Yadkin Valley Wine Trip

Divine Llama Vineyards

Flint Hill Vineyards

This past Sunday, we took a couple of our friends to a few of our favorite local Yadkin Valley wineries.  We have been to Divine Llama and Flint Hill more times than we can count, and, admittedly, are quite well known at both.  Both of these wineries offer some of the very best wine of the Yadkin Valley and are certainly two of the most welcoming.  While our friends took part in a full tasting at each, we had a glass of our favorites at both: Chambourcin and In a Heartbeat (a 50/50 blend of Merlot and Chambourcin) at Divine Llama, and Cabernet Sauvignon at Flint Hill.  And, of course, what trip to Divine Llama is complete without a visit to its namesake -- the llamas and alpacas.   Two of the llamas put on a show for the camera with a slight tussle.

Our small adventure concluded with a final stop at Westbend Vineyards and Brewhouse.  Westbend is the oldest winery in the Yadkin Valley.  While we had been there once before (at the end of a long wine adventure), we wanted to go back for a second tasting.  The age of the vines and the experience certainly shows at Westbend and several of their wines are simply outstanding.  While service and charm is not what it is at some of our favorites, this is still a 'not to be missed' Yadkin winery (and the only one in Forsyth County, at least until a new winery opens in April).

Westbend Vineyards and Brewhouse

A Cold and Wine-y Saturday

The weather forecast did not lie -- Saturday was indeed a cooolldddd day in NC.  We woke up to light flurries that lingered throughout the day.  Honestly though, we are over the snow and are ready for Spring.  That said, we planned ahead for a day in the house which means a bottle (or three) of wine.  What else is there to do?!

The morning started with breakfast and La Dolce Vita from Raffaldini, a wine from NC that we picked up on a recent trip to the vineyard (see an earlier post).  This light, sparkling, and slightly sweet wine is not a replacement for champagne, but it was a great way to get the day started. 

The next two bottles, Kumbaya (a California blend) and a Cotes Du Rhone blend followed us through lunch, dinner, and the evening. 

Our favorite wine of the day?  The 2011 Les Violettes Cotes Du Rhone. 

Movies, some cleaning, a few small projects, and three bottles of wines -- a great cold and wine-y Saturday at home!

Raffaldini Winery

@Raffaldini  Not even a bit of lingering ice can keep us from some wine tasting!  Saturday we headed out with another couple to a few wineries -- Shadow Springs Vineyard, Windsor Run Cellars, and Raffaldini Vineyards.  The only new one on the list for us on this adventure was Raffaldini, which will be the topic for this blog post.   

Raffalidini specializes in Italian style wine, which introduced us to several new varietals, such as Montepulciano.  The tasting room and view are spectacular, even in the doldrums of winter.  A place we will definitely visit again this spring or summer.  A bottle of Sangiovese followed us home and awaits us. 

A Night in Chateauneuf-du-Pape

We had a great introduction to the French Chateauneuf-du-Pape and Rhône regions on January 23 at Wine Merchants Gourmet.  The event was led by Jérôme Quiot of Famile Quiot vineyards, one of the largest family of landowners in the regions with parcels of land dating back to the late 1700's.  We sampled a variety of both whites and reds.  Mr. Quiot enlightened us with a family history overview and a description of the various estates. 

We were blown away to learn the true length of time needed for great wine making grapevines to mature (15 years to find out if a planting is successful).  He commented that the recent plantings' success will be realized by his grandchildren 75+ years from now.  Most endearing, Mr. Quiot was honest about his plantings that have not been succesful. 

Thank you to both Mr. Quiot and Wine Merchants for a great 'adventure' to France for the night.  Add the Chateauneuf-du-Pape region to our list of favorite wines! 

Elkin NC Wineries

Today we change topics from food to our other passion -- Wine!  Today we ventured to three wineries near Elkin in Surry and Wilkes County.  By way of background, about a year ago we launched our quest to venture to all 100+ North Carolina wineries.  While we only made it to a little over 40 in 2012, our journey continues in 2013!  Today, our travels took us to Elkin Creek Winery, Slightly Askew Winery, and MenaRick Vineyard.

Our travels started at Slightly Askew Winery located near downtown Elkin.  Specializing in fruit wines and sweet wine with unique names, we were surprised to find some great dry reds, as well.  We enjoyed some great one-on-one time with the owner and winemaker who took us on a "behind the scenes" tour.  Their winemaking grew from a hobby to a successful business, which was fascinating.  While none of the grapes/fruits are grown by the owners, their winemaking is well on its way.  Made in small batches, their wine making is quite unique.  For us, the Roaring River Red and Bridge Street Red were our favorites.



Our next stop was Elkin Creek Winery.  Situated on the land of a historic mill that sees the convergence of two steady steams, the backdrop makes for a great wine tasting spot.  While we didn't exactly venture out to the grounds given the snow, we certainly will make a trip back in the summer.  Anyway - on to the wine.  A small, yet tasteful, selection of European varietals, many grown onsite.  We took home a bottle of the Rossa. The owner, who recently relocated from Las Vegas, was very welcoming.  We plan to return on a "Sunday Pizza day" for some artisan wood fired pizza and wine.



Out final stop of the day was an unexpected venture -- MenaRick Vineyard and Winery.  One of the newest tasting rooms, the winery specializes in Spanish varietals.  Unique for the NC area (at least in our ventures), they were a nice change of pace from the traditional.  The tasting room was very nice and is situated overlooking the vines (which were uniquely covered in snow today).  A bottle of Touriga accompanied us home.