I am passionate about inspiring people to live a literary lifestyle because for me, there is nothing like being transported to another time, a far off location or experiencing through written words glimpses of history or even a magical life you could never live. Novels have a way of allowing the reader to see through the veil of place and time as they chronicle imaged lives of real people or spin a tale of imaginary people in real places and historical times. Then there are stories that combine the magical and the mythical with the factual and the historical. These are books that captivate and sweep you up in their ethereal meandering stories, intriguing settings, and share the rich relationships of the characters.
This months Drink In Life Books title does a masterful job in weaving together legend and myth along with historical fact about an age-old American mystery. The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare is a beautifully written book with just the right amount of factual history and presents spellbinding mysticism while showcasing the importance of family. This novel should be on everyone’s must read list for 2023.
“Once there was a girl who always took a dare.”
The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare by Kimberly Brock
About the Lost Book of Eleanor Dare….
The story begins in 1945 as WW2 is beginning to wind down and Alice, a young war widow and mother is unexpectedly presented with her birthright, the deed to her abandoned family home called Evertell. Wanting to step into a future free from the painful memories of the past, Alice is determined to sell the property to make a fresh start and to finance her daughter Penn’s education. Yet, when she returns to Helen, Georgia, it is hard to avoid all of the memories and history she thought were forgotten. To Alice’s dismay, Penn is instantly captivated with Evertell and a handful of other locals who know of Evertell’s secrets.
”Before she even opened her eyes Penn knew she was in love. Not with a boy but with a place. All night she dreamed of the Sea. Never before had she truly imagined the seashore would have stretched so long and wide. Or how the water would sparkling crashed in the little white fits that felt like the reward for everything good she had ever done, and forgiveness for all the rest.”
The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
As Penn begins to explores Evertell, the vast farm and the riverside grounds that the dilapidated mansion sits on, her curiosity over the family lineage that she was never aware of begins to unveil secrets some of which are told to her by Sonder Holloway who has kept Evertell’s grounds for 23 years. As a childhood friend, Sonder is sensitive to Alice’s past, including the circumstances that led to Alice and her father abandoning the home after her mother died during treatment for hysteria.
As memories come flooding back and the tightly woven threads of Evertell’s storied fabric begin to unfold more of the history and mystery of Evertell and the family legacy of the family is revealed. Alice and now her daughter Penn are the descendants of Eleanor White Dare, a survivor of the lost colony of Roanoke that was settled in 1587 by Eleanor’s father.
What really happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke was still a mystery, but for the women who descended from Eleanor Dare have always known the truth because of a message carved onto a large stone and the contents of her cherished ‘Commonplace Book’ which had been passed down passed down through the fifteen generations of daughters who followed as they came of age. Within the book throughout the centuries, the women heirs of Eleanor had used the Commonplace Book as a place to record history, recipes, cures, and other valuable tips.
“My mama said it was a book written by women, full of women’s wisdom and mysteries.”
The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
Excerpts from the book;
“Their had been ink drawings of plants and constellations. There were entries about the weather and the changing seasons and birth of babies, all written in different hands by different authors over the centuries.”
“She had a book that belonged to the women in her family, padded down with the house. A kind of journal or scrapbook with poems and recipes and things. Their names are all listed there. I always wondered what happened to it.”
More enlightenment comes when you learn at the time of her mother’s death, thirteen-year-old Alice had been next in line to receive the book, but her mother’s death fractured the legacy and the cryptic ‘Dare Stone’ along with the history recorded in the book faded into memory. Yet with the return of the memories over a failed familial rite of passage involving her mother, Alice knows the commonplace book rightly belongs in the hands of her daughter.
When Eleanor’s book is finally found, Alice is forced to confront the realities of their true inheritance as daughters of Eleanor Dare and find the answers to the secrets of her lineage. As the weight of the losses that she suffered give way to first understanding and then acceptance, Alice accepts and embraces the changed forced upon her and realizes that even though hardship you can endure and find a new path in life.
This is a story that will have you thinking about for a long time, with its blend of history and family folklore.
The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare spent three weeks on ‘The Southern Independent Booksellers Bestseller List’ and it is easy to see why as the tale folds you within the pages of its story. With illustriously written atmospheres, Kimberly Brock’s sweeping tale exhibits wonderful imagery with each page.
The mystery, secrets, history and family folklore in The Lost Book of Eleanor Day had me staying up well into the night to finish reading, I literally couldn’t put the book down. Every page, every sentence, every word held nuggets of valuable information and touching emotions that addresses being brave, finding oneself, forgiving enemies while working on healing old wounds and the incredibly strong legacy of women and family.
“Look there, so fair, the Evertell heirs of Eleanor Dare.”
The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
A Word with the Author…
Kimberly Brock’s The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare, has been an Amazon bestseller which has been featured by both national and international book clubs as well as included in multiple reading lists. I’m excited to share my interview with Kimberly which covers her thoughts and experiences of writing as well as how much historical research went into writing The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare.
About the Author….
Kimberly Brock is the bestselling author of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare and her award-winning debut, The River Witch. She is the founder of Tinderbox Writers Workshop and has served as a guest lecturer for many regional and national writing workshops including at the Pat Conroy Literary Center. She lives near Atlanta with her husband and three children.
Photo credit: Claire Brock Photography
Can you share a little bit about yourself and your career as a writer?
