our founder Jacob Gundlach. He and his daughter Sarah were planning to visit San Francisco in May and would like to come see us.
HUH? We know much about the our family tree since Jacob emigrated to San Francisco in 1850, and his diary mentioned his father was a brewer and winemaker in Bavaria, but the details pre-1849 have always been a mystery. Heinz taught us that his great-great-grandfather was Jacob’s brother, making us 5th cousins. Heinz owns and operates the very same family winery started in 1824 by Jacob’s father, David. He produces only 4,000 cases annually, which he personally hand delivers to his customers throughout Germany.
Sparing you all the details of our visit, Jeff has recently blogged about it already, it was an amazing experience to meet a fifth cousin. They spent two days with us in Sonoma, and we are planning to visit them soon at the original Gundlach Winery in the Rhineland. Perhaps some of you WOMers might get there first. Ask him about the WOMer discount….
Salud amigos, Jim
On the 23rd of April, an adventurous group of our wine club members (we limit revels to 60, and it was once again sold out, thank you!) convened in Charleston. Many were veterans of previous revels in Boston, New Orleans and Memphis, but many were first timers. This balance is core to an ancient Bacchanalian axiom: old friends + new acquaintances + wine & fine dining + no responsibilities = … (If you don’t know the answer, hand over your club member card).
Destination on Friday morning was Middleton Place Plantation, about an hour trolley ride from downtown Charleston. A guided tour of the pre-Civil War rice farm culminated by walking through the Middleton Family manor, preserved as though they’d exited just before our arrival.
We learned a great deal of history, but the highlight for some of us non-locals was seeing our first water moccasin slither along the shaded wall of the small rice mill. Our tour guide, who had not seen the snake, wondered what she had said that made us all jump and scramble so.
We found shade and protection from the southern sun in the lunch pavilion overlooking the grounds, shaded by towering oaks. An ample southern buffet was quickly served and the tables were provided with bottles of ice-cold Gewürztraminer along with Pinot Noir and Merlot. Not a glass of sweet ice tea was present, usually a ubiquitous sight at southern lunches, but indeed this was not a typical group.
Just as the crescendo of conversation and laughter was peaking, Ann Caldwell and the Magnolia Singers appeared. She immediately stilled the enthusiastic WOMers with a brief introduction of her Gullah heritage – a local community that has preserved the culture and language of their African ancestors. The group sang us their traditional songs and eventually coaxed some timid members to join the chorus line.
Saturday morning in the hotel lobby we were greeted by belles who instructed us on the rules for a competitive treasure hunt through downtown Charleston. They turned out to be somewhat diabolical, as two of the required items (along with historically significant buildings and paintings) were a palmetto bug, which mostly come out at night, and a urine marker, a device used by the horse-drawn carriages to mark the spot where steeds may relieve themselves, so street cleaners can clean up properly. In both cases, the clues instructed us to find but don’t touch.
After the exertion of the hunt, we adjourned to McCrady’s, the oldest and one of the most respected restaurants in Charleston. Delicious food, graciously served, much devine wine presented by Jeff Bundschu, toasts, no iced tea, and again, much laughter and camaraderie.
Once again, WOMers proved themselves worthy of Bacchus’ praise. This is an adventurous group that enjoys life and wine, and they made those of us from the winery feel proud.
On a totally different note, I’d like to briefly share a story that probably no other winery in America could tell.
A few weeks ago, we received an email out of the blue from Heinz Gundlach. He explained that he is a winemaker in Germany and a relative, as he is descended from the brother of our founder Jacob Gundlach. He and his daughter Sarah were planning to visit San Francisco in May and would like to come see us.
HUH? We know much about the our family tree since Jacob emigrated to San Francisco in 1850, and his diary mentioned his father was a brewer and winemaker in Bavaria, but the details pre-1849 have always been a mystery. Heinz taught us that his great-great-grandfather was Jacob’s brother, making us 5th cousins. Heinz owns and operates the very same family winery started in 1824 by Jacob’s father, David. He produces only 4,000 cases annually, which he personally hand delivers to his customers throughout Germany.
Sparing you all the details of our visit, Jeff has recently blogged about it already, it was an amazing experience to meet a fifth cousin. They spent two days with us in Sonoma, and we are planning to visit them soon at the original Gundlach Winery in the Rhineland. Perhaps some of you WOMers might get there first. Ask him about the WOMer discount….
Salud amigos, Jim
