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A loaf of bread, a jug of wine, and thou beside me at Mac’s Creek Vineyards
by Pam Soreide, Betty Sayers, Phil Soreide

For many of us who, in our salad days, may have preferred Boone’s Farm, Annie Green Springs or Blue Nun to, say, a saucy little French Pinot Noir, enjoying wine requires a certain maturity. When I was a child, I drank as a child, but eventually I put aside childish wines and began to gradually appreciate the subtle differences between varieties of grape, as well as the climate and soil in which they are grown.

Winemaking in America began with the first settlers and today there are commercial winemaking ventures in all 50 states. Although California accounts for the lion’s share of wine production in the U.S., there’s much to be said for the small, local or regional boutique wineries. It’s a mistake to think that you can’t get good wine in the U.S. outside of California.

Beyond the sensual aspect of it, I especially appreciate the romance of wine. Red wine in a juice glass puts me in mind of rustic villages and sidewalk cafes and men carrying long baguettes of bread on their bicycles. Dry white wine in a stemmed glass makes me think of tuxedos, long black dresses and balconies, with music from a jazz trio floating on the evening air. Port is a fine old gentleman’s club, with deep leather chairs and the click of billiard balls in the next room.

We crave a wine experience.

A visit to the wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms of Napa Valley is a memorable experience, but having neither time nor money for a California vacation, one recent Saturday afternoon found the Rural Foodies exploring something new. The Mac’s Creek Vineyard just north of Lexington offers wine tasting, and we decided to try it out.

The afternoon was one of those glorious days in late August when the sun is warm but there’s a hint of fall on the breeze. As we drove back into the area where the tasting room was located, we passed long rows of arbors, some hanging heavy with lush purple grapes. Netting is laid over each row to protect the ripening fruit from birds, and different sections are marked with the variety being grown.

Mac’s Creek Vineyards is entirely a family operation, with all of the key positions, including the winemaker, the vineyard manager and the operations manager, all  held by members of the McFarland family. The well-kept 12 acre vineyard was first planted in 2000, and today grows ten different varieties of grapes and offers a broad selection of wines.

We didn’t linger on the grounds, because we didn’t arrive until almost 4:00 p.m., and we were a bit concerned that it might be too late for the tasting room. We were happily wrong. The tasting room is open until 6:00 in summer, but food is only served until 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays.

Making our selections.

After browsing for awhile around the attractive gift shop – not surprisingly, it’s mostly wine and wine related – we filled out forms marking the five Mac’s Creek wines we wanted to taste. We made sure to mark different wines so we would have the broadest coverage of the various reds, whites, blush wines, and after dinner sweet varieties. We also chose to share the Picnic Basket to accompany the tasting, which included a warmed baguette, a generous block of cheese, a stick of good summer sausage and some fancy chocolates. Other food options included an assortment of paninis and salads, all reasonably priced. We took our picnic and our wine glasses and wandered out to the deck.

I have to tell you about this deck. It runs almost the width of the building, and is broad enough to comfortably hold eight or ten tables seating groups of four to six. The edge of the deck is softened with mature plantings of various shrubs, and a wide set of steps leads down to well-groomed lawns that sloped down to rows of grape vines lined up against the backdrop of a thick stand of cottonwoods. Late afternoon sunlight slanted over the landscape, reminding me of other afternoons spent long ago in Napa and Sonoma.

Even though it was late in the day, several tables were full of groups enjoying the wine, the view, the afternoon, and each other. Two ladies had brought a deck of cards to enjoy with their wine, and looked as if they may have settled in for the day.

Let the tasting begin.

As is proper, we started with the whites. We chose the FJ’s Reserve, which is a light bodied blend of Seyval Blanc and La Crosse grapes, aged in oak. It is dry and slightly oaky, but not nearly so much so as a Chardonnay. Celtic Aire is a crisp, fruity wine that can be enjoyed by almost anyone, regardless of preference for dry or sweet. Brianna claims to combine pineapple and pumpkin spice flavors. We weren’t sure about that, exactly, but served very cold, the sweetness seems crisp and full.

As is traditional, each tasting is about one-quarter of a serving, but that’s still enough to sniff and swirl and pass around, then gaze pensively at the distance before offering a comment. In between, we broke off crusts of the baguette and heaped it with cheese and sausage and tried to imagine what it would be like to live in Burgundy or Tuscany.

The next round was a pair of reds, the St. Croix and the Mac’s Lantern. The St. Croix is aged in oak four to six months, and is the driest of their red wines. Both are light-bodied, but the Mac’s Lantern did seem fruitier to us. Then we tried two of their sweetest wines, both appropriate for an after dinner offering. The taste of After Dark reminded us of port, while Blue Heron (which comes in a very nicely shaped cobalt blue bottle for repurposing later) was very sweet but quite nice, and would be enjoyed in very small cordial sized servings.

A delightful experience.

Mac’s Creek does not have the soil and climatic conditions present in Northern California, and it’s vines are still young. It’s not ready yet to compete on the world stage. But the entire experience, we all agreed, was one of the most enjoyable we’ve had together as Rural Foodies. The wine is pleasant, the food a perfect accompaniment, the surroundings restful to the soul. It was a delightful experience and we are grateful.

If you are in the Lexington neighborhood and have time for a small adventure, you will not be disappointed by stopping for lunch or an afternoon snack, and sampling the wines at Mac’s Creek. Next time we are trying to think of a beautiful setting to take out of town guests, we will surely remember this winery!

Who to Contact

Mac's Creek Vinyards
43315 Road 757
Lexington, NE 68850-3702
(308) 324-0440
www.macscreekvineyards.com

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