“I have always had a proclivity for telling stories and I had a childhood love for libraries and books. I love story in every form and I was always playing make-believe, writing plays, performing musicals in my bedroom and even for the animals on our farm. My siblings were long-suffering and often pressed into these performances either in their own assigned roles or as the audience. I remember keeping diaries and getting my first Brother typewriter. I liked to enter the Language Arts fair every year in school and wrote a lot of poetry. My first award was from the Georgia Poetry Society for a poem I wrote about our farm and I got to attend a luncheon and read it for the members. I never once expected that writing for publication was anything I could accomplish in real life and went to school for my teaching degree on a theater scholarship. It was only because of the encouragement of another published author that I admired deeply, that I ever found the confidence to submit a short story for an anthology. That piece was my first published work and later, resulted in my first novel, which won the Georgia Author of the Year Award. I worked for many years after that on my next book, also founding a writer’s workshop and retreat and later, a local literary festival, which I helped run for two years. My most recent novel sat on the Southern Independent Booksellers Bestseller list for three weeks and is shortlisted for the Townsend Prize for Fiction. I’m currently at work on a third novel set to be published in 2024.”
For writers, inspiration for a story can come from the most unexpected places, can you share what inspired you to write this novel?
“I grew up learning appreciation for history from my father and especially family history. I was also a very precocious kid and I think that’s why learning about the Lost Colony of Roanoke really interested me, because I loved the mystery. I’d never considered it for the subject of a novel until I was doing some research for my first book and stumbled across an unrelated bit of obscure history that linked the North Carolina history to that of my home state of Georgia. It was a woman’s story that had been lost, possibly silenced, and I couldn’t imagine why I’d never heard anything about it.“
Kimberly went on to add, “I learned all I could about the Dare Stones and took a trip to Brenau University to see them and I was very overcome by the emotions I experienced on behalf of Eleanor Dare. It took a lot of years and many false starts to finally write the story I wanted to tell about lost history, women’s history, the legacies assigned to women and those snatched away from them, and maybe most importantly how human it is to long for home, identity, belonging. That stone, real or not, inspired me to consider the kinds of loss Eleanor Dare would have known and how she might have ever walked away from the grave of her innocence.”
I imagine that you did some extensive research for this book, can you share some of the ways that you sought out information about this part of Georgia, what life during war time was like and the history of the lost colony of Roanoke.
“I’m not a historian. I’m a storyteller. I approached my research that way, for better or worse. I read everything I could find about the Roanoke colony and about the home front during WWII, in particular, Savannah, Georgia. But what I was really trying to glean were women’s stories and like the mystery of what happened to those Roanoke colonists in such a long-ago time, the research for this novel went in a different, less scholarly direction. I was looking at cookbooks, diaries, family Bibles, obituaries, and family trees. Where were girls, why were they there, what were they doing, how and why were they moved from one place to another in early American history? I wanted to consider the marginalized voices that aren’t always found in historical records, who had built the communities and homes, been carried along on the wave of colonization or buried beneath it. I was interested in how these stories make the American family story and take my characters home to the haunted house they were called upon to make a home. And from these scraps of information, some fact and some hokum, I imagined a history for generations of Eleanor’s female descendants, the Dare heirs.”
What was your favorite or most unexpected discovery during your research?
“There were wonderful discoveries throughout, but one unexpected experience happened after writing the novel when my daughter and I visited and toured a historic home in north Georgia that I only found after imagining Evertell. The Hardman Farm is located near Helen, Georgia, very near the valley where the inscription on the collection of Dare Stones claim she lived with Native Americans.”
Kimberly went on to say, “I was stunned when I learned about the house, that it existed in reality so closely to what sprang from my imagination years before I’d ever seen a photograph. I was so curious to step inside and see how that felt. But I was definitely not prepared to climb to the second-floor landing and come face to face with a large, dark wardrobe, my own face reflected back at me in the mirrors there while the docent explained that it had belonged to the daughter of the owner and that it was unique because it was designed to be easily disassembled and put back together, something known as a travel wardrobe.No spoilers, but such a wardrobe features in the novel and again, came from my imagination, or so I thought. My daughter took a photo of me at that exact moment and I love looking at that image.”
In regards to the Dare stone, what do you believe about it, is it real?
“I think it’s important to distinguish the meaning of real vs. factual. We may never know the factual history of the Dare stone and whether it can be attributed to Eleanor Dare, but I absolutely know it’s real. It is a real stone with a real carving etched into both its front and back sides. It serves as a desperate message from a daughter to her father and also a gravestone for Eleanor Dare’s husband and daughter, Virginia. It could very well have been an elaborate hoax to gain money and recognition using Eleanor’s story, not so different from the documented way she was first brought here as the daughter of the colony’s governor, whom they claimed to be the mother to the first English child born in the New World. (Fact or real? It’s left up to the person recording the story.) Even if we never know the facts about the origin of the Dare Stone, I believe it is part of Eleanor Dare’s story now, an important part of her very real legacy. What could be more real than that?”
Anything else that you would like to share about The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare?
“I know a lot of readers will come to this book with the expectation that it’s about solving the mystery of the colony at Roanoke or maybe a biography of Eleanor Dare, but it’s not a book of answers. It’s a book of questions. It’s about the stories that may or may not be true and what value there is in these legacies, how we tease apart fact from fiction in our histories as families and communities. It’s about women’s history and how it is shaped, lost and found, preserved, celebrated and influential, often in unexpected ways. It’s about the haunted house we live in as a country and how we set a large table and try to make a home of it, together. It’s about mothers and daughters. And at the heart of this book is Eleanor’s tale, which is really a fable about hope, about loving the mystery most of all and the possibilities that creates for imagining a future, after the stone.”
What are you currently working on?
