Days of wine and beach roses

How to survive a New England "Spring"
"Wine is a constant proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy"

The tent beckons, the wine is flowing, and the cold rains of May seem far distant as the
ferry moves past the empty moorings in Nantucket Harbor in late May.That's our hosts
JeanE and Gerry in front of the Century House at 10 Cliff Road.

By Patricia & Walter Brooks

It's only a short ride over the pond to one of America's premier and earliest in the year wine festivalson Nantucket in late May. We always take the ferry from Hyannis so we can bring our bikes - it's an ecological crime to bring any more cars to this lovely and bike-friendly place.

The festival began with a cooking demonstration in the big tent at The White Elephant...
...and ended with the mega wine tasting in the big tent on Jetty Beach up the shore from Brant Point.

The festival this year ran from May 18-22, and the first event was at The White Elephant near Brant Point. That's the inn behind the tent in the photo above, but we opted for the cozier Century House two blocks away where we knew the breakfasts were incredible.

Our hosts JeanE and Gerry’s have operated an artist in residence program and for the past years at the Century House, and guests have been encouraged to meet and socialize with any of the artists who might be staying at the time. The work of many artists who have been in residence is are now part of the extensive Century House collection.

Gerry's breakfast buffet usually includes every fresh berry he can find on the island to garnish his famous granola. To this Gerry adds homemade pastry and countless other treats.

Another hallmark of the Century House are the homemade cookies available in the living room throughout the day and the always available fresh coffee, tea and other treats.

The Inn you saw on "Wings"

The Century House was the "home" for the producers of the hit television series "Wings" about the Nantucket Airport crew and other island folk.

The producers of Paramount Pictures hit TV show “Wings” chose Century House as their Nantucket home when first visiting the island in 1989 to scout locations for the popular television sitcom. In the subsequent years the inn became a star, often appearing on the show in cameo performances and was popular enough that in 1994 the innkeepers were invited to do a walk-on.

The Century House is the oldest continuing inn on Nantucket, operating as one for 125 years. The original paintings by local artists are continually rotated between the common areas and guest rooms, all for the enjoyment of guests of the Century House.

This year's poster is for sale on the festival site
That $120 bottle of Coppola "Rubicon"

And while the art may satisfy your soul, it is Gerry's great breakfasts which will satisfy your body. His granola is one of the world's best, and everything else at Century House including free wi-fi is also top drawer.

On to the Wine Festival

While there are many events at the fest, the focal point of the Nantucket Wine Festival is the Grand Tasting, at which more than 150 of the world's great wineries will be pouring their wines. The Grand Tasting was held at the huge, tented Jetties Beach Pavilion should above on right behind Brant Point Lighthouse, a ten minute bike ride from town.

There were four two-hour sessions of the Grand Tasting on Saturday, May 21st, and Sunday, May 22nd. Whether you attend two sessions or all four, this is a must-see event. See the Grand Tasting section of their site for times, prices, and more detail.

My saintly wife discovered the Coppola Vineyards Rubicon which retails for around $120, and insists its among the best reds she's ever imbibed.

As Frank Sutherland of the Gannett News Service described the 2001 Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon "for this price, you should expect a big, complex wine, and this Rubicon cabernet sauvignon delivered."

A Note about Luggage:
After 150 countries we were pretty blasé about your average roll-along, fit-in-the-overhead-bin piece of luggage until High Sierra sent us two new styles to try out. They were outstanding, head & shoulders ahead of any others. When we docked on this trip we straped them to our bikes and trundled to the inn and the large, heavy-duty wheels handled the cobblestones with ease. Try that with any other. Click image to enlarge.

He added, "the aroma was filled with dark fruit, cassis, plums and smoke. In the mouth, it provided layer after layer of flavors in a dense but smooth texture. The finish was long. This wine would be best after a year of two of aging."

I can't imagine anyone waiting that long. No wonder Ben Franklin said "wine is a constant proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy."

The following Memorial Day weekend is a mob scene everywhere, but this third week in May is always a perfect combination of everything open for the season without the seasonal crowds.

As a recent visitor wrote in the Century House guest book, "The Century House is at the heart of everything, yet one step removed...it's the best of what it means to be on Nantucket."

Pencil it into your schedule now for next Spring. Call Gerry at (508) 228-0530.

Walter and Patricia Brooks are the founders of Best Read Guides, eCape.com and this online newspaper. They started these companies in 1988 after extensive careers in the newspaper business beginning at The Village Voice and New York Post and culminating at MPG Communications and The Cape Codder before launching their own companies. They live in East Harwich overlooking Pleasant Bay. Pat is a native Cape Codder and Walter is a Connecticut Yankee. They have lived on the cape since 1965. They have two sons, two grand children and two cats, Todd, Jay, Will, Marina, Rama and Shiva.