Breaking traditions
Old habits die hard. I tried to break one yesterday by publicly complimenting city officials for doing their jobs.
It felt OK, although i got a few concerned emails from friends asking if i was off my feed.
So here's another one.
I don't post about the places i like to eat or drink too often, mostly because i don't want to share them. I like not having to wait for a table at my favorite restaurants. Last year, when the Indy ran their Valentine's Day special and featured the Oyster Bar upstairs from Fishmonger's, it was 6 weeks before the bar was empty enough on Friday afternoon to grab a seat. I hate when that happens.
Here's a tip from me to you. North Carolina wineries are awesome. When my oldest was at App State a few years ago, we had some extra time one Sunday afternoon driving down the mountain, so we detoured into the Yadkin Valley and spent the afternoon drinking wines at Laurel Grey and Raffaldini vineyards.
I'm not a wine writer, and truth to tell, i prefer beer on most occasions. But Mrs D and i have both lived in California, and enjoyed taking the Napa, Sonoma, or Anderson Valley tours and spending a day or two drinking wine and getting envious about how the other half lives. Finding that experience in North Carolina, just a few hours away? Totally unexpected. We've gone back four or five times in the past couple of years. But then, the oldest graduated. Fortunately, the youngest has moved up the mountain to spend a year learning how to be a farmer (and hopefully honing her flatpicking and mandolin skills as well.) So we have another excuse to go drink some Tar Heel wines.
If you're up that way, the Yadkin Valley experience is great. You'll talk to the winemaker or grower at every one of these wineries while you're tasting, the scenery is beautiful, and the wines range from drinkable to excellent. It seems like there's a festival every weekend. This weekend the folks at the Swan Creek vineyards and wineries are celebrating being named an American Viticultural Area by the Treasury Department (don't ask me why the Treasury gets to make that designation, and not the USDA. something to do with alcohol taxes, i'm sure.) So we'll probably stop there on our way down the mountain on Sunday and listen to some jazz and bluegrass. Initial reports are that the 2007 crop was the best ever in North Carolina, buffeted as it was by an early freeze and the lingering drought.
So, any of you go wine tasting in the foothills? What's your favorite NC vineyard?
It felt OK, although i got a few concerned emails from friends asking if i was off my feed.
So here's another one.
I don't post about the places i like to eat or drink too often, mostly because i don't want to share them. I like not having to wait for a table at my favorite restaurants. Last year, when the Indy ran their Valentine's Day special and featured the Oyster Bar upstairs from Fishmonger's, it was 6 weeks before the bar was empty enough on Friday afternoon to grab a seat. I hate when that happens.
Here's a tip from me to you. North Carolina wineries are awesome. When my oldest was at App State a few years ago, we had some extra time one Sunday afternoon driving down the mountain, so we detoured into the Yadkin Valley and spent the afternoon drinking wines at Laurel Grey and Raffaldini vineyards.
I'm not a wine writer, and truth to tell, i prefer beer on most occasions. But Mrs D and i have both lived in California, and enjoyed taking the Napa, Sonoma, or Anderson Valley tours and spending a day or two drinking wine and getting envious about how the other half lives. Finding that experience in North Carolina, just a few hours away? Totally unexpected. We've gone back four or five times in the past couple of years. But then, the oldest graduated. Fortunately, the youngest has moved up the mountain to spend a year learning how to be a farmer (and hopefully honing her flatpicking and mandolin skills as well.) So we have another excuse to go drink some Tar Heel wines.
If you're up that way, the Yadkin Valley experience is great. You'll talk to the winemaker or grower at every one of these wineries while you're tasting, the scenery is beautiful, and the wines range from drinkable to excellent. It seems like there's a festival every weekend. This weekend the folks at the Swan Creek vineyards and wineries are celebrating being named an American Viticultural Area by the Treasury Department (don't ask me why the Treasury gets to make that designation, and not the USDA. something to do with alcohol taxes, i'm sure.) So we'll probably stop there on our way down the mountain on Sunday and listen to some jazz and bluegrass. Initial reports are that the 2007 crop was the best ever in North Carolina, buffeted as it was by an early freeze and the lingering drought.