“I’m currently at work on a novel set in 1959 on a fictional shoal off Cumberland Island, Georgia and a town called St. Constant where the lives of three women intersect as they come to moments of personal change. The backdrop is the long history of the area, both natural and human, and a mysterious collection of stories, both bound and oral, known locally as the ghost library. There’s a nod to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. The book is currently set to release in 2024 with Harper Muse Books.”
Since we incorporate wine and food pairings with each book club title, I have to ask. Do you have a favorite Wine/Wines? Any favorite food and wine pairings that are on the top of your list?
“Right now, my husband and I are both enjoying wines from XOBC Cellars after attending a Brandi Carlile concert and ordering from the collection. We love the wines that we’ve tried and really appreciate the activism that these products support. As for food, point me toward the seafood. Any kind, any time and any place. Nothing makes me happier than shrimp gumbo!”
Photos supplied by Kimberly Brock.
“The unknown was powerful. It was the monster in the dark, the secret in the box, the poison in the wine.”
The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
Recipe Inspiration….
Since the book takes place in Helen, Georgia, which is 6 miles from Savannah, I was inspired by local Savannah cuisine and a few of the meals mentioned in the book for this months recipes. Along with highlighting a rich mix of southern influenced recipes I also felt it necessary to make sure that the recipes made with simple ingredients like those that would be available during the ration limits of WW2.
America during the war, like many other countries, had ration limits, which meant that much of the food on the tables during this time was grown in Victory gardens, came from raised farm animals or was even foraged, both on land and in water. The rationing system aimed to reduce the consumption of goods that were in high demand by the military, such as meat, sugar, and butter. This was done to help ensure that there were enough resources for the war effort and to prevent inflation. Additionally, rationing helped to curb waste and prevent hoarding of goods.
Recipes….
Dungeness Crab Soup with Cajun Spiced Grilled Shrimp
There is a recipe in the book for Tomasyn Cooper’s Fish Stew translated from Old Norse to English and Alice’s attempt to make a fish soup but unfortunately the “Soup did not turn out!”. Using crab and shrimp, as well as garden vegetables and herbs, I hope my recipe for Crab Soup with Cajun Seasoned Grilled Shrimp will provide a good replacement for Alice’s fish stew. In the book it is noted that “As the pot simmered and the smell of herbs filled the kitchen house” and I think the same can be said for this recipe.
“We have a garden full of vegetables and a River full of fish and oysters and shrimp.”
The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare
In this recipe I used PNW Dungeness Crab, which was in season at the time, but you can use any fresh or local crab that is available in your area.
For a book club gathering I love the idea of serving soups in individual cups or jars and with this recipe adding the garnish of Cajun seasoned grilled shrimp on top is as eye catching as it is delicious.
To pair with the Crab Soup and Cajun Spiced Shrimp I selected the 2019 Estate Grown White from Gratus Vineyards in California.
This white Rhone Blend with it’s crisp pear and apple aromas, notes of tropical fruit and hints of white peach paired beautifully with this southern comfort soup. On the palate this wine is crisp with a bright acidity, yet there is still a creamy mouthfeel and structure that lengthens the finish while slowing releasing speckles of minerality. This medium-bodied wine is a blend of northern and southern Rhône varietals: Grenache Blanc, Roussanne, Marsanne, Viognier, and Picpoul Blanc and is available on the Gratus website.
An easy recipe for the Cajun Spiced Grilled Shrimp;
1 to 1½ pounds large shrimp 1 Tablespoon Cajun seasoning 2 Tablespoons melted butter or olive oil 2 garlic cloves minced Salt + pepper to taste
To flavor the shrimp, simply toss all the ingredients in a bowl. Make sure the shrimp is thoroughly coated with the seasoning. Thread 4-5 shrimp onto some pre-soaked wood or metal skewers with a slight gap between each one. This helps promote even cooking. Then, preheat the grill and oil the grates if necessary. Place the skewers on the hot grill grates and cook, about 2 minutes per side. The shrimp will turn pink and opaque when done.
The Cajun seasoning adds a fantastic level of flavor to the shrimp, with a little bit of heat that is not too strong. It’s a perfect spicy complement that just might make it hard to stop eating them!
Dungeness Crab Soup served with Cajun Spiced Grilled Shrimp
This Dungeness Crab Soup is rich and infused with the sweet and succulent meat of the Dungeness crab and a mixture of herbs and spices, onion, celery, garlic, and other aromatics. With a delicate balance of sweet, savory, and slightly spicy notes from the Old Bay Seasoning, the characteristic of this Savannah-Style inspired Dungeness Crab Soup will draw you in with its fragrant aroma.
2tbspolive oil, (use a brush to coat the Dutch oven with the olive oil)
1tbspbutter
1cupsweet onion, finely chopped
1cupcelery, finely chopped
2cupscarrot, finely chopped
2-3clovesroasted garlic
1-1½tbsp Old Bay Seasoning
1tsp sea salt
1 tspfreshly ground black pepper
1tspfresh thyme
1Bay leaf
4cupsclam juice
½cuphalf and half
1½cupswhole milk
1poundDungeness crabmeat, make sure that all shell pieces are removed.
