Craig Morgan is a chart topping country artist, family man, army vet, and now . . . a wine maker? Well, not exactly. You won’t find him on a hillside stomping grapes . . . we don’t think. But where there’s a will there’s a way and this budding sommelier has found it with a company called Lot 18. According to Morgan, Lot 18 “works with people who don’t own vineyards who would like to have wine, people like myself.” In fact, Morgan made a few trips up to New York for tastings and further wine education with Lot 18 before putting his own stamp on his favorite kind of red.
“I’m a cabernet guy . . . also a petite syrah. I like a merlot every once in a while if it don’t get too fruity. I love big, bold, oaky, red, dirty wine and that’s what we developed. The nose on this wine is very deceiving. When you get a whiff, you think it’s going to be a lot drier and less sweet. But it’s very mellow and settles very nice. Various fruits are used in this wine.” And there’s something else that excites Morgan about this wine, something not done very often. Somewhere in the fermenting process, the wine is transferred from French oak to American oak, which also helps to create its smooth finish.
Morgan’s passion for the beverage was evident as he shared it with Nashville media reps, including The Country Note, on an unusually warm February day. Longtime media and promotions rep Mary Ann Kaylor, formerly of Battered and Brewed, and Monarch Publicity’s Cindy Hunt, hosted the event, appropriately called Wine Saturday. And yes, we might just have a signed bottle to give away (more information on that coming later!)
Morgan’s eyes lit up as he described his perfect wine scenario: “the best cabernet is a bottle you can pour, sit with your friends and drink by itself. And then open up a bottle of the same wine the next day and it go with whatever you choose to eat,” And the Morgan Family choice of food? Wild game of course! Craig’s daughter Alex, just as excited as her daddy, chimed in– “our family does a lot of outdoor activities, hunting being one of them. So to have a wine that goes with wild game is really cool!”
If the taste alone is not enough to make you want to purchase a bottle from Lot18.com, the image on the glass will turn it into a keepsake on your kitchen shelf when you’re all done. The cab, named “Old Tattoo” comes from a song Morgan wrote and recorded two days before Wine Saturday. The image is the tattoo of a scraped (think tiger stripes) American flag on his left upper arm.
“I wrote this song because of the tattoo. I wrote it for a military thing-having been a soldier, my greatest fear when I got into this business was I didn’t want anyone to think that I was trying to capitalize on my service as an entertainer. But I wrote this song called “Old Tattoo” talking about our home and the fact that it’s our little sanctuary in life. Especially for a solider when they go overseas. They encounter horrific things and home is what you get to come back too–it’s like an old tattoo. It may fade but it’ll never go away.”
And sometimes “home” comes in the form of a store. Did we mention that Wine Saturday was held at Morgan Farms in Dickson, TN, about 40 minutes west of Nashville? The family business is housed in a two story space that overlooks the quaint Main Street of Dickson. Originally built in 1914 and owned by two families for decades, a furniture store resided on one level and an undertaking parlor on the next. Even now, some one hundred odd years later, you can still see remnants in the walls, the stairs, and the trim. For instance, the beautiful back wall splash came from the wood Craig and his dad found in the attic. Shelves were constructed out of old stairs that went up to the attic. Everything has been re-purposed and reclaimed and put together with Craig’s own hands, including an outline of three states on the far left wall that have deep meaning to the Morgan Family. Craig was born in Tennessee, his wife Karen hails from Texas, and they have property in Alaska which has become a refuge lately following the untimely death of their son Jerry. Craig told us that wood working became his saving grace.
“I’m not big on psychiatrists and psychologists and such. I figured I could deal with it myself. So I would literally go into the shop and start making stuff out of wood. I’d cry and get mad and beat the hell out of some bowls.”
Now those bowls along with wooden spoons and other items (including pieces from Zac Brown and Eric Paslay) are for sale. And if you are in need of a wooden table, former Special Forces veteran Ben has crafted a stunning one.
Alex explained the importance of featuring pieces from local vets as much as possible. “The whole mission for this store, the show, everything we do is to give back. We want to make sure we have a positive impact which is why our shirts say H.A.P.I. (Having a Positive Impact). The proceeds from the local sell go to an organization to meet the immediate needs of foster children.”
If it’s not wood, it’s photographs, artwork, and organic products. Alex and her mom Karen sell lip balm and sugar scrubs while Alex’s brother concocted a line of beard oil. Their most popular selling item you might ask? Local honey! They even keep the bees in the store during the spring months so you can watch them make the honey (don’t worry-they’re in their special bee containers – no bee stings allowed!)
The second floor features an event space with a full kitchen and bathroom. The stained glass window in the loft area of St. Michael was done by a local artist at Karen’s request to honor their late son, Jerry. (St. Michael was his saint). Not only is the area fitting for bridal showers and parties, but once a month, Craig loans it out to a local group of veterans who come together to eat food and tell stories.
Craig’s work with the veterans does not go unnoticed. Having served 17 years in the Army, Craig recently teamed up with Operation Finally Home, which provides homes and home modifications to military heroes and widows of the fallen. And on February 23rd on the Opry stage, Craig got the chance to surprise disabled veteran US Army SFC Josh Ferguson and his family with the announcement of a mortgage free, custom built home.
And if all of this is not enough to keep him busy for a lifetime, he now has cameras following him around documenting it all! Morgan Family Strong premiered on the UP Channel on March 1, showing the challenges and triumphs of the Morgan Family and Morgan Farms. Craig serves as executive producer of the show and had nothing but good things to say about the network and the production team.
So do these three things—we promise you won’t regret it. Buy the wine. Visit the store if you can. And watch the show! Oh yes—and buy his new music—okay, okay. Four things—do these four things. Check out clips from Wine Saturday on our Instagram and pay attention to our socials because there just might be a signed WINE BOTTLE coming soon to a giveaway near you!
And for all things Craig Morgan, look up www.craigmorgan.com and find him on socials @cmorganmusic.
Check out our event photo gallery below: