Matt Kemberling

The first weekend in July, we decided to make our way to a few Yadkin Valley wineries.  Although we didn’t get to wine each day of the weekend, we were able to make it on Friday and Saturday. Read on for a recap of our visits to Hanover Park Vineyards, Childress Vineyards, Junius Lindsay Vineyards, RayLen Vineyards, and Misty Creek Vineyards.

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It was a perfect spring day, bright and sunny with moderate temperatures. It was the perfect day to visit Raffaldini Vineyards for their spring wine dinner. Sticking with the Four Seasons theme, Raffaldini Vineyards offers a wine tasting dinner four times a year, each pairing with the season. This past weekend, they celebrated spring with four courses both inside and out, paired with four wines that show what it means to be “Chianti in the Carolinas”.

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Sundays are wine adventure days for us. We typically invite a few friends to join us as we expand their horizons of the NC wine scene. Since we haven’t been out wining in several weeks, we decided to go it alone and take our time. Our options were nearly limitless, but we decided on three wineries in the Yadkin Valley and Swan Creek regions.  Read on for an account of the day and our tasting notes for each stop.

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It’s hard to believe that we’re already at the end of 2015.  Looking back at the past year, we’ve accomplished quite a bit and drank quite a lot of NC wine — 2015 was pretty big for the NC Wine Guys.  As we close out the year, we take a look back at some of the highlights of the year.

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This past weekend, we had the pleasure of attending the Autumn Wine Dinner at Flint Hill Vineyards.  There are several reasons why you should consider going to events like these.  Not only do they offer a unique experience of the winery after hours, they also give you the opportunity to see what the winemaker feels would be a good pairing for their wines.  This dinner didn’t disappoint on either expectation.

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It’s that time of year again where we take a few days off and enjoy a wine adventure. This year, we’ll be attending the American Wine Society annual conference in Tysons Corner Virginia. 

While we’re headed north, we’ll be stopping at several Virginia wineries, breweries, and ciderworks along the way. With a stop in Charlottesville early in the week, we’ll be in a great spot that has a variety of options. 

Keep checking back here for more updates. You can also follow our trip on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. 

Twitter: @NCWineGuys

Facebook: NC Wine Guys

Instagram: @ncwineguys

This past weekend was the grand opening for Piccione Vineyards.  The newest vineyard in Wilkes county is keeping it close to their Italian neighbors (Raffaldini Vineyards, that is).  Established in 2010, Dr. Bill Piccione of Chicago decided to embrace the red clay terrain and plant primarily Italian varietals.  With 16 acres under vine and plenty of room to expand, Piccione Vineyards has helped expand the Little Italy of the Appalachian foothills.

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It’s a wrap!  North Carolina Wine and Grape Month is now over!  We had a great month filled with NC wine.  Here’s the list of what we had:

North Carolina Wine and Grape Month

• 9/1: Grüner Veltliner from Burntshirt Vineyards
• 9/2: Raylen Tasting @ Crafty Beer Guys
• 9/3: Cabernet Franc from Silver Fork Vineyards & Winery
• 9/4: Selfish from Lazy Elm Winery
• 9/5: Pinot Grigio from Mountain Brook Vineyards
• 9/6: Nebbiolo from Grove Winery & Visit to Morgan Ridge Vineyards
• 9/7: Warrior Red from Cellar 4201
• 9/8: Sauvignon Blanc from Iron Gate Vineyards
• 9/9: Chardonnay from Laurel Gray Vineyards
• 9/10: Petit Verdot from Shelton Vineyards
• 9/11: Cabernet Sauvignon from Parker-Binns Vineyards
• 9/12: Blanc de Blancs from McRitchie Winery, Dry Riesling from Dobbins Creek Vineyards, Chambourcin from Misty Creek Vineyards, Barbera from Brandon Hills Vineyard, Apple Tipper from Fair Game Beverage Company
• 9/13: Petit Manseng from Jones. Von Drehle
• 9/14: Girasole from Raffaldini Vineyards
• 9/15: Vineyard Brothers-Satisfied from Silk Hope Winery
• 9/16: Cabernet Franc from South Creek Vineyards
• 9/17: Vivace from Adagio Vineyards
• 9/18: Special Delivery from Junius Lindsay Vineyards
• 9/19: Soft White from Elkin Creek Vineyards
• 9/20: Traminette from Misty Creek Vineyards
• 9/21: Mourvèdre from Hanover Park Vineyard
• 9/22: Sangiovese from Childress Vineyards
• 9/23: Grey Ghost from JOLO Winery and Vinayards
• 9/24: Barrel X from Stonefield Cellars Winery
• 9/25: Centennial Farm Heritage from Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards
• 9/26: Traminette Divine from Divine Llama Vineyards
• 9/27: Taste of Our Carolina Foothills featuring Overmountain Vineyards, Mountain Brook Vineyards, Parker-Binns Vineyards, and Russian Chapel Hills Winery
• 9/28: Shipwreck from Sanctuary Vineyards
• 9/29: Tannat from Hererra Vineyards
• 9/30: Red Bud Ridge from Brushy Mountain Winery