⅓cupdry sherry
Method
Place flour in a 9-inch cast-iron skillet; cook over medium heat 15 minutes or until brown, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat.Melt the butter in a Dutch oven coated with olive oil over medium-high heat. Add carrots and the next 5 ingredients (carrot through garlic), and sauté 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Add Old Bay seasoning, salt, black pepper, dried thyme, and bay leaf; cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle the browned flour over vegetable mixture, and cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Stir in clam juice, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until mixture is slightly thick, stirring frequently.Stir in the milk and half-and-half; cook 4 minutes. Stir in crabmeat and sherry; cook 5 minutes or until the soup is thoroughly heated. Discard bay leaf.Pour into bowls or jars and serve with the Cajun Spiced Grilled Shrimp (recipe above)
Notes
Sage Cornbread Waffle and Southern Fried Chicken Sliders
From the book, the mention of fried chicken and “Imegine’s fresh corn cakes”, seemed the perfect match when I was thinking of an easy, make ahead, small bite for a book club gathering. Individually the mini sage cornbread waffles and Southern fried chicken bites can be made ahead of time and kept warm in the oven until you are ready to serve these delectable crowd pleasers.
I felt that the use of cornmeal would be appropriate as part of this recipe since in many parts of the United States during the war, flour was in short supply. The recipe replaces 1 cup of the flour with cornmeal which helped save on rationed flour.
“In the U.S. during World War I, the federal Food Administration encouraged substituting ground oats, cornmeal, rice, barley, potato and buckwheat in place of wheat flour.” –Save The Fleet, Eat Less Wheat: The Patriotic History Of Ditching Bread
Southern Fried Chicken
Southern fried chicken is known for its crispy and golden-brown coating and its juicy, tender meat which benefits from being marinated in a mixture of buttermilk and spices. The combination of the savory and slightly spicy seasoning of the coating is unmistakable and licking your fingers coated with the rich and slightly nutty flavor of the oil used for frying is a must. For this recipe I used a favorite from the Immaculate Bites website. The only change I made was using bite size pieces of boneless chicken breast instead of a cut up whole chicken. This is a fantastic Southern Fried Chicken Recipe.
Any Southern fried chicken and waffle sliders wouldn’t be complete without a drizzle of syrup or sauce, and I have a terrific sweet and savory homemade sauce recipe to share that is sure to receive multiple “Oohs and Ahs from your friends and family!”
For the Honey Sage Sauce, I used the recipe from the Honey-Sage Dipping Sauce from A Family Fest which blends together;
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 tablespoons shallots, minced
1 tablespoon fresh sage, minced
1 tablespoon champagne vinegar or rice wine vinegar
½ cup honey
½ cup mayonnaise (I substituted the Mayo with 1/2 cup Sour Cream)
2 teaspoons garlic chili sauce (I substituted with sweet chili sauce)
You can keep the Sage Honey Sauce warm in a sauce pan until you are ready to serve it.
Sage cornbread waffles are a savory twist on traditional waffles, made with a cornbread batter that includes sage as an ingredient. The addition of sage gives the waffles a unique and flavorful taste that pairs well with any toppings such as butter, syrup or a Honey Sage Sauce.
Make the waffle batter: Whisk together the buttermilk, eggs and honey in a small bowl. Whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, sage, and fine sea salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, add the wet ingredients and gently whisk together until just combined (do not over mix). Fold in the butter, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate the batter.Make the waffles: Heat the mini waffle iron according to manufacturer's instructions. Spray with nonstick pan spray, then ladle about 2 tbsp of the batter into each grid, close, and cook until golden brown on both sides and steam stops coming out from the iron, about 4 minutes. Transfer the waffles to a baking sheet for and place in the oven set on warm until ready to use.
When all the separate components are done, you can put together the Sage Cornbread Waffle and Southern Fried Chicken sliders when your guests arrive.
To pair with this recipe I selected the 2019 Grenache Blanc from Gratus Vineyards which is a 100% Grenache Blanc from the St. Helena AVA in California.
This wine is incredibly food friendly and it shines with these Cornbread Waffle and Southern Fried Chicken Sliders. Bursting with pear, citrus, and a bouquet of floral aromas, there are also touches of pineapple that surface with each swirl of the glass. Notes of minerality and slight hints of oak are present in both the aroma and on the palate which only adds to the overall elegance of this medium bodied white wine.
Mirroring the aromas, a mix of flavors complement each other as you work your way through the multiple layers sip by sip. This wine has a wonderful elegance and depth that keeps you coming back for more.
Many people would say that dessert is the best part of a meal because it brings a sense of indulgence and celebration to the dining experience. So, why not end your book club gathering on a high note with a dessert that everyone will look forward to.
Mini Spice Bundt Cakes with a Warm Spice Glaze and Pear Ginger Rosemary Jam
I gravitated towards making a Spice Cake for The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare because of then mention of a ‘cinnamon cake’ and a ‘spice cake in the book. Additionally, I wanted to make a cake with a lighter and low sugar glaze due to the fact that sugar was a rationed item during WW2. The thought of making a jam to top the Spice Bundt Cakes was inspired by using ingredients that were available in a Victory Garden during that time period.
Simple, easy and flavorful, these mini spice bundt cakes are an elegant dessert. The adorable cakes, made with this beautiful cake pan similar to this one from Nordic Ware, are finished with a warm spice glaze and topped with a homemade Pear Ginger Rosemary Jam.
An extra optional step is making a simple syrup to help keep the mini Spice Bundt Cakes moist while also adding a flavor infusion of ripening pear. I used ‘Hillcrest Orchard’ Pear Wine from RoxyAnn Winery in Oregon. I created the simple syrup by bringing 1 1/2 cup wine, 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar to a low boil, just until the sugar was dissolved and then allowed it to cool. Then I dabbed it onto the mini Bundt cakes and allowed them to sit for an hour before frosting them with the Warm Spice Glaze.
While you are letting the Spice Bundt Cakes cool make the Pear Ginger Rosemary Jam (Recipe Below) so that it has time to cool completely before you serve the cake.
A spice cake is like a symphony of flavors, with each bite bringing a new experience.
