Guys. GUYS. guys. We've been remiss in not blogging about this place sooner. Silk Hope Winery is one of our Top 5 wineries of all time(s). That is a distinction that does not come lightly in these here parts.
We rolled into Silk Hope last summer on a beautiful, sunny day. Not gonna lie - at first, we were all like "ummsaywhat!?!" about this place due to its bunker-like appearance and the "Honk if You Want Wine" sign out front. But when we walked in the glorified-escape-hatch-door, our lives were changed forever.
Enter petite, dignified African American lady from stage left.
LaLa: Hi girls, I'm LaLa and I'm your fairy godmother.
Cue record scratch.
For the record, she didn't say that, and she's not our fairy godmother. But she is the best Wine Spirit Guide of all time(s). We proceeded to have several hours of wine, conversation, and stale Cheez-its served out of McDonald's Tupperware with this beautiful soul. LaLa took us on a wild, emotional ride: She told us all about her life, her history, and how Mr. Wally (the winery owner) saved her. Long story short, LaLa got laid off, Mr. Wally was her neighbor and offered her work, and they became fast friends.
We made ourselves comfortable at a table, perusing the well-worn tasting menu and hesitantly eying the snack selection. LaLa walked us through the full tasting menu, hitting every wine on the list with amazingly full pours. By the end, we were pleasantly buzzed and #blessed.
At this point in our review, I think I should also point out that LaLa insisted we were going to a strip club later. Not sure why, but I can't say that I'm upset.
LaLa taught us so much about how their grapes are grown, the wines are made, but especially which wines she "stuck her finger in". LaLa claimed that all the sweet wines, or the ones we liked the best, were because she stuck her finger in them to make them taste good. I can dig it.
She also taught us a new phrase, describing how certain wines can "grab" you and really make an impression. At the end of our tour de wine, we talked ourselves into the case discount and Wally loaded our car himself.
And now for the numbers. Drumroll please..
-Staff: 5 LaLa and Wally set the bar (get it??) on amazing. I know we made these rules, but can we give anything higher than a 5?!
-Indoor ambiance: 2 Lacking in the finer things that your usual winery offers, Silk Hope meant business, even if your wine-tasting comforts got overlooked. They were also incredibly resourceful, which is our nice way of saying that the tasting menus had been used before - I'm talking stains and the previous wine taster's notes written in pencil.
-Outdoor ambiance: 2 Let’s be real: we were a little off-put by the whole thing at first look. An impossibly steep hill, a meager outdoor lounge area, interesting choice in building construction. But don’t judge a book by its cover.
-Regular wine tasting: 5 They had sooo maaaaaaaaaany dry wines. And we got to taste them all...and then some.
-Specialty wine tasting: 4 They didn’t have sweet wines, but they did offer specially-named wines. (Sistah and Brotha, for example. Represent. Wine Mouth Lyfe)
-The story: 5++ We even got the scoop on the secret family drama, not to mention the other neighboring wineries. Also, LaLa had a wonderful life story that was so heartwarming and restored our faith in humanity.
-Amount/Selection tried: 5 We literally tasted 14+ wines with REAL pours. I’m not talking 1-ounce spout pours. I’m talking like 3 ounce pours, and “oh might as well finish off the bottle real quick” pours. Drink, don't drive, kids.
-Cost: 4 The tasting was suuuuuuuch a good deal. 7000 wine tastings for $8 AND you get to keep the glass. #Hollarrrrr. The wine bottles were moderately priced at about $15 each.
- Location: 4 Had all the surrounding wineries been open, this would have been ideal. That said, it was conveniently located to 3 other wineries AND they offered a free gift if you visited them all.
Average: 4
The wine was amazing, but the heart and soul of this place is LaLa. Everything else just pales in comparison. Now, who's up for the strip club?
We rolled into Silk Hope last summer on a beautiful, sunny day. Not gonna lie - at first, we were all like "ummsaywhat!?!" about this place due to its bunker-like appearance and the "Honk if You Want Wine" sign out front. But when we walked in the glorified-escape-hatch-door, our lives were changed forever.
Enter petite, dignified African American lady from stage left.
LaLa: Hi girls, I'm LaLa and I'm your fairy godmother.
Cue record scratch.
For the record, she didn't say that, and she's not our fairy godmother. But she is the best Wine Spirit Guide of all time(s). We proceeded to have several hours of wine, conversation, and stale Cheez-its served out of McDonald's Tupperware with this beautiful soul. LaLa took us on a wild, emotional ride: She told us all about her life, her history, and how Mr. Wally (the winery owner) saved her. Long story short, LaLa got laid off, Mr. Wally was her neighbor and offered her work, and they became fast friends.
We made ourselves comfortable at a table, perusing the well-worn tasting menu and hesitantly eying the snack selection. LaLa walked us through the full tasting menu, hitting every wine on the list with amazingly full pours. By the end, we were pleasantly buzzed and #blessed.
At this point in our review, I think I should also point out that LaLa insisted we were going to a strip club later. Not sure why, but I can't say that I'm upset.
LaLa taught us so much about how their grapes are grown, the wines are made, but especially which wines she "stuck her finger in". LaLa claimed that all the sweet wines, or the ones we liked the best, were because she stuck her finger in them to make them taste good. I can dig it.
She also taught us a new phrase, describing how certain wines can "grab" you and really make an impression. At the end of our tour de wine, we talked ourselves into the case discount and Wally loaded our car himself.
 |
| The Wine Mouths feat. LaLa |
And now for the numbers. Drumroll please..
-Staff: 5 LaLa and Wally set the bar (get it??) on amazing. I know we made these rules, but can we give anything higher than a 5?!
-Indoor ambiance: 2 Lacking in the finer things that your usual winery offers, Silk Hope meant business, even if your wine-tasting comforts got overlooked. They were also incredibly resourceful, which is our nice way of saying that the tasting menus had been used before - I'm talking stains and the previous wine taster's notes written in pencil.
-Outdoor ambiance: 2 Let’s be real: we were a little off-put by the whole thing at first look. An impossibly steep hill, a meager outdoor lounge area, interesting choice in building construction. But don’t judge a book by its cover.
-Regular wine tasting: 5 They had sooo maaaaaaaaaany dry wines. And we got to taste them all...and then some.
-Specialty wine tasting: 4 They didn’t have sweet wines, but they did offer specially-named wines. (Sistah and Brotha, for example. Represent. Wine Mouth Lyfe)
-The story: 5++ We even got the scoop on the secret family drama, not to mention the other neighboring wineries. Also, LaLa had a wonderful life story that was so heartwarming and restored our faith in humanity.
-Amount/Selection tried: 5 We literally tasted 14+ wines with REAL pours. I’m not talking 1-ounce spout pours. I’m talking like 3 ounce pours, and “oh might as well finish off the bottle real quick” pours. Drink, don't drive, kids.
-Cost: 4 The tasting was suuuuuuuch a good deal. 7000 wine tastings for $8 AND you get to keep the glass. #Hollarrrrr. The wine bottles were moderately priced at about $15 each.
- Location: 4 Had all the surrounding wineries been open, this would have been ideal. That said, it was conveniently located to 3 other wineries AND they offered a free gift if you visited them all.
Average: 4
The wine was amazing, but the heart and soul of this place is LaLa. Everything else just pales in comparison. Now, who's up for the strip club?