Best of 2023

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 Town hosted 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 People1Tourism to 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.

May wine tastings with Merlot 2 Muscadine

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 it in 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.

Napa and Sonoma
Part 1, Northern Sonoma and best views of the region
Part 2, Sparkling wines and things to do off the wine trail
Part 3, Historic and boutique wineries, and tips for your own visit

Merlot2Muscadine on the Finger Lakes region

Napa and Sonoma wrap up

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 19^th 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.

Previous posts:
Napa and Sonoma, Part 2
Sparkling wine and other things to do

Visiting Napa and Sonoma
North Sonoma favorites and wineries with the best views

May wine tastings with Merlot 2 Muscadine

Arthur Barham of Merlot2Muscadine media is known for his wine tastings, pairing foods with wines he wants to share with fellow wine lovers. In honor of NC Wine Month in May, Arthur hosted two tastings to allow his wine friends to taste and compare North Carolina wines with wines from other producers. The result? So much fun and a new appreciation among the tasters for sparkling wines and Tannat.

Salty snacks paired with the sparkling wines.

A newly minted Sommelier I, Arthur enjoys the planning and pairings that go into his wine tastings. “I love conducting wine tastings especially when I get to expand a person’s knowledge of wine or promote their curiosity about learning more,” he said.

Arthur’s tasting event for sparkling wines drew a some stormy response. We had barely started the tasting, and Arthur was explaining various methods for creating sparkling wine, when suddenly the wind picked up, rain started to pour, and the lights went out. No more slides!

But that didn’t stop the fun. With light from the windows, candles and cell phone flashlights, we started pouring and tasting four NC sparkling wines and rating them. It was clear that our group had a diverse palate and preferences in sparkling wines. In the end, the group’s favorites were sparkling wines the 2022 Raffaldini Augurirom and 2019 Piccione Vino di Lusso.

• 

  With candles and lanterns, the tasting continued even without lights.

• 

  The sparkling wines for the taste testing revealed.

• 

  Brianna Burns and Arthur Barham enjoy dessert after wine tasting.

The sparkling wines were paired with some yummy, salty rich foods, including French fries, horseradish potato chips, candied bacon strips and prosciutto-wrapped dates. We finished it all off with cheesecake and strawberries with whipped cream.

Tasting 2: Tannat

If you are a lover of red wines, you’ve surely tasted Tannat, which is produced in Europe, South America and North America. As we learned from our tasting, North Carolina is making some pretty good Tannats.

Tasting sheet and seven (plus one!) Tannats to taste! Go!

Arthur rented a community center in Fuquay-Varina to host this tasting. The foods he served up included barbecued pork and smoked turkey, with “drunken beans” and a chocolate brownie for dessert. Participants in the tasting included Matt Kemberling and Joe Brock, the NC Wine Guys; Brianna Burns of the NC Wine and Grape Council, Dave Nershi of Vino Sphere, and Dathan Kazsuk and Jen Primrose of Triangle Around Town and Local 919 wine and beer shop.

We took an hour to taste and rank seven Tannats, including three from North Carolina, two from Virginia, one from Texas, and one from both France and Uruguay.

The third-place winner was the 2008 Kerrville Hills Tannat from Texas; second place went to a 2019 Surry Cellars Tannat from NC; and the top pick was the 2019 Shelton “259” Tannat, also from NC.

• 

  Arthur introduces the Tannats for tasting.

• 

  Tasting guests taste and score the wines in the blind taste testing

• 

  Barbecued pork and smoked turkey, with drunken beans rounded out the menu.

Arthur wonders if the strong showing of NC wines in this tasting shows that wine lovers, particularly in this state, are developing a taste for the local terroir and winemaking styles. Definitely a possibility!

Return of the NC Wine Summit

The 2022 NC Wine Digital Media Summit gave participants a look at the range of wineries in North Carolina, from the large and established to smaller, family-owned wineries that have been open only a few years.

The pre-summit tours for about 70 participants were held July 17, with stops at Shelton Vineyards, Hidden Vineyard, Haze Gray Vineyards and dinner at Golden Road Vineyards.

Shelton is one of the long-standing wineries of North Carolina, having opened in 2000. Winemaker Ethan Brown took the group through the winemaking process, from harvesting (with some very high-tech equipment), to the fermentation and barrel rooms. The winery is built on a hillside, where harvested grapes reach the crush pad at the highest point, and the grape juice flows downhill through rest of the winemaking process.

As our group headed down the massive staircase through the winery, we saw a large tasting table laid out with wine glasses for our tasting. Ethan took us through tasting many of Shelton’s wines before we headed to a barrel room lunch of fresh-greens salads with grilled chicken or salmon, topped off with a flourless chocolate cake.

• 

• 

• 

Van in Black helped us make our way between wineries.