The Warm Spice Glaze for the Spice Bundt Cakes is easy to make and feel free to add more cinnamon and nutmeg if you want a little more spice.
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream or milk
Directions: Whisk powdered sugar, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and 3 Tbsp heavy cream (or milk) together. If the glaze is too thick, add in the remaining 1 Tbsp of cream (or milk). Pour the glaze evenly over the cake. Refrigerate leftovers.
Spice Cake with a Spice Glaze and Pear Ginger Rosemary Jam
Simple, easy and flavorful, these moist mini spice Bundt cakes are an elegant dessert, especially when finished with a warm spice glaze and topped with a homemade Pear Ginger Rosemary Jam.
Core and peel pears, then finely chop.In a large heavy saucepan, combine pears, ginger puree, sugars, honey, lemon peel and lemon juice.Bring to boiling, stirring until sugars are dissolved. Stir in the rosemary.Simmer, uncovered for 25 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
Spice Bundt Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3-6 inch round cake pans. Set aside.In a medium size bowl whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and all the spices. Set aside.Add the butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the eggs. Mix until well combined, about 1-2 minutes. Alternate adding the dry ingredients and the buttermilk, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Once all of the dry ingredients have been added, mix on low speed until JUST combined! Divide the batter evenly into the mini Bundt cake pan. Bake for 20-22 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the pans for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the cakes out onto a wire rack to cool. When ready to serve glaze the cakes with the Warm Spice Glaze and top with the Pear Ginger Rosemary Jam.Note: This is also delicious with an additional dollop of homemade Whipping Cream.
Taking the time to plan and execute a delicious and thoughtful meal can make any book club gathering more enjoyable. I hope that these recipes inspire you to cook and create a memorable experience for your next get together.
“There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.”
The first discovered Dare Stone, also known as the Roanoke Stone, is a piece of granite inscribed with mysterious symbols and letters that has been linked to the lost colony of Roanoke. The colony, established in 1587 by Sir Walter Raleigh, was one of the first English settlements in the New World. However, the colony’s fate remains a mystery, as all of the settlers disappeared without a trace.
The Dare Stone was discovered in the early 20th century by a man named Bill Eberhardt, who claimed that it was found on a farm in northeastern North Carolina. Some have surmised that the inscriptions on the stone are clues to where some of the settlers may have gone after they disappeared.
A total of 48 Dare Stones are catalogued at Brenau University in Gainesville, Georgia, although additional stones were also reported. However, there is much debate and skepticism surrounding the authenticity of the Dare Stones. Many experts believe that the inscription is a hoax, as the lettering and symbols on the stone do not match the style of 16th-century engraving. Additionally, there is no concrete evidence linking the stone to the lost colony of Roanoke.
Despite this, the Dare Stone remains an intriguing piece of history and has sparked ongoing interest and speculation about the fate of the lost colony. The mystery of what happened to the settlers of Roanoke continues to captivate people’s imagination and serves as a reminder of the challenges and uncertainties that early settlers faced in the New World.
The Brenau University Website has some fantastic information for anyone who wants to learn more about The Dare Stones and their connection to the Lost Colony of Roanoke. At the end of The Lost Book of Eleanor Dare, Kimberly has also added some notes about the Dare stone.
Additional Reading….
Reading historical fiction can motivate you to seek out further resources on the time periods and people that where introduced in a recent novel. Often new discovers don’t stop with the novel in question, many times the novel is merely the beginning of a new way to look at history.
This title asks the question “what if the 1587 Lost Colony of Roanoke was not actually lost and what if the survivors left North Carolina and made their way to Georgia? This scenario has been contemplated since a series of engraved stones were found in the 1930’s.
David La Vere unfolds the story of the discovery of the Dare Stones and opens up new possibility that will fire your imagination and give you a reason to ask “What if”.
To dive deeper into what happened to the Lost Colony of Roanoke and gives plausible new answers to the mystery. Since The Lost Colony, it’s colonists and their fate continues to haunt our national consciousness, The Secret Token offers a new understanding into the first English settlement in the New World and the mystery that surrounds it.
From Amazon-‘In 1587, Sir Walter Raleigh sent 116 men, women and children to Roanoke Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. They were to plant the first English colony in the New World. By 1590, they had disappeared. The colony was lost, and it remains America’s oldest unsolved mystery. Carl Bowden, a university professor, has discovered a document that may prove an intriguing new theory of what may have happened to the colonists. He made one phone call to a trusted colleague. Three hours later he was found murdered under the rotunda of the university library. Someone does not want the mystery of the Lost Colony to be solved and is willing to kill to protect the secret.’
Being part of a book club or challenging yourself to read more books this year means you’ll explore books even deeper while making new literary discoveries. I hope that this month’s Drink In Life Books title ignites your desire to read more and share your love of literature with others as well. You can find my previous Drink In Life Books selections here.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on this month’s Drink In Life Books selection. Cheers everyone and as always, thanks for reading.
All images and content copyrighted by Drink In Nature Photography and Drink In Life Blog.
As we begin a new year I think it is fair to say that Inflation is still on everyone’s mind and most of us are continuing to feel the pinch right now. As we adapt and change our spending habits for purchases of gas, food and utilities, the budget for wine (which is no exception to price increases as well) may be a little less again in 2023.
However, treating yourself to good wine doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank. So, as wine lovers how can we continue to refine our palates when prices continue to rise? In this post I’ll share a few simple steps to help you determine what/how to look for affordable good wine and I’ll describe using a few different avenues to get the most for your money. Additionally, I will recap a few affordable good wine ideas from my Instagram Frugal Friday Series along with a recommendation for an under-rated California varietal, Petite Sirah.
