Our group of 11 gathered at Lynnwood Brewing Concern in early February, around a long table in the taproom. Each guest chose four beers for their flight, and had their order filled at the bar. While tasting, everyone enjoyed appetizers from Wilson’s Eatery, sister next-door restaurant to Lynnwood. The pimento cheese is great on pork rinds or tortilla chips, and the salsa and guacamole were very good also.
During our tasting, we learned about the history of watering holes in the neighborhood, dating back to the late 1700s, before Raleigh was even a city. Today, the area has become a beer and cider mecca, home to at least five breweries and the city’s first cidery, with more to come in the near future.
For our second stop, we made the short walk to nearby East Bower Cider Co., stopping briefly to learn a little history of the Whitaker Mill neighborhood. East Bower was having their annual Wassail Day, celebrating hot, spiced cider with music, dog adoptions and crafts vendors.
Pork rinds pair well with pmento cheese from Wilson’s Eatery.
The group found tables indoors and everyone tasted two ciders – Dry Twig cider and semi-sweet Ginger Agave. A few tried the warm, spiced cider (Wassail). The drinks were well-received, with some preferring one to the other, and nearly everyone was surprised at how much they enjoyed the cider. The group continued getting to know each other, even after the tour time was over. Some moved on to explore other businesses in the neighborhood and vendors selling items for Wassail Day.
Join our next tour in this neighborhood will be March 9, 1-3 pm. Purchase tickets at here while they last!
A look back at the top experiences of the last year
2023 was a great year for wine and beer activities, so I decided to rank the highlights of my beer and wine activities. Here’s to doing even more in 2024!
Happy New Year from North Carolina wine influencers, 2 Winey Friends, NC Wine Guys, Blends & Bubbly, NC Wines, Tarheel Taps & Corks and Wine Mouths
8: Special events in wine, beer and cider Events at North Carolina wineries, breweries and cideries are getting better all the time. Here are just a few that were memorable in 2023: A wine and food pairing dinner at Gioia Dell’Amore Cellars. They promise more wine dinners in 2024. A Raclette cheese tasting at Botanist & Barrel, because who can resist this melted cheese poured over vegetables, bread and more? So many celebrations at Glass Jug Beer Lab, including a Girl Scout cookie and beer pairing in RTP and a Mardi Gras celebration in downtown Durham. And fellow wine influencer Dave Nershi shared his love for and expertise in South African wines by hosting a food and wine pairing dinner at his home. And Dathan and Jen of Triangle Around Townhosted a fun “Open that Bottle” night in their home.
Guests gather around tables in the Gioia dell’Amore tasting room for the food-wine pairing dinner.
Mardi Gras celebration at Glass Jug Beer Lab in Durham’s Central Park downtown.
Raclette cheese tasting at Botanist & Barrel.
South African wine dinner at with Dave Nershi of Vino-Sphere.
7: Mead tasting with friends at Starrlight Mead I think The Plant in Pittsboro is such a fun place to visit, so I invited some friends to taste mead at the Starrlight tasting room in the beverage district. After our tasting, we toured the production room and strolled through The Plant to see other businesses, including ax throwing. We wrapped up our afternoon with a beer at Fair Game Beverage.
6: Food and beer tours I started guiding food tours with Triangle Food and City Tours, which provides tours in Raleigh’s Historic Oakwood and Boylan Heights. I also began working with People1Tourismto offer some beer and cider tours in the Whitaker Mill neighborhood. Please look for opportunities to participate in both of these tour groups!
5: Wine tastings with Merlot2Muscadine Fellow wine influencer Arthur Barham hosted several wine tastings this year, and I participated in two of them – sparkling wine and Tannat tastings. Arthur is a real expert in planning such events, and I hope he’ll do more of them in 2024!
With candles and lanterns, the tasting continued even without lights.
