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2004 Smitty’s Notes Yadkin Valley Wine Tour Saturday, October 2 Come tour the Northwest North Carolina’s growing wine country. Ride as we tour the scenic western Piedmont and take in the changing of the leaves along the Foothills of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Tour some of our local wineries in the region. See and Learn about the wine making process. If we are lucky, some vineyards may still be harvesting and crushing grapes. This promises to be an eye opening and learning opportunity for the true wine connoisseur. All you need to do is sit back and let Smitty’s Notes do the driving
Itinerary
Leave Winston-Salem for Old North State Winery - Mt. Airy, North Carolina Our first stop will be The Old North State Winery which opened in December 2003 as a winery for Cooperative members located at 308 N. Main Street in downtown Mount Airy, North Carolina. The Old North State Wine Growers Cooperative is made up of group of a determined winegrowers who started the Cooperative in November of 2001 and today fifty member vineyards have joined together with a total estimated capacity of 200 tons of winegrapes annually. In 2002, under the Carolina Harvest label, a number of wines are produced which include: Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Prelude and Autumn Leaf Red made from the Cooperative member’s wine grapes. All processed and bottled in a unique historic building in downtown Mt. Airy. We will tour the wine making facility, enjoy a wine tasting and catered lunch on site.
Depart and Travel to Black Wolf Vineyards - Dobson, North Carolina We will move on to Black Wolf Vineyards and The Wolf's Lair Restaurant are co-located at the north end of the Yadkin Valley, North Carolina's first designated viticultural area. The tasting room and restaurant are set atop the highest point on the vineyard grounds, with sweeping panoramas of the surrounding Piedmont foothills and the nearby Blue Ridge Mountains. We will be welcome to walk the grounds, and visit a spring-fed well house and "secret garden," where you can look for a meteorite set into the stone wall that surrounds the garden. The trip will feature a wine tasting.
Depart and Travel to Shelton Vineyards - Dobson, North Carolina Our next destination will take us up toward the northern Piedmont to Shelton Vineyards, one of North Carolina’s newest and largest estate winery. Opened in 2000, Shelton is located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The Shelton Brothers, known around the state as commercial developers involved in some of most exciting real estate projects in Winston-Salem and Charlotte saw tobacco farming on the decline, figured it as a great way to diversify the farming industry and open doors to new industries in the area. People love to tour vineyards, taste the wine and hear the story of winemaking, and at Shelton Vineyards they have created a great new story to tell. On the grounds, 14 different varieties of grapes are grown. The vineyard is comparable to those you would find in the Burgundy region of France. Both areas share a similar climate and growing season. Virtually all wine producing grapes [vinifera] are of European ancestry. Their wine selection includes Barrel-Fermented Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Viognier, Madison Lee and Salem Fork Blush. Additionally, the vineyards has its own line of cheeses. Shelton Cheeses offers handcrafted artisan cheeses made from premium quality goat and jersey cow milk. We will tour their winery and review the winemaking process. Shortly after the tour, the Shelton staff will host you to a tasting of their collection of great wines. The fun doesn’t end there. After a short time for you to do some exploring of the grounds, and visit their gift shop and sunlit bar which boasts wine and grape themed items sure to please the wine lover on your list! They offer a bounty of gourmet items, table linens & napkins, and much, much more!
5:30 pm Load Up and Head Home!! We will return back to Winston-Salem and talk about what a great day it was of fun in the sun and learning more than you thought you ever would know about the Yadkin Valley Wine Region. Plus, met a new friend or two. We'll head home in time to attend the annual Triad German Club Octoberfest, scheduled that evening at the Millennium Center in downtown Winston-Salem. Should be an interesting day of wine, bratwurst and German beer.
Cost $65.00 per personSeating is limited to 50 people.
Includes- Admission, Wine Tasting and Commemorative glass at Old North State Winery Shelton Vineyards and Black Wolf Vineyards - Catered Lunch at Old North State Winery - Smitty’s Notes Wine Tour Goodie Bag (a bunch of neat wine stuff, coupons and local info) - Beverages and Snacks provided - Luxury Bus Transportation Touring the Yadkin River Valley Vineyards
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