If you follow a few simple steps to determine what you are looking for and use different avenues to purchase wine, I hope you’ll see you CAN drink diverse good quality wine on a budget. Afterall, right now we all could use some thrifty ways to get more value for our money.
“A man will be eloquent if you give him good wine.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Choosing “Good” Wine….
Wine is sophisticated and can be complex, but with thoughtful purchases the requirements of various budgets can be met. A keyword here to remember is “Good” wine and “Good” wine is inherently subjective. In this article, I am going to be addressing good wines that are a great alternative to the big brand names, like Sutter Home, Barefoot and Yellow Tail. I always look for wines that deliver on taste and quality without breaking the bank. Before we get to a few wine selections, I want to share some tips on finding good deals on wines that you‘ll savor and be proud to share with others.
When you look at wine labels you’ll often see a point scale, as a wine professional I tend not to purchase wine based on these point scales. In this post I’m advising you to put these flashy stickers aside and focus on using some tools that are readily available to you. I’ll also touch on how research will help you build up confidence in purchasing wine.
Now back to choosing a good wine and an important question. Are those $100 bottles of Champagne really better than a $20 Crémant from Alsace, and is that bottle of $150 Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon better than a $30 Cabernet from Washington State? In general the answer is yes, but how much better varies and this does not mean you can’t find deals on good wines that are a little easier on your wallet.
Finding Good, Affordable Wines….
With crazy expensive wine tasting fees and bottle prices currently found in Napa Valley and other wine regions, combined with soaring prices of wines from Burgundy, many people believe wine must be expensive to be good. Seeing high dollar signs put on bottles may also make it feel impossible to think about enjoying a really good wine any day of the week. That may be true unless you are willing to do a little work and seek out great-value wines.
Finding good inexpensive wine comes down to one key thing, exploration. If you are set on only drinking your favorite Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon from a specific winery, you may be missing out on affordable wines offering great value and can come from every corner of the globe. Being flexible and willing to explore opens up opportunities to find diverse wines that fit your palate and your wine budget.
Start with People You Know….Seek out your friends and family who may be able to offer recommendations of wines to try. Let them know what type of wines you enjoy the most, and be sure to ask for lower priced wine recommendations. Style and taste is of course subjective but friends and family tend to know you the best and in most cases they can come up with a few wines that will surprise you.
Wine Buying Tip: Ignore the Label….I think many of us have allowed our wine purchasing decisions to be swayed by the pretty or eye catching label on the bottle. That doesn’t change the fact that labels market wine and are used by wineries to get your attention. Whether a fancy intricate design or a plain labeled bottle on the bottom shelf, the label on the bottle doesn’t affect how the wine tastes. Choose a wine from what you know about the region, producer, varietal
2. Consider going to a wine tasting…. If you have never been or it has just been awhile, going to a winery or tasting room allows you to try samples of local wines. You will also get to experiment wines that you are familiar with and explore new ones.
Seek out not only local wineries but wineries and tasting rooms when you travel. I had always been a fan of the value sparkling wine produced in New Mexico by GRUET, but when I was in Santa Fe on a trip I was able to taste more than the brut and sparkling Rose’ that you find on the supermarket shelves. This tasting room experience allowed me to take notes on other Sparkling wines they offer and make a list to order in the future from the GRUET website.
American-made, this New Mexico winery specializes in Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines. The average price for the GRUET sparkling wines range from $15 to $36, these great-value wines are worthy of opening up even on an ordinary Tuesday night.
3. Yearly Best Buy Wine Lists….One way is to use your favorite search engine and seek out lists that put together wine lists each year such as Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Best Buys 2022 that includes wines that are also $15 and under.
4. Shopping online…. Buying wine can be challenging enough, especially if you’re navigating unfamiliar regions, producers and grape varieties. Buying online can help you find more options that fit your palette without limiting you to local bottle selections.
When buying wine, you may look at every dollar you spend as an opportunity to try something different and each bottle of wine is a learning opportunity. So why not try to drink as widely as possible? With this in mind, when online I tend to favor Wine.com and I take advantage of their yearly Stewart Membership which gives free shipping along with weekly, monthly and seasonal sales.
Many online stores will let you mix and match, which is a great way to save money while also stocking up on a variety of your favorite types of wines. Shopping from the comfort of your own home makes intentional purchases a little easier and the ability to find great value wines made with just as much thoughtfulness and care as wines that are three to four times more expensive.
Wine Buying Tip: When you are in need of help to select a wine you can always open up a wine app like Vivino . For many wine enthusiasts including myself, this is arguably one of the best and most popular wine apps. Vivino is used by wine lovers around the world to check out comments and reviews on just about any bottle of wine. Vivino has photo recognition that allows you to take a photo of a label then the app will scan it and show you all of the information that it can find about the wine. I really like how Vivino uses simple language that’s easy to understand, meaning wine consumers on every level should understand the information being shared about the bottle.
5. Wine Stores
When purchasing wine in local stores be sure to Keep an Eye on Sales. While you’re browsing the wine aisle at your state store or grocery store, you may find select wines are often offered at discounted prices. This is a great way to save money, but you should also be a little wary and do some research with an app (like Vivino) before purchasing. Here are a couple of my favorite stores to purchase wines that are in my region of the Pacific Northwest;
Trader Joe’s® is renowned for their selection of inexpensive private label wines, however there are some gems to be found in their collection of good value wines. Although many of the popular labels are always available, a number of wines are changed by season and by region. I often pick up some bottles of one of my favorite “house wines” Pine Ridge’s Chenin Blanc +Viognier for under $20 at our local Trader Joe’s. You can also find wines from Stel+Mar that I shared on a previous blog post, BACK TO GOOD TIMES WITH STEL+MAR WINES for under $10 a bottle.