 

Sundays are wine adventure days for us. We typically invite a few friends to join us as we expand their horizons of the NC wine scene. Although we did invite a friend, we didn’t get a confirmation. So instead of letting a Sunday go to waste, we continued on ourselves. 

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This past weekend was the wine pick up for Raffaldini Vineyards. Over the past seven years, Raffaldini has grown a loyal following. This is due not only to the great wine that they produce, but also because owner and winemaker Jay Raffaldini shows such passion for what he does.   Twice a year, Jay and his team holds a wine pick up party for his wine club members. At each pick up there are six bottles of wine, a sampling of new releases paired with authentic Italian food, and a short info session about the happenings at the winery and what’s next.

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Sundays are wine adventure days for us. We typically invite a few friends to join us as we expand their horizons of the NC wine scene. Today we were joined by our friend Susan.

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Day three brought us to familiar wineries once again.  These were the wineries that we marked on our “go back to” list.  We were in the northern part of Virginia with Winchester as our base.  All of the wineries were within an hour drive from Winchester and if you were to drive the whole circuit without stopping, it would only take about three hours.  We made our way to a fair number of wineries.  Below are the notes of our journey.  The next time you’re in the area, you should make it a point to check out these great wineries.

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Day two brought us to five wineries before ending up at our final destination. We started in the Charlottesville area and made our way northward. After our second stop, we quickly found oursves in the middle of the mountains with no cellphone service in sight. The only saving grace for communication with the outside world was the free wifi that the wineries offered. 

 

Stop one was at Stinson Vineyards. We arrived right at opening and were the first ones in the tasting room.  Our favorite wine here was the 2014 rosé made from the Mourvèdre Grape. The wine was dark in color with a outstanding earthy nose. The flavors were deep and complex with a mild mushroom flavor. Also worth noting was the 2014 Sauvignon Blanc, showing a grapefruit nose and citrus flavor with a nice mineral finish. 

Stop number two was just around the corner from our first stop. Grace Estate Winery had just opened their new tasting room the day before we arrived, and it is coming along nicely. The furniture should be arriving within the next week or two, but they have wine and glasses so that’s enough to keep the tasting room running. They had six wines up for tasting. We particularly enjoyed the 2012 Cabernet Franc which had about 10% Petit Verdot blended in. The finished product is a dark red wine with a good tannic structure. There is a nice pepper flavor on the mid-palate and it finishes almost sweet with a hint of caramel. 

Stop number three took us slightly off the beaten path. Mountfair Vineyards produces red blends and caters to a dedicated group of followers.  Their current offerings are the 2013 Epiphany and the 2013 Complicated. The Epiphany is a Cabernet Franc blend that is light and even with an ample display of dark fruits. The Complicated is a Petit Verdot blend that is dark in color and flavors with notes of cherries and spices. In addition to their own wines, they offer a great selection of wines and ciders from smaller producers who don’t always have tasting rooms. One of the ciders that we enjoyed was the Potters Farmhouse Dry. It was bright and fruity with a crisp finish. The concept here is great and the setting ales you feel like you’re tucked away in the mountains (because you are!). 