So, any of you go wine tasting in the foothills? What's your favorite NC vineyard?
Labels: wine
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9 Comments:
As a Surry County boy, I should mention Shelton Vineyards near Dobson, although I've spent more time at Château Morrisette in VA, myself.
I should also note that the Yadkin Valley Wine Festival is happening May 17 up in Surry.
I have no great recommendations for folks visiting the Vadkin valley area, but they should at least tune in to WPAQ 740AM out of Mt. Airy while they cruise the countryside...
By
®™©, at 12:08 PM
We spent a wonderful early summer afternoon at Shelton Vineyards a few years ago.
Very nice place and great wine.
We've also visited Old North State Winery and Westbend.
About 3 years ago we did the Wine Down the Music Trail festival off the Blue Ridge Parkway and it was a great time too.
By
Durham Bull Pen, at 12:18 PM
I enjoyed Shelton very much on my last trip as well. And i was impressed when i learned that the guy hauling my case of Cab Franc out to the car was none other than Ed Shelton himself.
By
Barry, at 12:35 PM
This comment has been removed by the author.
By
Mike Woodard, at 3:45 PM
Thanks to Mr. D for sharing this with his readers. The Yadkin Valley is a nice place to visit and to discover wines. In addition to Shelton, the Missus and I like Rag Apple Lassie, Black Wolf, Old North State, and Laurel Gray. Going there makes for a nice (if long) day trip, or there are some B&Bs in the area so you can enjoy a couple of days there.
Mike Woodard
By
Mike Woodard, at 3:51 PM
I really like Laurel Gray, I've been out there a few times and the tour is great as is the wine, especially the reserve cab.
By
Unknown, at 11:34 AM
We had the time to stop at both Raffaldini and Laurel Gray yesterday afternoon on our way down the mountain. The signs said "Wine Festival Today", but outside of some mostly forgettable music there was nothing out of the ordinary at either vineyard. Come to think of it, every time we've passed through the "Swan Creek" region, there's been a wine festival.
Regardless, the new tasting villa at Raffaldini is extraordinary, and the views from the portico incredible. I've got a 6 shot panorama i'm stitching together and hope to finish tonight and get online your your enjoyment.
The wines, on the other hand, i don't think have kept pace with the new facility. I know the Raffaldini's are removing all of their French grapes and replacing them with Italian varietals, and the change is not yet reflected in the vintages and blends they were pouring yesterday. And when summer comes, there's going to be the need for more shade on the porch. Oh, and they're discouraging you from bringing your own food if you want to picnic. They've got "gourmet" box lunches and picnic baskets available, but that's a bad move in my book.
Laurel Gray has also completed more modest updates to their tasting room. The last time we were there, soybeans were still being grown on the farm, but that's all gone. There's a few more acres of cab franc in the field, possibly some other varietals that we didn't get to walk through (yes, you can walk through the vineyards, but ask first.) We drank mostly 05s and 06s, which were far superior to the 04s that we had on our last visit. They're not bottling a syrah anymore, but they have a blend of syrah and cab sauvignon they call "Sulty" which was quite tasty.
Myabe next trip we'll get back up to the east bend area and say hello to the folks at Rag Apple Lassie again, and return our bottles.
By
Barry, at 9:15 AM
I've heard tell of a little excursion that's done in conjunction with the wineries along the Haw river. it involves a conoe trip along the Haw and stops at the wineries, and I believe a meal at the one which has a restaurant. Saw it on North Carolina weekend or some such show.
i'm sure if you look up Haw river wine tour or something like that, it will come up...I know Iron Gate winery is among them, located in Mebane, this is one of those wineries who has come up over the last few years from being pretty damned mediocre, to not too shabby.
By
Vera, at 12:33 PM
Mrs D has a post up from last weekend when we took that trip. Dinner was at the Benjamin Winery. I don't think they have a formal restaurant on-site, but they set up some tables and served us a very nice meal. The pecan-crusted trout and the sorbet dish stood out for me. Their Sauvignon blanc, which was a 2007, was quite delicious.
By
Barry, at 12:44 PM
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