Our next stop was at Hidden Vineyard, a family-owned winery that opened their tasting room in 2020. Lisa Sherman led the group through a wine tasting, explaining the eclectic names of their various wines. Tim Sherman took the group on a tour of the vineyard’s 1880s-era log cabin – used for small, private tastings – and a walk through the vineyard to see the various grapes they grow, most of them still green berries on the vines. Stand in the right spot at the middle of the vineyard and you can see the pinnacle of iconic Pilot Mountain.

Our final tour stop was Haze Gray Vineyards. Owners Becky and Deane Muhlenberg opened their tasting room just months before COVID shut down all wineries and restaurants in the state. Becky led the group through tasting Haze Gray wines, while Deane took everyone on a tour through the winery. On that hot afternoon, a few minutes in the partially underground barrel room provided welcome relief! The name Haze Gray honors Deane’s 30 years in the Navy – it is the color of Navy ships.

Becky Muhlenberg of Haze Gray Vineyards welcomes the tour participants, including Arthur Barham, to the vineyard.

Lisa Sherman of Hidden Vineyard describes the wines they produce during a tasting.

Deane Muhlenberg leads the tour group through the barrel room at Haze Gray Vineyards.

The NC Wine Guys, Matt Kemberling and Joe Brock, arranged another successful winery tour and wine media summit

Back to the Fairfield Inn, Elkin, before heading out to dinner at Golden Road Vineyards, another family-owned winery that opened their tasting room during the first year of COVID.  We were greeted with a glass of GRV’s first sparking wine, Emergency Blow, made from dry Traminette. Dinner was prepared by Charley Smith of Gunny’s Soul Food Fusion in Winston-Salem and included gazpacho or strawberry-feta salad, grilled salmon with rice and vegetables, and a homemade peach cobbler with ice cream for dessert. Many bottles of Golden Road wine were shared with dinner.

• 

  Golden Road Vineyards features an outdoor space with chairs surrounding fire pits, picnic tables and shade.

• 

  A glass of sparkling Emergency Blow greets guests to Golden Road Vineyards.

This year’s summit, held July 18 at the Surry Community College enology and viticulture building, focused on collaboration – how wine media bloggers influencers and the wine industry can support each other. Topics and speakers included

• Bob Aycock (@winecarolinas), “How social media and websites work together”
• Crista Gueberg (@goldenroadvineyards), “Leveraging diversity and inclusion to tell your story”
• Arthur Barham (@merlot.muscadine), “Working together – Helping bloggers help you”
• DeLauren Everett (@Blend&Bubbly), “Leveraging your network to grow your net worth”
• Anna Pendleton (@vawine), “Vineyards and digital influencers working together in Virginia”

SCC’s David Bower took the group on a tour through the lab, classrooms and production facility of the enology and viticulture program.

After five years, the organizers @ncwineguys Matt Kemberling and Joe Brock say the summit may change its format in the future, maybe partnering with some larger wine events coming to the state. Another option would be to take the popular winery tours on the road to different parts of the state, offering participants the deep dive and up-close experience that the wine influencers enjoy.

Childress Vineyards: Big-time winery in a small town

Childress Vineyards

There are some North Carolina wineries you should visit just to see the scope of the state’s wine industry, and Childress Vineyards is certainly one of them. As the largest winery in the Yadkin Valley with a history dating back to 2002, Childress offers amenities and an experience you might expect from wineries on the West Coast.

The winery is located just outside of Lexington, just off of Highways 52 and 62. It is about a half-hour drive from Winston-Salem and less than an hour from Charlotte. When I visited recently on a January weekend, both the tasting room and the Bistro were filled with tourists, and even the winery staff seemed surprised by the crowds.

Childress Vineyards opened its doors in 2004, after establishing vineyards on site and at the estate of owner Richard Childress. A NASCAR team owner, Childress had a personal interest in wine making and wanted to develop his own winery. To help him achieve his goal, he hired award-winning winemaker Mark Friszolowski.

Wine tasting at Childress Vineyards.

The vineyards produce a wide variety of European varietal grapes, and all wines are made from estate grapes, except for the muscadine wines. Muscadine grapes are for Childress wines are purchased from vineyards in Eastern North Carolina, where they are better adapted to the drier soils and temperatures.

In January and February, Children Vineyards is offering “Winter Weekends,” with music on Saturdays and games (trivia and bingo) on Sunday in the pavilion.

Front entrance of Childress Vineyards.

The popular Bistro is open for lunch and brunch, but a few menu selections can be ordered in the pavilion with a glass of wine, beer or mimosas. In the interest of time, I grabbed a quiche with fresh fruit, which made for a delicious brunch. There is a beautiful patio overlooking the vineyards, which would be great on a warm day. But don’t bring your picnic — no outside food or beverages are allowed.

On weekends, tours of the winery are offered every 30 minutes. Weather permitting, you’ll walk through the outdoor areas, including 41 acres of vineyards that can be seen from the hilltop winery. You’ll also see the crush pad where grapes are brought in to be processed, the winemaking room, barrel rooms and special events spaces.

After your tour, stop by the tasting room for informal tastings ($15 for eight wines) or get a more private tasting in the Victory Lounge ($30 for nine wines). You can choose from a list of dry or sweet wines.

