Grape expectations
Volume
21
/ Issue 25
Cover Design Credit:
Kathleen Soriano TaylorCover Photography Credit:
Pat Barcas
The wine industry in Western North Carolina has deep roots and a history stretching back to the 1800s. Today, with the number of local vintners steadily increasing, WNC is in the process of carving its own unique niche as a winemaking region.
arts
Local author Sarah Addison Allen’s First Frost revisits the Waverly family
In some instances, readers know more about the books that local author Sarah Addison Allen has written than she remembers of them herself. Her fans are not only interested in…Rising stand-up star Hannibal Buress downplays his Bill Cosby moment
It was the 31-year-old Chicagoan’s casual stand-up riffing on the Bill Cosby rape allegations that sparked a media firestorm. Buress went from being a quickly rising comedian to the guy…Smart bets: Asheville Symphony Orchestra
ASO is extending its concert season into January for the first time ever to give Ashevilleans an opportunity to experience "a classical piece that everyone should hear live at least…Smart bets: Christopher Scotton
The author hosts a free reading and signing at Malaprop’s on Tuesday, Jan. 20.Smart bets: Col. Bruce Hampton and The Madrid Express
Surrealist musician Col. Bruce Hampton sandwiches his Asheville show between two runs of exotic dates.State of the Arts: Celebrating the art of musical instruments
Many of us view banjos, violins, drums and flutes as quasi-utilitarian musical instruments. But a new show opening Friday, Jan. 16, at the Asheville Area Arts Council has elevated their…Revived TEDxAsheville conference aims to challenge assumptions
After a two-year hiatus, local volunteers are resurrecting the TEDxAsheville conference for 2015. Featuring a diverse lineup of Asheville speakers, they hope to take the national TED slogan of cultivating…The Nile Project brings multicultural music and sustainability-focused workshops to Asheville
The artist collective, made up of more than a dozen musicians from various countries along the Nile River Basin, is embarking on its first tour of the Unites States with…Smart bets: The Cheeksters
Twenty-five years after meeting on a London train, couple Shannon and Mark Casson are working toward their seventh full-length studio album as The Cheeksters — a glam-pop outfit whose catchy…food
Grape expectations: The changing face of WNC wine
North Carolina’s wine fortunes have fluctuated over the years. Especially after the long stretch of Prohibition, what had once been the nation’s leading manufacturer of wine faded from the forefront…Bowled over: Local chilies and stews fire you up and take you home
On wintry nights, while snow banked against the front door, my mom made chili to eat out of small clay bowls with lids. This was not food for guests; this…Small Bites: Asheville Truffle Experience
Asheville celebrates truffles, Oskar Blues partners with King James Public House, Asheville's French Quarter celebrates Mardi Gras, a chili cook-off in Fletcher, plus January tea events.Asheville Brewers Supply changes hands
Most people think Asheville’s oldest brewing business is Highland Brewing Co. But the truth is there is at least one beer-making operation in town that predates them, if only slightly.…living
Joe Hollis talks about going local with Chinese herbs
With the rising interest in alternative medicine and alternative crops, many forward-thinking growers are starting to raise Chinese herbs on American soil. Joe Hollis — the gray-bearded teacher at Daoist…news
Keeping our forests safe: Forest Keepers program provides eyes and ears for WNC’s National Forests
. Gathered on an unpaved road, beside a never-bridged brook, in a forest that’s never been logged, the group itches to begin — to explore and experience, assist and learn,…opinion
Debate should include what responders do to protect and serve us
Watching the video of the death of Eric Garner in New York was disturbing. The decision by the district attorney or grand jury not to indict confuses me. The only…Reader likes analysis of local economy
Cameron Huntley’s analysis of the local economy, [“It’s All Good, Right?,” Dec. 31, Xpress] was well-organized, very thorough and enlightening. It should serve as a template for all future writing…Reader says racist script underlies media coverage of chief’s resignation
In response to previous letters on "Ogden: Two Officers Drive False Narrative about Chief of Police."Tourist Draw
Mumpower: Molton’s cartoon misses the mark
Color-habituated cartoonist Randy Molton finds evident self-gratification in his attachment to something over which people have no personal control. Like most progressives, he remains indifferent to other “C” words…