I get asked all the time about the name of my Tupelo white blend and where it derives from. The first place I normally start is with musical references - Tupelo, Mississippi is where Elvis Presley was born and famously referenced in songs by Van Morrison, Nick Cave and Jason Isbell amongst others.
However, the real touchpoint for the wine is Tupelo honey, sourced from white Ogeechee tupelo trees (which only flowers for 10 days a year) located on and around the Florida/Georgia border and is highly prized for its colour, purity and flavour. It also has a unique glucose-to-fructose ratio which means it rarely crystallizes and it is this ‘balance’ concept which perfectly encapsulates what I am trying to do with my blend. It is less about the individual components than the balance of them which hopefully also creates something as rare as the honey it is named after.
Many thanks to my friend and wine industry colleague Paul Henry who alerted me to the Tupelo story!
