So, wine and bluegrass? Not the typical story? Hang in there, we promise – there is a connection.The New York Times Dining and Wine guide recently published their favorite top 10 wines to go with a traditional Thanksgiving meal. It just so happens that the top favorite, Bone-Jolly from Edmunds St. John, is where our bluegrass connection is made.
According to the article’s writer, Eric Asimov (link to full story is below this post -) “…a perennial favorite of mine, the 2010 Bone-Jolly from Edmunds St. John, a rare American gamay, the grape of Beaujolais, from El Dorado County in California gold country. It’s light-bodied but intensely flavored, agile and earthy, with each sip thirst-quenching yet intriguing enough to inspire another.
We were tipped off to this strange bluegrass/wine connection story by Grammy-winning bluegrasser and oenophile, Laurie Lewis. The connection is that the No.1 choice of wine happens to sport a label designed by Laurie’s long-time singing partner, Tom Rozum.
We’ve known of Tom’s artistic ability and his album cover artwork since one of his early 1970’s album covers but had no idea that our wine racks were also graced with Tom’s handiwork.
Laurie informed us that Tom has done a few labels for Edmunds St. John over the years but that most of them were for special vintages that are no longer available. We found this particular wine available online priced from $15.00 and up or on the Edmunds St. John website you can find a great “Where To Buy” LIST which is actually various distributors who should know what is available in their specific territory.
The Laurie Lewis – Steve Edmunds’ friendship goes back to long before Steve was a vintner and the musical connection between the wine, the label and this story goes even deeper. Laurie actually produced an album by Steve Edmunds, his first, Lonesome on the Ground (2000), which is available from the Edmunds St John website, here. As it turns out, both Laurie and Tom also played on the CD.
Tom’s album cover artwork most recently surfaced on the Rounder tribute to Earl Scruggs – Foggy Mountain Special released in June of this year. Other great CD Covers of Tom’s include:
- The Dry Branch Fire Squad’s Hand Hewn CD (Rounder Records, 2001)
- Summerdog (original LP circa 1978 and Compilation CD 2012)
Of course, if you’ve attended any of Laurie and Tom’s performances, you’ve seen Tom’s designs stacked up in neat piles of folded T-shirts. Here’s just a couple of our favorites ... for the full list, visit Laurie’s website.
Link to full New York Times story: click here
Technorati Tags: Bluegrass,Wine,Laurie Lewis,Tom Rozum,Artists,Design,T-Shirts,Labels,Rounder Records,Edmunds St. John,Summerdog
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