by Mike Finlay

Created on: June 02, 2008   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Hilton Hedonism

Bragging 'more than 1000 different wines', the garishly titled Hilton Head 'WineFest' is to be avoided unless you are the kind of wine drinker that likes theirs from the bottle in a brown paper bag. That said, Hilton Head has much to offer for the avid follower of US wines.

Started by Loren and Georgene Mortimer, the local Island Winery produces some award winning wines. The winery was evidently set up for the massive hoard of tourists that descend on the area each year. That said, their specialty 'Blueberry wine' and their spicy 'Southern Passion' blush wines are a refreshing start to your week and won't break the bank too early on in your trip.

Forty miles north east along the coastline, you will stumble across Irvin House Vineyard. Your wine glands will jiggle with excitement as the anticipation of your first proper wine tasting session of the holiday grows nearer.
The history of muscadine seedlings around this area looked bleak until one bright member of Sir Walter Raleigh's colony discovered the fantastically named 'Old Scuppernong' vine (named after the river Scuppernong). Grown nowhere else, the scuppernong is thought to be the first native grape cultivated for the production of wine (amongst other things) and leaves you feeling as though you're tasting a small part of history. The naturally sweet grapes are used to produce five different wines here, two white and three red. The tough, thick skins of the grape mean that there is a fairly constant standard of wine each year that will leave you with a smile on your face.
Irvin House is open from 10am until 5pm Thursday to Saturday with a free tour at 2pm. The annual 'Grape Stomp' festival does exactly what it says on the tin and allows you to stomp grapes on the last Saturday of August whilst the Blessing of the Vine is undertaken on the second Saturday of November.

Whilst in the area, head for Lowcountry Winery in Beaufort. Hopefully you are sat in the passenger seat of your designated driver's car and have polished off a glass or two of the gluggable Irvin House tipples, because the wine here is not nearly as good. Offering 'something to suit everyone' is often a worrying sign for those in the know and this is, with a few exceptions, no exception. The most obvious exception to me is their full bodied, sweet and luscious 'American Cabernet Sauvignon'. This alone is worth the trip and will make a nice wine for your evening meal.

If you feel like a drive and can book accommodation, 120 miles

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