Stop number four was around the base of the mountain and further into the heart of the cell phone dead zone. Glass House Winery is so named because of the large glass conservatory that is onsite. The owners are not only winemakers, but they are also a certified chocolatier and a conservatory enthusiast. They pair the dessert wine with a handcrafted espresso chocolate that melts in the mouth. Our favorites here were the 2013 C-villian (Chambourcin)  and the 2013 One Lane Bridge (Lemberger). The Chambourcin was fruity with a light pepper spice. The Lemberger was dark and fruity with hits of clove and cinnamon. After the tasting, we hopped on the wifi for a quick second and then we were back on our way. 

Our final stop for the day was at Moss Vineyards. Although this winery is truely off the beaten path, down a winding gravel road and up a mountainside, it’s worth the visit. We had a few favorites that we sampled. The 2013 Viognier had a nose of lightly toasted honey with a big honeysuckle flavor. The 2012 Vino Rosso was soft and smooth with a tomato jam nose and a smokey finish. Our overall favorite was likely the 2010 Achitectura. This red blend was immensely dark in color with a rich nose and a well developed flavor. It was full in body and had a great complex flavor that lingered in the mouth for a good long while. 

All of the wineries we visited on day two were part of the Monticello Wine Trail on a smaller trail called the The Appellation Trail. For more details and to plan a visit, head to the trail’s website or click the wineries above to go directly to their sites. 

Tucked away just outside Pittsboro, NC is a great little distillery that is making fortified wines and spirits.  The name of the place is Fair Game Beverage Company.  We made a visit during their Spirit Release party.  We’re talking distilled spirits here, not the metaphysical spirits.  Chris Jude, the head distiller, gave us a detailed tasting of his fortified wines.  Also as part of the festivities, we tasted the two new spirits which were incredibly fresh and unique.

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Sundays are wine adventure days for us. We typically invite a few friends to join us as we expand their horizons of the NC wine scene. Today were joined by our friends Susan and Candyce. 

On the schedule for today, we have Lazy Elm, Hanover Park Vineyard, and Medaloni Cellars. More updates later on. Check back often!

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Sundays are wine adventure days for us. We typically invite a few friends to join us as we expand their horizons of the NC wine scene. Today were joined by our friend Susan.

Today’s adventure takes us to three wineries in the Yadkin Valley: Ragapple Lassie Vineyards, Divine Llama Vineyards,  and Cellar 4201.  We’ll be sampling a few new wines and will post the notes as soon as cell service allows.

Keep checking throughout the day for updates!

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Today, like most Sunday afternoons, we’re headed out to visit a few wineries. Our destination is part of the WNC Wine Trail, specifically the Tyron area wineries, previously reviewed during NC Wine Month. We’re taking a different approach today as I plan to make live updates (as cell service allows).

Our first stop is Mountain Brook Vineyards where we will be joining up with some friends for a birthday celebration. From there we plan on going to at least two other wineries, possibly three, ending at Parker-Binns Vineyard to relax with hot woodfired pizza.

Keep coming back for more updates!

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Whenever you have an opportunity to sign up for a vintage wine tasting, you should really consider it. Oftentimes when you read about vintage tastings in wine literature, they span decades usually marked by significant events in the history of the sponsoring winery. Here in North Carolina, most of the wineries haven’t been open for decades like you might find in California. One of the only wineries that comes close to this is Hanover Park, which is where our most recent vintage tasting took place.

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We’re now well into October, so I thought it would be good to recap our September experiences with a quick month in review.  The mini challenge we set for the blog has concluded successfully: Review 30 wines (or wineries) in the 30 days of September. NC Wine Month is a time where the wineries and vineyards in the state are recognized for their contributions.  Our goal was to feature a wine or winery each day and write-up a little review of the selection we made.  In total we reviewed 28 North Carolina Wines and 8 North Carolina Wineries.  For a full account of our challenge, click on the NC Wine Month link in the menu above.  Continue reading →