4: NC Winegrower’s Association meeting This year’s wine annual meeting was a real celebration, and as one participant described it, like a family reunion. The sessions were great fun, including a Reidel glassware demonstration. You can read more about itin the blog or Screw-it Wine (shop for the digital issue).
A Reidle glassware demonstration was part of the wine conference. Nearly 300 participated.
3: Judging the 2023 NC Wine Competition After a surprise last-minute phone call from Brianna Burns of NC Wine and Grape Council, I found myself with a group of wine experts judging the top wines entered in the state wine competition. And this year’s top pick was a Seyval Blanc from Shadow Springs Vineyards.
Judging the NC Wine Competition for 2023
2: NC Wine Digital Media Summit Having hosted this event in Yadkin Valley, as well as online during the pandemic, the @ncwineguys took this event to Western North Carolina to explore wineries in the Crest of the Blue Ridge AVA. In advance of the Summit, participants spent two days touring wineries and cideries in the Hendersonville area.
1: Trip to Napa and Sonoma A Big Highlight of this year’s wine experiences was visiting wineries and more in Napa and Sonoma. It was a wonderful opportunity to taste some of the best wine produced in the world, but it also left us with a true appreciation of what North Carolina’s wine industry and how accessible it is. You can read all about the trip in three recent blog posts – yes, it took three posts to get it all down! Before Christmas, Arthur Barham and I took the opportunity to trade notes on recent wine trips, including his to the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Arthur, Natalie, Kyle and Mary enjoyed dinner together and swapping wine trip stories.
Historic and boutique wineries; tips for your own trip
Two wineries we visited in Napa and Sonoma had a history — one, a historic structure, and one, a history tied to the film industry.
When planning our second tasting day in Sonoma, we needed a place to have lunch and taste wine before our final tasting that afternoon. We decided to check out the very grand Francis Ford Coppola Winery, owned by the Oscar Award-winning movie director.
Wine tasting on the terrace
Directing Oscars of Francis Ford Coppola
Memorabilia from the Godfather movies
Swimming pool at Francis Ford Coppola Winery
This winery is so much more than just vineyards and a tasting room. It’s a little like Disney World, with a restaurant, bar, wine tasting areas, a swimming pool where you can reserve your own cabana and even a movie museum. It was also the only winery where you had to call in a reservation (instead of reserving online), and they didn’t even ask for a credit card!
At the winery, we chose the reserved tasting on the terrace overlooking the vineyards. But first, we needed some nourishment to keep us going. At the bar for Rustic Restaurant, we shared a salad and a pizza with parmesan, arugula and prosciutto – delicious.
On the terrace, Debbie hosted our tasting that included a Reserve Viognier, Reserve Pinot Noir, 2020 Eleanor, a very smooth red blend named for the winery owner’s wife, and the 2018 blend Archimedes red blend. All these wines had earned medals in the Sonoma Valley Harvest Fair that was being held the upcoming weekend.
In addition to great food and wine, a benefit to visiting this winery is the chance to view historic memorabilia from some of Coppola’s most iconic films, including all the Godfather series, Apocalypse Now, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and films by his daughter, Sofia Coppola. The museum also holds the Oscars that Coppola won for his films.
The pool was closed the day we visited – there was an international pizza-making competition on the deck (I personally think the pizza we ate was a clear winner). But when it’s open, guests can rent a small dressing/shower cabana to change for a swim.
Another Napa Valley winery with a history is Trefethen Winery. The building that houses the tasting room, dating to the 19th century, is the oldest, wooden, gravity-fed winery in the country. The former Eschol Winery was purchased by the Trefethen family in 1968.
Gateway to Trefethen Family Vineyards
Wine tasting at Trefethen
This map shows the dates of grape harvesting at Trefethen. Fewer than half the sections has been harvested in mid-October.
The winery’s claim to fame is having its 1976 Chardonnay chosen as the world’s best in the 1979 wine Olympics in France. The selection was initially considered a fluke, but the competition results were repeated a year later, so Trefethen Chardonnay became recognized as “the yardstick by which all Chardonnay Is judged.”
