Let me tell you—if you throw “BBQ” and “Bubbly” into the same event title, you better believe I’ll be there with an empty stomach and a desire for something sparkling. For the most part, the BBQ & Bubbly event at Fenton in Cary delivered exactly that—sunshine, barbecue and just enough effervescent pours to keep everyone buzzing.
First off, props to the organizers for handing out swag bags to the first 500 guests. It featured a couple of small bottles of sparkling wine tucked inside. It was the kind of welcome gift that makes standing in line under a blazing Carolina sun feel a little more glamorous.
And about those lines … yes, the wine lines were long and at times, I couldn’t tell which line people were in—but when there are 20 different sparkling wines to try, curated by Raleigh Wine Shop and LouElla Wine in Durham, you wait.
And wait we did. At times, it felt like some folks thought they were in the cozy confines of their neighborhood tasting room—belly up to the bar, working their way down the list like it was a private flight. Meanwhile, the rest of us were in line, wondering if we’d make it to the front before the bubbles ran dry. We managed to sample maybe half the offerings before the flutes started blurring and a few bottles started vanishing altogether…