A Passion for Wine and Supporting Local Growers

Wine is one of my passions. And what better way to combine such a passion and a beautiful summer day than a trip to the mountains to visit some wineries. North Carolina, after an admittedly rocky start, has started to produce some decent to good vinifera wines. Not to say that the best of California or France are worried, but we’re holding our own.

Sampling Wine — A Worthwhile Stop at Laurel Gray Vineyards

Our first stop was Laurel Gray Vineyards. This charming vineyard is owned by Berry and Kim Myers, whose family has been farming this area for ten generations. Searching for alternatives as tobacco and dairy declined, they planted their first French vinifera grapes in 2001, making this, by North Carolina standards, a fairly mature vineyard. Check out their whites. Their Pinot gris is a light crisp wine perfect for summertime. The Chardonnays and Viognier are also worth checking out. In red wine they have a Cabernet Sauvignon. This wine has good color but like many North Carolina reds is a little thin and acidic. It has dark fruit flavors and a touch of cocoa, but very little tannin. Their Windsor is a red vintage, in a new release. If the first bottle we opened at home is any indication, this is still a young wine and will need some time to calm down. The wine had a fritz when first opened. We pumped it to preserve it overnight — it was significantly better, so our impression that it was young is probably vindicated.  They also have a balsamic vinaigrette dressing which is wonderful. All told a worthwhile stop.

Most Improved Winery in the State – Past and Present Wine Sampling

Next up was Stony Knoll. This winery gets my vote for most improved in the state. We have been wine club members here since the early days, number three I believe. Their first reds were thin and acidic, originally better suited to marinating than to drinking. But since we believe in supporting local agriculture we hung on. Even though he had some interesting chardonnay’s, they had a slight sour taste, common to North Carolina wine, which made them an excellent accompaniment to bratwurst and other foods that go well with beer. It has been worth hanging in there. From the last few vintages, his Cabernet sauvignons have been rich and full with good tannins. Several times in a blind tasting we weren’t sure if it was a North Carolina wine or one from the west coast. His other reds also have come along well, both the Merlot and Cabernet Franc. He has a Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc reserve blend that I would have trouble ascribing to the east coast. Hats off to Van Coe and his staff for hanging in there and making some really good wine.

To learn more about the wineries, check out their websites:

Laurel Gray Vineyards

Stony Knoll Vineyards

photo by: Jacob Childrey