Nantucket, before the rain, and the season.
The late spring weather was lousy-cold and wet, very wet-but that didn’t stop several thousand people from enjoying themselves and sampling the offerings at the Ninth Annual Nantucket Wine Festival. Indeed, the Grand Tastings under a huge tent at Jetties Beach were packed, as were the seminars, cooking demonstrations, book signings and dinner parties across the island. We started with an exquisite dinner sponsored by the Hinckley Company and Yachting at the Straight Wharf Restaurant, where winemaker Michael Silacci of Opus One spoke eloquently about pairing the proper foods and wines. Outside, Hinckley had a Picnic Boat 36 EP in the water and a Talaria 29 R on a trailer at the main tent, but the rain was so hard that we stayed inside all weekend and warmed up with some hot chowder, and perhaps a glass or two of wine.