Costco® is the number one wine retailer in the U.S. and just one look at their low wine prices should tell you why! Costco’s inventory of wines will vary by market so at times you can find some low production wines available in an individual store but not at another.
Costco Advent Calendar
Each year Costco offers an Wine Advent Calendar box, which is exclusively available at Costco. It sells for $99.99, contains 24 half (375ml) bottles and comes from Flying Blue Imports which means that all of the wines come from their portfolio. Don’t expect every wine to be great in the Costco Wine Advent Calendar, but If you look at this purchase as a fun exploration of varieties and regions you wouldn’t typically consume, then this has the potential to be lots of fun. I was able to purchase the calendar in 2022 and found that I enjoyed about 50% of the wines.
The wine selection isn’t always the broadest but in addition to their Kirkland Signature Line, they do tend to bring in some very nice wines from all over the world Including California, Washington, France, Italy, Australia, Argentina, Spain and Portugal, many of these fall under $20 price point. I often find some of my favorite wines at Costco such as Hedges Wine Red Mountain Estate Red and Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio which I share more about below.
6. Buy More Than One Bottle If you are willing to buy a case, you can save anywhere from 10% to 25% on wines. Many retailers will give you a discount if you buy wine in bulk, which is the cheapest option over the long-term.
Wine Buying Tip: Most wine experts recommend buying at least three bottles of anything you come across that you really enjoy drinking. Don’t just buy one bottle at a time because if that bottle is “corked” you have a replacement bottle on hand. Also if you have a few bottles, you can get to know the wine over the years as it develops.
A ‘corked’ wine will smell and taste like musty cardboard, or a moldy basement. It’s really easy to identify! Some wines may have the faintest hint of TCA, which will rob the wine of its aromas and make it taste flat. This problem only occur in wines closed with a natural cork.
Something to think about….Wine can be a complex, cultural, multisensory stimulus that evokes our senses of its properties and is influenced by everything that touched it during its creation from vineyard to bottling. As wine lovers we focus a lot of attention on sight, smell, taste and feel which help us build stronger wine memories. These wine memories keep accumulating with each bottle opened building a library of wine knowledge that is unique only to you.
In addition to the sensory components, I think that whatever wine you buy should always show a sense of place, no matter which appellation it hails from, which grape variety it is or in what manner it was farmed. This “Liquid Geography” wine knowledge is also a valuable tool in assisting you when you find you like a particular varietal, say Pinot Noir, but only from regions like Burgundy or Oregon as oppose to California or New Zealand.
There are many reasons to search for bargain-priced diamonds in the rough beyond being friendly to our bank accounts. Finding an under $20 Rosé that you love and can pick up by the case, ensures you always have a refreshing bottle on hand for the summer season and cool weather food pairings. If you discover a similarly affordable sparkling and you are able to stock up, it will put to bed the belief that bubbles should be saved for special occasions.
Here are some links to articles that I think are really helpful when trying to find good quality wines on a budget:
On my Instagram page, Drink In Nature , I recently started to feature Frugal Friday wines that I felt really fit the bill for wines that are under $25 and a good quality wine you can rely on to be consistently produced year after year. The following are some of those wines that might give you a head start in stocking your wine shelf or fridge with some budget friendly gems. Consider this a list of “buy it now” wines you should instantly pick up when you see them on sale and keep on hand for everyday drinking.
California Petite Sirah
I have often thought that Petite Sirah is a wine that deserves more respect and attention. This exceptionally rare grape, grown mainly in California, has less than 10,000 planted acres worldwide and is a clone of Syrah and Peloursin. Petite Sirah has always been used for blending but in California there are numerous 100% Petite Sirah wines that range in price from $10 to $75. Within this price range you can widely find several notable bottles that are under $25 that are worth investigating.
I will be sharing more a Petite Sirah from California along with a sampling of wines from various regions in California in an upcoming story. Until then, I recommend trying Pedroncelli’s Petite Sirah which a nice introduction to this varietal and can be found for under $25 a bottle. I purchased the 2018 vintage on Wine.com for $21.99.
Pedroncelli Petite Sirah
Petite Sirah is profoundly deep purple in color, powerful, robust and delightfully aromatic. From start to finish this varietal delivers a juicy blueberry, blackberry and dark cherry fruit bomb often with notes of chocolate, coffee and spice tones that delight the nose and grace the palate.
The Pedroncelli family has deep roots in the history of California wine, tending their 90 acres of vineyards in Sonoma’s Dry Creek Valley since 1927. In 1934 Pedroncelli Winery became California’s 113th Winery and since then this small family winery has prided itself on keeping its wines affordable for all to enjoy.
The 2018 Pedroncelli Petite Sirah from the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County is framed by a smooth patina of oak of the nose and palate. These smooth oak notes mingle and blend with the wine’s generous and deep blackberry, black currant, plum and dark cherry aromatics and flavor. Hints of white pepper, smoked chocolate and savory dried herbal notes give length to an already delightful medley. This full bodied Petite Sirah with its complex flavors and well structured firm tannins is a nice introduction to the wines being produced in California from this distinctive varietal.
On the Pedroncelli website this wine is available for $36
Corvezzo
If you are looking for easy drinking, great value Prosecco then you can’t go wrong with the Prosecco DOC Treviso Extra Dry or the Prosecco DOC Rosé Extra Dry Millesimato From Corvezzo. These all Organic and Vegan sparkling wines along with the Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC are such a great value with an SRP of $13.00 and are available nationwide.