The historic winery building suffered structural damage in a 2014 earthquake and had to be significantly rebuilt and reinforced against future earthquakes. We had our tasting in second floor room of that historic building.
The driveway into the winery is long and takes you past acres and acres of vineyards. Like all wineries in the Napa area, they were experiencing a later-than-usual harvest. A map in the tasting room showed areas that had been harvested, and there was still much to be done in October.
The day before we visited Trefethen, we were riding bikes on the Napa Valley Vine Trail and realized that the winery just across the highway. So it would have been a fairly easy ride from the trail to the tasting room. But did I mention how long the driveway was?
Boutique winery At Unti (Oon-tee) Vineyards in the Dry Creek Valley, we felt right at home. It was one of the smaller, boutique wineries we visited, with about 60 acres of vines.
Unti Vermentino vines
Unti wine tasting
Arbor leading from Unti Vineyards
The tasting room here is small, and we experienced a “standing tasting” at the counter, like what we are more accustomed to in North Carolina. Our host Jerry was very friendly, even offering to print out information about the winery for us.
The vines for this winery were planted in 1991, and the tasting room opened in 1997. They grow Italian varietals, along with Syrah and the Zinfandel that Dry Creek Valley is so known for.
Though reservations are required for tasting wine, this was another place that was probably a little more flexible than some of the larger wineries. As we were entering the tasting room, we saw several folks enjoying a tasting and picnic outside.
Tips for enjoying Napa and Sonoma What we learned:
Winery hours are short! Most are typically open 10 am-5 pm, but some close as early as 4-4:30 pm. To visit three wineries in a day, you should probably start with one before lunch, then follow up with two after lunch. Be sure to calculate travel time between wineries.
About reservations: Most wineries require them, but it doesn’t hurt to call ahead to see if they can work you in for a tasting if you don’t have a reservation. Weekdays are probably the best time for doing this. Some wineries may not be able to host you for a tasting, but might let you stop by for a glass or bottle of wine, if local ordinances permit them to sell this way.
The cost of tasting wine may create a little sticker shock to those of us from the East Coast. In Sonoma, tastings start around $35-40 and go up to about $60. In Napa, you’ll likely find low-end tastings around $50-60, though they can easily cost over $100. We were told that most places discourage “shared tastings” since COVID, but we discovered at least one winery that allowed two guests to share one tasting.
You don’t have to drink every sip you are served. You can spit into a cup or take a few sips of wine and dump the rest. The more you drink, the less likely you’ll be able to enjoy the wine from your later tastings.
Any winery that sells food probably won’t let you bring in your own. Be sure to ask before lugging out your picnic basket. One winery we visited would allow you to reserve a picnic table for $50. Some sell the snacks you would typically bring on your own; most don’t have full restaurants.
There’s more to do here than taste wine – riding the wine train, riding bikes, visiting gardens and farmers markets, seeing the redwoods and the California coast. It’s worth the time to hop off the wine trail for a bit and enjoy the scenery.
We were impressed with the tenure of many of the tasting room hosts. Even when we met someone who was new to a winery, most had already worked for several years in the local wine industry.
Since wineries tend to get busier throughout the day, schedule your biggest name wineries early in the day and save the smaller ones for the afternoon. Weekdays are certainly less busy than weekends.
Sparkling wine and amazing views As soon as we arrived in Sonoma, we found our way to Korbel California Champagne in the Russian River Valley. Korbel is among only a few American winemakers that can legally use the name “champagne” for their product, instead of “sparkling wine.”
Our guide Jack shows some of the historic fermentation tanks for Korbel Champagne.Host prepares champagne glasses for pours at Korbel.
This winery is one of the very few operations in Sonoma or Napa that provides a complimentary experience for guests. Three times a day, the winery offers free tours of the historic facility, followed by a tasting of two to three champagnes.
