Our Wineaux a Geaux Geaux trip was one for the record books! We started with a wonderful breakfast, including mimosas and bloody marys at Brick and Spoon, where they treated us like real VIPs! Each member of our group received a Wineaux a Geaux Geaux wine tumbler from Neighbors Pharmacy, a KTDY coffee mug, and a lipstick from KPEL for touching up after tasting.

Our first winery was in Bush LA: Pontchartrain Vineyards. When we arrived, our host wasn't there yet, so Maegan and Cat from Travel Machine did what they do- start the party! We "sampled" a lot of wine there, and our group was clearly in a buying mood, because a lot of bottles boarded the bus with us for the next leg of our adventure! We munched on our delicious box lunches from Poupart's (turkey and swiss or muffaletta, with an apple, chips, and a delicious Poupart's cookie. Next stop was Casa de Sue in Clinton LA. Our hosts took us in small groups to tour the vineyards and to sample their wines. More wine was purchased, then we were off to Dunleith Castle Restaurant in Natchez MS for a wonderful meal of steak or fish with all the trimmings.

Day 2 started with breakfast at the hotel, and a quick bus ride to Charboneau Distillery in Natchez. Our host taught us a few things about the making of rum and the history of the buildings, then we walked next door to King's Tavern where we sampled fruit punch made with Charboneau rum and and heard a couple of ghost stories, including a video of a refrigerator door mysteriously opening on its own and a tale about the skeletons found in the fireplace! More bags and boxes were loaded onto the bus. Then it was off to pick up BBQ plate lunches where we witnessed what looked like a Jerry Springer Show audition at the gas station across the street, complete with hilarious live commentary from the wineauxs and Jeremy. Next, we headed to Landry Vineyards in Monroe. This place was beautiful, with a huge deck outside the tasting room. We had the opportunity to taste twenty of their wines, and many of our wineauxs did! We also took a behind the scenes tour to learn about the wine-making process. Next stop was On Cloud Wine in Shreveport LA. Our hosts there were a bunch of fun and knowledgeable ladies who let us taste anything we wanted, in any order. Yes, more boxes and wineglasses were loaded. We were running a little late because we didn't want to leave any of the wineries, so we had to scrap the trip to the Louisiana Boardwalk, but everyone had fun on their own, at the Saltgrass Steakhouse in the parking lot (heard our group drank them out of Jameson), at Flying Heart Brewery and Pizza, and relaxing at the hotel after another wild and crazy day.

To start Day 3, we had breakfast at the hotel, then we were on to our private Steel Magnolias tour. Miss Barbara was our leader, guiding Jeremy up and down the streets of Natchitoches to Truvy's house and inside M'Lynn and Drum's house, even in Shelby's bathtub! We watched the movie on the way home, pointing out the people we met and the places we visited.

Along the way, we played games, made bloody marys on the bus, and just had a wonderful time with a great group of gals, AND our two men!

By the way, we did a survey on the way home and found out our group purchased 154 bottles over the course of our little getaway!

If you were with us and would like some of your photos added to this gallery, please email them to debbie@999ktdy.com.

Huge thanks to Travel Machine, Neighbors Pharmacy, Brick and Spoon, Poupart's, and our wonderful driver Jeremy! The biggest thanks, though, goes to the wonderful group of ladies, and men, who made the trip so much fun!

Wineaux a Geaux Geaux, May 2018

 

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