Taking this title from a new found friend on Twitter and host of the The Other 46 wine blog, I bring to you some notes from 4 wineries I visited today in the Yadkin Valley, North Carolina.  I hope he doesn’t mind and I have given him props including a link to his site above as well as in my blogroll  ; )  I just thought it was very appropriate and he was kind enough to reach out me via Twitter to see what I had learned.  Due to space on the blog and to give each place the focus it deserves so you, the reader, can get a feel for each, I will post about each one at a time.

We started off at Elkin Creek Vineyard, which was suggested to us by our new friends, Marty and Chris, who recently moved to Atlanta from NC.  We met them back around New Year’s at a Brookhaven Sherlock’s tasting, recent site of a heralded wine funkmaster Hardy Wallace, of GoodeToBeFirst fame, tasting event.  Unfortunately, the weather was not cooperating with us today as the rain came pouring down, but it added some beautiful tranquility to an already peaceful place in the mountains.  Mark Greene, the winemaker, started his vineyard in 2001 further up the mountain from his creekside home next to an old 18th century mill that makes you just ready to retire, which is what he thought he was ready to do.  Mark caught the bug and learned viti- and viniculture from a local college, one of few (if any) on the east coast with such a program.  This gives those aspiring winemakers out there, like me, some confidence that it actually can be done and if you have the fire in your belly and the conviction, you can make it.

Mark also built their wine tasting room/restaurant … himself… back in 2004.  It’s made of huge solid wood beams angling skyward to a central portal in the roof, that gives the room a very natural and spacious feel.  We ate lunch in the dining room and the menu included mostly Italian style dishes like Panini’s and pastas, as well as a good cheese dish and fresh salads.  My father-in-law and I had the Penne pasta with Lamb Ragu which paired well with their Rossa, which is an interesting blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah… yes, not one muscadine grape to be found! 

The Rossa had a brick, orangish hue and had a peppery herb nose.  The taste was full of soft, velvety red fruits that was very even to the finish.  This was not one of my favorites during the tasting, but with the Lamb Ragu, it flourished!  Definitely a food wine.

The 2007 Family Reserve is a Merlot and Syrah blend with just a splash of Viognier.  I got some heat on the nose, but enjoyed the light oak, earth, and red fruits.  It had a good bit of spice on the palate and a lasting finish.

But, it was their 2007 Chardonnay that I really enjoyed the most.  It presented apples and pears on the nose and was very light and crisp as it was solely aged in stainless steel.

Ultimately, it is good to see that you don’t have to always catch a flight to the west coast to visit beautiful wine country scenery or taste good vinifera wines… many of these are winning regional and national awards, too, so don’t just take my word for it.