Our guide Jack took us through the museum, the original winemaking operation, along with winery memorabilia. We saw wooden tanks once used for fermenting the grapes and an old wooden contraption for “racking” the champagne bottles, tilting them back and forth to accumulate the sediment in the neck of the bottle.
Korbel was started in the late 1800s by Francis Korbel, an enterprising immigrant from Prague, who made his way to California via New York. Francis and his brothers started a number of businesses – including cigar boxes and lumber — but the champagne by far was the most successful.
Francis Korbel was imprisoned in Bohemia before coming to America (he escaped with the help of his mother), but the experience made an impression on him. When he built the winery, he recreated a tower from the prison where he was held so he wouldn’t forget his imprisonment.
And why can they call it champagne instead of sparkling wine when France doesn’t allow that? When the company was founded in the 1800s, France wasn’t concerned about American champagne at all. After World War I, the French inserted language in the armistice treaty prohibiting American winemakers from using the name “champagne” for sparkling wine, but the treaty was never ratified by the U.S.
Finally, after several court battles, Korbel and other California sparkling winemakers reached an agreement with France in the 1990s saying the company could use the name “champagne” as long as it was qualified as “California Champagne” or “Russian River Champagne.”
At the newer end of the sparkling wine spectrum, we visited Domaine-Carneros Winery in Napa. This was probably the most crowded winery we visited, with a line of folks waiting to check in when we arrived for our reservation shortly after 10 am.
Sparkling wine tasting at Domaine-CarnerosWe enjoy our sparkling wine at Domaine-Carneros.
This winery was started in 1987 by French champagne businessman Claude Taittinger. The winery itself is designed after the Chateau de la Marquetterie, Taittinger’s French estate, and it is very upscale.
For our tasting, we were seated at a table on the veranda of the winery, overlooking the vineyards and nearby hills. We watched the morning fog slowly burn off, revealing the vineyards around us. We chose a cheese platter to eat with our four sparkling wine samples.
Our host was very attentive, and after the tasting, we walked around a little to get some photos. By that point, all the tasting tables were already full.
Taking in California Believe it or not, there are other things to do in Napa and Sonoma than just wine! On our third day, we rented bikes and rode the Napa Valley Wine Trail from Yountville to Napa’s Oxbow Market.
The Napa Valley Vine Trail is an off-road biking/hiking trail that runs from Yountville to Napa.
Beers at Fieldwork Brewing in Napa
View of Pacific Ocean from Bodega Bay.
The trees at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve are magnificent.
This trail, mostly off-road, runs along Highway 29 between Yountville and Napa. It’s about a six-mile ride between the two towns, then we rode about several more miles into Napa to visit the Oxbow Market.
The trail also runs along the railroad tracks used by the Napa Valley Wine Train (which leaves from Oxbow Market). Along the way, you see vineyards and wineries. In fact, we rode right past Trefethen, a winery that we planned to visit the next day.
We reserved cruiser bikes from Napa Valley Bike Tours in Yountville. The tour company also has a shop in Napa, but it is a shorter ride to get to the trail from the Yountville shop than the Napa shop.
Once we reached Napa, we were a little confused about how far to ride to Oxbow, but we got directions from other cyclists. Oxbow Market is a mix of restaurants, shops, wine tasting rooms and at least one brewery, Fieldwork. We had eaten lunch before our ride, so having a beer at the end of the line for us really hit the spot.
On our fifth day, we drove to Bodega Bay on the coast, which is actually part of Sonoma County. We went to Bodega Head in the state park to hike on the peninsula that surrounds the northern section of the bay. The rocky California coast is so different from ours that we really wanted to visit.
As we walked along the cliffs overlooking the ocean, we saw waves crashing on the rocks below and heard the barking of sea lions sunning on a small island just offshore.