Many of you may be familiar with Corvezzo’s Prosecco, now it’s time to try Corvezzo’s Rosé Prosecco which has its own level of elegance and charm. Made with the legal maximum level of 15% Pinot Nero which is added to the Glera base, the Rosé Prosecco has an expressive intense flavor of fresh wild strawberries and mixed red berries with inviting speckles of floral notes. Instantly fresh and delicate on the palate, the creamy froth delivers flavors of vibrant red-fruit and citrus that linger in the long finish.
Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc +Viognier
One of my favorite ‘Go To’ wines that many people may recognize is the Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier. Since this wine is available for under $20 a bottle, I bring it to friend’s houses when we are having a casual get together or I’ll put out a bottle or two when Friends and Family gather at my home. It really is a wine that everyone enjoys.
Pine Ridge Chenin Blanc + Viognier is a 83%+17% blend that is aged in steel, a crisp and fresh white that is amazing with hearty savory dishes. This wine has a subtle sweetness that provides a welcomed balance to the Umami and earthy notes of the Mushroom Pâté. For me this blend is all about the taste, a compilation of melons, apples and citrus with a zesty finish that sings with a slight floral acidity and lots of character.
This wine is available in most grocery stores.
Hedges Wine Red Mountain Estate Red
No matter the weather I can’t think of a better Washington value wine that has become a staple in our wine cellar, Hedges Wine, Red Mountain Estate Red. (purchased at Costco for $18.99)
Tucked in the East end of the Yakima Valley AVA , Red Mountain has built worldwide acclaim and an ever-growing reputation, with more than 2,000 acres under cultivation of primarily red varietals including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and Syrah.
Hedges has a remarkably consistent method of taking the best of their eco-friendly vineyards and turning the grapes it into wines that have notable vintage variations, but that are true examples of Red Mountain’s ability to let the grapes speak for themselves. The 2019 might be my favorite so far with each varietal adding its own unique energy to the blend. Consisting of 43% Merlot, 23% Cabernet Sauvignon, 17% Syrah, 4% Cabernet Franc, 7% Malbec, 3% Petit Verdot, and 1% each of Souzao, Touriga and Tinta Cao this complex vintage shouldn’t be missed.
The intriguing prominent smoky orange undertones mingling with rich black fruit captured my attention in this vintage. The sleek tannins, rich full body and notes of chocolate covered hazelnuts followed by a warm spice finish keeps me coming back for more.
Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio
This wine is one that I often suggest to people when they ask for an inexpensive white wine recommendation, Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio.
I imagine that many of you are familiar with this Italian label and the crisp wine inside the bottle. This very popular Pinot Grigio, which celebrated its 60th anniversary in 2021, can typically be easily found in many stores and it sells almost 2 million bottles a year in more than 90 countries.
This technically flawless and well-balanced wine has quite the following and many #winelover gush over its mouthwatering acidity and floral fruitiness on the nose and palate. Expertly encompassing everything a wine enthusiast loves about this varietal, Santa Margherita Wines Pinot Grigio satisfies with its ripe citrus flavors, with notes of apple and hints of spring blossoms and almonds. This is one of my “Always keep 2-3 bottles on hand” wine list.
Value wise the 750 ml bottle can usually be found for around $20 and the 375 ml bottle for about $13. This food friendly Pinot Grigio paired perfectly with my garden tomato bruschetta. If you haven’t tasted this Pinot Grigio I highly recommend it.
Elk Cove Vineyards Estate Pinot Gris
I love great-value wines that not only become members of my “go to” wine list, but that are also a little more friendly on the pocket book when it comes to bringing wine to share at parties and get-togethers. When it comes to consistency, excellent value (typically under $25 for their whites and Rosé), Elk Cove wines are on top of my list.
Favorite characteristics of this wine Each year you may pick up on subtle flavor variations, maybe last year’s vintage had a little more grapefruit notes and this year’s has more pear and apple notes up front. Yet, what doesn’t change is the balanced acidity and great body of this wine and how it always brings a smile to my face when I pour myself a glass or the smiles I see on the faces of family or friends when I pour them a glass for the first time. I often think that is an important sign of a well-crafted wine, ‘The Smile Factor’.
My favorite food pairings with Elk Cove Pinot Gris: Although I enjoy sipping this wine alone, it pairs so well with a number of different dishes including Thai Take-Out, which I may have done a few times! A favorite combination however is when I pair it with my homemade crab or salmon cakes, carrot puree and potato latkes with a side of mango chutney that has a sweet spicy kick to it. I hope you have the opportunity to try this ‘Frugal Friday’ wine recommendation, if you do, it might just become one of your “go to” wines as well.
The wines that are being discussed here are not the wines that you will stash away in your basement cellar and enjoy 10 to 25 years from now. These are wine that you should keep close to the kitchen and are best enjoyed within 2-5 years of purchasing.
I know that sometimes you just want your favorite type of wine, no matter the price. However, I hope that a few of these tips help you spread out your wine budget out a little more and has helped you know really good wines are available without the high price tag.
I’d love to hear about some of your favorite wines under $25, leave me a comment with your recommendations or tips on how you buy wines on a budget. Cheers everyone and thanks for reading.
Welcome to Drink In Life! I’m Elaine—a writer, wine expert, photographer, and lifelong collector of moments that deserve to be remembered. This space began as a place to share the beauty I found in a vineyard’s quiet morning light, the rhythm of travel, and the way a glass of wine can hold history, place, and emotion all at once. Whether you’re here for the wine, the words, or something in between, I’m glad you found your way. The stories are just getting started.
