Small towns in the south are wonderful places to live and grow up in. When someone asks where I from, my response of “Savannah,” is usually followed by, “Oh, you’re from Savannah, Georgia?”
“No, Savannah, Tennessee.” I reply. My Mom calls it the “Garden Spot of the Universe,” not to be confused with the narrative non-fiction movie and book, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” that brought fame to the wonderful city of Savannah, Georgia.
Savannah, Tennessee is a small town of about 7, 500 people sitting on the banks of the Tennessee River. During the battle of Shiloh, then Union General U.S. Grant made what we know today as the Cherry Mansion his headquarters for the Yankee Army. Many other things make this beautiful Tennessee town unique such as the great catfish restaurants and nearby Pickwick Lake, but unknown to many, Tuesday nights are a special time when a group of about ten long-time friends gather for what is known as “Wine Time.” It is nothing too formal and alternates between the members’ home every week. Starting around 5:00 p.m. (the time when my Dad said respectable people can take their first drink), these ladies filter in and pour their first glass of the night.
Yet, the most important part of this weekly gathering is not the quality or quantity of the wine (these ladies rarely consume over two glasses apiece), but the closeness of the group and the spirit of their conversations. All of them have known each other for decades. They knew each other’s husbands and children and now tell each other about what schools or sports their grandchildren attend and play. They’ve been with each other through thick and thin, great and not so great times. They bring food over when family members pass away, send congratulatory notes for birthdays and special events and occasionally travel together.
I have been a member of a couple of wine groups that gather to taste the best Bordeaux classified growths or fifteen year old California Cabernets that are reaching their peak maturity. This gathering hardly falls into that category. No, the oldest wines poured were probably bottled in 2010 and the White Zinfandels favored by two or three in the group – well let’s just say the grapes in those bottles were probably picked within the last month. Mama really does hate it when I pick on her favorite wine.
When my Mom was in the hospital for some tests a couple of months ago, the group visited her and joked with the doctor that they planned to have their weekly wine time in my Mom’s hospital room. I’m sure the doctor recognized the heart healthy benefits of an occasional sip of wine, but he became a bit nervous when he thought they were serious. “Uh, ladies, you know there’s a hospital rule that alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the facility,” he said as he laughed nervously.
“I beg your pardon,” said one of the ladies. “I worked as a pharmacist in this very hospital years ago and we used to give hard liquor to patients when ordered by the doctors.”
The doctor simply smiled and as walked away. He was relatively new to town and I don’t think he wanted to go much further with this conversation. “Hmm, I’ll have to ask my colleagues about that sometime” he said. Welcome to Savannah doctor!
Two weeks ago I volunteered to help my Mom host Wine Time at her home. She had to work most of the week and besides, she plays bridge on Tuesdays and didn’t have much time to prepare the food. Since I’m taking cooking classes at Viking University, I offered to test my culinary skills. I enlisted the help of a friend who is also an excellent cook and we began preparing on Monday night. We made the appetizers, cooked the butternut squash soup (glad I made it the night before because I needed to spruce it up the next morning) and made the fig sauce for the pork tenderloin. The next day we cooked the rest of the meal and helped set the table. Some of the women employ a more casual presentation but my Mom likes for everyone to sit at the dining room table. I think they liked the meal; at least there wasn’t much left to dispose of.
On the one other occasion I’ve been at my Mama’s house when it was her time to host, I try and help out by using the skills I once employed as a bartender in college. Pouring wine doesn’t require too much skill but opening the corked bottles is sometimes a bit tricky for them. I also love the conversation. They talked about what had been going on with their families, places they’ve been, who they’ve talked to this week and what all is going on in their small town. These women are not only great friends to each other they’re also like family. These are ladies I could call if my Mom needed anything and in turn, my Mom would do anything for them.
So, here’s to a great group of southern ladies who love life and conversation, a little bit of wine, their lovely small town of Savannah and most importantly, each other.