After our hike, we drove into town for New England clam chowder and a Dungeness crab sandwich at Spud Point Crab Company, a walk-up stand that is famous for these dishes. Though we had been warned that the coast was much colder than inland temperatures, we found that it wasn’t so cold that day.
Later we did a short hike through the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in the Russian River Valley. The walk was short and flat, but gave us a worm’s eye view of these amazing trees. At least one we saw was said to be over 1,300 years old.
We visited the home of horticulturist Luther Burbank in Santa Rosa and an outdoor art installation outside Geyserville. On our way back to San Francisco, we stopped by The Barlow, a market in Sebastopol converted from a former apple cannery.
So there really is more to Napa and Sonoma than just wineries, although you’ll never forget where you are with vineyards everywhere you turn. It’s a great place to explore those other options.
Final post: Historic and boutique wineries, and tips on visiting CA wine country
We had talked about a trip to California’s Napa and Sonoma wine regions during 2020, but of course COVID-19 derailed our plans. So this year we decided to take that trip, in the fall to take advantage of cooler temperatures and changing colors in the vineyards.
It would take too many pages to explain the whole trip, so I am focusing on a few highlights and some travel tips for those who would like to plan your own visit. And that alone will take three posts!
We rented an Airbnb house in Santa Rosa, right in the heart of Sonoma Valley. Everything in Sonoma was an easy drive from here on Hwy 101. The trip to Napa required either a drive on a windy mountain road or the southern route that seemed to draw most of the traffic. Still not a bad drive – probably more challenging on the weekends.
North Sonoma favorites We focused much of our wine tasting in Northern Sonoma, known for Zinfandels, Cabernet Sauvignon and Italian varietals. Many friends who had visited the area were impressed with wineries in the Russian River Valley, Dry Creek Valley and Alexander Valley.
The first winery where we scheduled a tasting turned out to be my favorite of all. Dry Creek Vineyard was recommended by a friend, and it did not disappoint. This family-owned vineyard, one of the first in the Dry Creek Valley, just celebrated its 50th anniversary.
Dry Creek Vineyard
Dry Creek Vineyard
Dry Creek Vineyard
We reserved a tour and tasting, and we were greeted by our guide Gabriella. Since it was a weekday, there was only one other couple on the tour. Gabby handed us each a glass, and we started our tour tasting Dry Creek’s signature Fume Blanc.
We strolled through the property and visited several of the vineyards and a flower garden designed to attract beneficial insects – and hummingbirds. We saw the original Zinfandel vines, which are not trellised.
After the tour, Gabby encouraged us to choose a table to complete our tastings. This was the only winery that allowed us to bring in our picnic with our tasting. Gabby even brought out a tray for us with meats, cheese and crackers.
In addition to the Fume Blanc and a 2022 Sauvignon Blanc that we loved, we were very impressed with the 2020 Historic Blocks Zinfandel, which is made from Old Vine Zinfandel grown in the valley.
We started our second day at Truett-HurstWinery, also in the Dry Creek Valley. We were the first (and only) tasting guests there for our 10 am appointment. Our tasting host Devon said that in cooler weather (it was in the 60s when we arrived), people tend to come later in the day, while during the summer, the crowds tend to come in the morning to avoid the hot afternoons.
Truett-Hurst Winery
Truett-Hurst Winery
Truett-Hurst Winery
We had the tasting patio to ourselves, and Devon encouraged us to take our glass and walk around the property, which is a biodynamic farm in addition to the vineyards. We saw sheep, goats, chickens, many flowers and a vegetable garden. (The 2021 Black Sheep Pinot Noir that we tasted was named for a black sheep on the farm named Pinot.) The creek that borders the property is a salmon breeding ground, and the winery is engaged in efforts to protect the salmon.
The owners of the vineyard purchased the property in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley from another vineyard in 2007. We tasted six wines: a Rose, Pinot Noir, several Zinfandels and red blends. My favorite was a 2021 Red Rooster Zinfandel, which experienced more heat and therefore was more fruit-forward.