The wide variety of wine choices is one reason that Childress is so popular. Not a big fan of dry wines? Turn to the muscadines and Reisling. Don’t love sweet wines? Choose the dry tasting for Viognier, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Malbec. Then choose a bottle of your favorite to purchase before you leave.

The events patio overlooking vineyards.

So if you’re looking for a quick getaway that will leave you feeling as if you’ve just dropped into a West Coast winery, make the drive — winter or any season — to Childress Vineyards.

Childress Vineyards
1000 Childress Vineyards Road
Lexington, NC
336-236-9463

Open daily, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wine tastings, 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Winery tours, M-F, 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m.; Saturday & Sunday, every half hour, 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

Snowed-in winegrowers celebrate the quality of NC Wine

Wine flowed at the winegrowers NC Grand Food and Wine Pairing.

What could be better than being snowed in for two days in Winston-Salem, with 100 or so of your favorite North Carolina winegrowers? That was the situation at the NC Winegrowers Association annual meeting, as a winter storm swept across the state in late January.

Many conferees, from wine growers to bloggers and exhibitors, came in on Thursday night ahead of the storm. Snow rained down on Winston’s downtown Marriott and Embassy Suites hotels all day Friday, but the precipitation had stopped by Saturday.

Unfortunately, the storm hurt Friday night’s signature conference event, the NC Grand Wine & Food Tasting at the Embassy Suites. Most of the wineries that signed up were there, but only a handful of chefs were able to bring their “food pairings” for the wine selections. Still, conferees enjoyed the wine and reception, while snow blew sideways down the street outside.

Saturday’s NC Showcase of Wines and awards banquet were excellent, and by then, others who could not travel on Friday had joined the group. It was a treat to share a table with Morgan Ridge Vineyards owners Tommy and Amie Baudoin, who brought many fine bottles of their red wines to share.

Despite the weather, it was a good conference. Some presenters, including NC State’s Dr. Hannah Burrack and UNCG’s Dr. Erick Byrd presented their slides remotely, and sessions went on with barely a hitch. Here are a few highlights and wisdom from the winegrowers conference.

Increasing the quality of NC wines

A slice of pork loin from Graze Restaurant paired with red wine.

Producing high-quality wines in the state is important for the future of the NC wine industry, according to NC Winegrowers President Mark Friszolowski of Childress Vineyards. It was a theme that ran through a number of presentations, and several initiatives are already underway to enhance the quality of NC wines.

“High-end buyers won’t take us seriously until we produce high-quality wine at the local level,” Friszolowski said. “To increase the value of your farm and your business, we have to take this issue seriously.”

Friszolowski said he would like to see North Carolina adopt standards, like Virginia’s, requiring that North Carolina wines use a defined percentage of locally produced grapes, an issue he has raised with N.C. state Sen. Brent Jackson, head of the senate’s agriculture committee.

In addition, Friszolowski wants NC State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Science to commit its support of the industry. Viticulturist Dr. Sara Spayd will retire in September, and Frizolowski wants to make sure the college continues its support of the wine industry. At one time, the college had three positions devoted to wine – in addition to Spayd, the college at one time had an enologist and a muscadine extension position, based in Duplin County. Once Spayd retires, there will be no NC State researchers devoted to the wine industry.

Winegrowers Vice President Ken Gulaian told winegrowers about a new effort underway to ensure wine quality in the state – the Quality Alliance Program. The voluntary program provides wineries with a taste panel to detect flaws in their wine.

Launched in January 2015, the program has tested 86 wines and 71 passed the panel’s quality test.

Here’s how it works: Wineries submit two bottles of their wine to the quality program. Three trained sensory panelists taste the wine, looking for any taste flaws. If the wine fails the panel review, it is sent to a lab for analysis. Results of the analysis are provided to the winery, and those that pass, can place a quality assurance label on their wine bottles.

In addition, efforts are underway to launch the NC Fine Wines Competition a year from now. The competition’s gala will be held Feb. 18, 2017. Most of the competition categories will be for vinifera wines: red, white, rose, sparkling and dessert/port, as well as a “best hybrid” category. Award levels are double gold, gold, silver and bronze. In addition to the medals, gala and accolades, winners will be able to share with customers video vignettes about the winning wines.

Seasoned wine judge Linda King told winegrowers, “you have to have medals” and you have to put them where your customers can see them. Medals help tasting room guests to see the value of your wines.

King advised winery owners to first consider competitions close to home, like the Dixie Classic and NC State Fair competitions (though she has some reservations about the State Fair competition, which apparently won’t acknowledge who judges the wines). In choosing which competitions to enter, King advised winegrowers to consider the cost to enter, the number of bottles required and the location of the competition. East Coast wines generally don’t do well in California competitions, she said.

King is optimistic about the future of the wine industry. She told winegrowers that, “The quality of wine in this country has skyrocketed.” The same can be said for the quality of NC wines over the last 15 years.

Graze Restaurant of Winston-Salem puts final touches on pork loin slices.