Celebrating the Grape

Our celebration of the grape continued in observance of  “NORTH CAROLINA WINE APPRECIATION MONTH” as decreed by the governor of North Carolina.

We were more than happy to  guzzle taste wines in appreciation & compliance~ making our way to visit a few wineries from the Yadkin Valley area. You can see the other wineries we visited~ Shelton, Raffaldini & Elkin Creek here.

 

RayLen Vineyards & Winery~

The Yadkin Valley was designated as an American Viticultural Area (AVA) in February 2003, the first in North Carolina. A true river valley, it covers over 1.4 million acres of rolling foothills in northwestern NC and reaches from the base of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the eastern edge of North Carolina’s piedmont. The clay-loam soils and temperate climate provide excellent conditions for growing European varietals such as Chardonnay, Viognier, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Cabernet Franc.

Childress Vineyards~

 The 35,000-square-foot facility at Childress Vineyards brings a taste of the Old World to the heart of the Piedmont in North Carolina. Richard Childress’s passion for fine wine is as genuine as his passion for auto racing.

While auto racing & fine wine seem like unlikely dinner companions, there is a connection between the two in North Carolina’s history.

From VisitNCWine.com:

By the dawn of the 20th Century, North Carolina was the leading wine-producing region in the nation. It seemed nothing could stop us.

But we hadn’t counted on an act of Congress.

 1919.

 Prohibition.

Suddenly, products from distilleries in undisclosed locations in the Piedmont hills and dales were rather more lucrative than those from the gnarled grape orchards of yore. When we spoke of fruit, it was shriveled in white lightning.

When we packaged, it was in Mason jars rather than Chardonnay bottles.

Other pursuits followed. Often at high speeds.

The sudden professional interest of G-Men and revenuers gave rise to moonlit, midnight chases across the humble countryside, engendering a motorized pastime that became a sport that became NASCAR.

“Eighty years ago we bottled moonshine. Today we bottle sunshine.”

You can read an article on “Moonshine Memories” here.

Thank you for your visit, I’m joining:

• Little Red House for Mosaic Monday~

• A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday~

•  Jenny Matlock for Alphabe-Thursday~ Y for Yadkin Valley~