We wrapped up our second tasting day at Ridge Vineyards in Lytton Springs (there’s another location in Cupertino, overlooking the Bay Area). Tastings are held at tables or lounges in a covered outdoor area. This winery is known for its sustainability practices: Organic grapes, Old Vine Zinfandel, solar panels, water reclamation and reuse.
From a distance, this winery with its organic, old vine grapes, looks like a spaceship sitting in the vineyard. In addition to the outdoor tasting space overlooking hills and vineyards, there is a small indoor tasting room.
Our tasting hostess Elizabeth told the story of how she came to California after tasting the Pagani Ranch Zinfandel from Ridge. Once she was living in the area, she told the winery staff that she wanted a job. It took several years to convince them she was serious, but she finally got the job she wanted as a tasting host at Ridge.
Best views When you think of a winery with a view in North Carolina, you usually think of being up high, overlooking other mountains and valleys. In Napa and Sonoma, some of the best views are from the valleys, looking up. While we saw such views from many wineries, two that really stand out for the views are Biale Vineyards and Silver Oak Vineyards.
Biale is a family-owned winery right outside the town of Napa. The winery was started by an immigrant family who bought the farm in the 1920 and continued selling grapes from the vines for years before starting their own winery.
Robert Biale VineyardsRobert Biale Vineyards
Black Chicken is the name of one of the signature Zinfandels produced here. The name goes back to Prohibition, when the family produced a small amount of Zinfandel sold to locals. “Black Chicken” became the code name for those seeking some of the Biale wine. In honor to this tradition, there is a real black chicken in a coup outside the winery, with a sign that says, “Beware of the black chicken!”
We had the prime location for a tasting – two shaded wooden seats overlooking the vineyards and nearby mountains. The sun was at our backs, and gradually crept into our space. It appears that most of the tasting space is outside on the patio in a beautiful setting.
Our host Stephanie poured six wines, mostly the winery’s signature Zinfandels that come from various vineyards across Napa Valley. The two Zins that we enjoyed the most were the 2021 Black Chicken and the 2021 Aldo’s Vineyard.
We were afraid we might not make it to our Alexander Valley tasting at Silver Oak Cellars, due to an unfortunate car-cow encounter that blocked the road. But we were so glad that we finally made it!
Silver Oak Cellars
Silver Oak Cellars
Silver Oak Cellars
Silver Oak is known for it’s Cabernet Sauvignon, so other wines — especially Pinot Noir — are produced by sister winery Twomey Cellars, and we were able to taste both. On the drive in to the tasting room, we saw beautiful bunches of bluish Cab grapes still hanging from the vines.
We tasted our wines on the patio overlooking the vineyards and mountains beyond. Our tasting host told us that several years before, California’s infamous wild fires had come close to the facility, but they were so grateful to the firefighters who held the fire back.
The views are gorgeous, and after tasting, we visited a culinary garden outside the tasting room and even got a peak into the wine library. Silver Oak was the only winery that gave us glasses to take home, which was a surprise. We almost turned them down for fear they wouldn’t make it back to North Carolina, but they actually did survive the trip.
Next post: Sparkling wine, and other things to do in wine country
Final post: Historic and boutique wineries, and tips on visiting CA wine country
Guests gather around tables in the Gioia dell’Amore tasting room for the food-wine pairing dinner.
These wines were featured in the food-wine pairing dinner.
As Laura and David Comer, owners of Gioia dell’ Amore Cellars, celebrated their second year of owning the winery at Autumn Creek Vineyards, they planned their first food and wine pairing dinner for early November. The dinner’s caterer, Pepper Moon Catering, did a fabulous job of creating dishes that really complimented the wines.
This Texas couple realized their dream of owning a winery in 2021 when they bought Autumn Creek Vineyards in Rockingham County, near Mayodan. They gave the winery a new name that means “Joy of love,” while keep “Autumn Creek Vineyards” as part of the name.
At this sold-out event, Laura started out by telling the guests that the food changes the taste of the wine, not vice versa. So she encouraged everyone to taste their wine first, then taste the food, returning to the wine to see what differences we observed.
First course: Brie, bacon and blackberry glaze grilled cheese
The first course was a brie, bacon and blackberry glaze grilled cheese sandwich paired with Flirt Sparkling Wine. The salty, richness of the grilled brie and bacon, with a slight sweetness from the blackberry glaze, made this first course a great companion to the wine. This sparkling wine, made by the method champenoise, is 100% Chardonnay. The crispness of this wine paired well with the rich, saltiness of the grilled cheese, which some at our table considered their favorite course.
Second course: Fall quinoa salad with butternut squash, craisins and pumpkin seeds
The second course was a small quinoa salad with butternut squash, craisins and pumpkin seeds, served up on an endive leave. The sweetness of the squash, craisins and pumpkin seeds — all great fall flavors — paired well with the First Blush Dry Rose, made with a blend of all estate-grown Chambourcin and Merlot. The dryness and citrusy flavors of the rose help offset the sweetness of the salad.
The next three courses were not only paired with wine, but were cooked with wine.
Third course: Baked Mahi-Mahi, served with garlic spinach
The third course was baked Mahi-Mahi with a Chardonnay caper sauce and the added treat of baby spinach with garlic butter, tucked under the Mahi. The sauce brought a brightness to this very mild fish, and many people commented on how much they enjoyed the spinach. The Off-Dry Riesling was bright enough to compliment the fish without overpowering.
The fourth course was just as hearty as the third: Merlot-braised beef short ribs with tomatoes and herbs. It was served over the top of a creamy risotto and paired with Cabernet Sauvignon. The rich sauce for the short ribs complimented the velvety smooth Cabernet. The short ribs were so tender that we could cut them with a fork.
Fifth course: Apple tart with caramel drizzle and Mayo River White reduction
The final course was an apple tart with caramel drizzle and Mayo River White reduction. Mayo River White is a sweet wine made from North Carolina Muscadine Carlo grapes. The dessert was paired with Glowing Ember Sweet and Spiced Red Wine. This just-released wine has spices associated with fall apple desserts – cinnamon, anise, ginger, and dried orange peel. The sweet and sour flavors of the apples were mellowed by the spices of the wine. Many people said this was their favorite pairing.
I was also impressed with the creativity of the vegetarian dishes for those who requested them. Though sometimes caterers take the easy way out by simply providing extra vegetables for those not eating meat, Pepper Moon provided substantial portions of grilled tofu as a substitute for the Mahi and marinated cauliflower as a substitute for the short ribs. Those who had these dishes were especially pleased.
Decorations for the tables provided a warm, fall atmosphere – peacock-colored tablecloths, with peacock feathers and dried fall grasses adorned each table in the tasting room, and the fireplace provided warmth and light.
Cabernet Cabin
An extra treat for us was being able to spend the night at the vineyard in the two-bedroom Cabernet Cabin. The winery has several overnight accommodations, including another one-and-a half-bedroom Cabin in the Vines across the vineyard, and four suites, with king bed, bath and a small kitchen with microwave. The cabin was very comfortable, clean and well-equipped for a family or two couples. Standing on the porch at night, we could see so many stars in the dark sky. It was nice to have such a short “commute” to our evening residence following the dinner.
The evening was also a fundraiser for the local Toys for Tots program, which provides toys for local children at Christmas. Throughout the evening, Laura and David raffled off wine and other goodies to support the cause. Overall, it was a fun evening! After this successful event, Laura and David want to offer more wine and food pairing dinners, with the next one sometime around Valentine’s Day. So, visit their website or sign up for their emails to participate in the next one.
Tarheel Taps & Corks 