We recently attended the grand opening of Euda Wine in Old Fort.  Owner Michael McGeary and his wife Abi moved to the area in 2022 with the intention of producing wines with minimal human intervention.  Euda is from the Greek word Eudaimonia, which is translated to the idea of happiness or living well.  Michael’s background in philosophy is evident in his wine making.  He feels wine is determined by the time (year to year) and place (soil), not by a recipe.  He began his career as a sommelier in the restaurant business and has traveled the world working in all aspects ..read more

As we have gotten older, we have a greater appreciation for the moments we share with family and friends.  Rather than giving gifts we often can’t remember from year to year, we consciously try to create memories.  This doesn’t mean just special occasions.  A special memory can be as ordinary as a Sunday afternoon visit.  For us, a lot of those times involve opening a bottle of wine.  Whether it be sharing a memorable bottle of wine or introducing someone to a North Carolina wine, we enjoy drinking and discussing wine.  Some people collect magnets from their trave ..read more

When we find ourselves with a long weekend, we head out to wineries that are farther out from our day trip distance.  Over the Martin Luther King Jr. weekend, we set out to explore a few wineries in the Haw River AVA in the Piedmont Region.   Nomad Wine Works Our first stop was to visit Dave and Aaron at Nomad Wine Works in downtown High Point. Nomad Wine Woks is an urban winery.  Urban wineries seem to be gaining popularity in cities attempting to revitalize downtown areas. An urban winery is when the winery isn’t located on the vineyard property. Typically, when people s ..read more

Last month we took a few days between Christmas and New Year's to visit the Yadkin Valley area.  We are closing in on having visited every winery in the area.  On this trip, we were able to visit two new wineries.  Our trip started with a visit to Windsor Run Cellars.  We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed a tasting.  They offer a wine flight of 4-2 oz. pours and souvenir glass for $15.  Lisa, our host, led us through our tasting.  She was knowledgeable and a pleasure to discuss the wine with.  Windsor Run is owned by the same owners of Shadow Springs, Chu ..read more

We recently visited Dover Vineyards in Concord for the first time.  The property is a nice deviation from the commercial development that surrounds it.  The property includes the vineyard, tasting room and open air produce market.  The tasting room is rustic and cozy with several seating areas to enjoy a glass of wine.  There are heated sitting areas closer to the vines for larger groups. We picked up lunch from ,,Garofola’s Italiano restaurant as suggested by the owner, Elizabeth.  You are also welcome to bring a picnic if you prefer.  We spent a few minutes bro ..read more

To say that the North Carolina wine industry is constantly growing is an understatement. On a summer visit to Raffaldini, we noticed a new vineyard across the street. We immediately googled Castello Barone Vineyards and Winery and found their website, which included blogs detailing their progress. We reached out to the owners, Scott and Elizabeth, to ask a few questions. Scott immediately responded. Fast forward to Saturday, November 18th, when we made our way to the Swan Creek AVA and attended their grand opening. The entire property was buzzing with activity. Lunch was available from Wraps ..read more

To celebrate the 35th annual Virginia Wine Month (October) we close the month with a trip to the Monticello American Viticultural Area (AVA). We hope you enjoy this blog from Andrew and Hannah recapping their trip to the Monticello AVA in Virgina. In October, a trip to meet up with friends and enjoy the fall foliage landed us in the Monticello AVA in Charlottesville, VA. The location of this AVA is wonderful for having places to stay while you are visiting with an abundant amount of hotels and Airbnbs in Charlottesville. The Monticello wine trail is inspired by Thomas Jefferson’s vision of wi ..read more

The dream of what has become Christian Paul Vineyards began with the owners, Christian Ercolani and Andrew Weyl, traveling the world. They have visited many of the top wine producing areas and experienced great wineries. These experiences created a desire to bring wines similar to the ones they have tasted from around the world to the public. They wanted to grow grapes and create a comfortable and warm environment to enjoy them. From their travels they developed favorite whites from France and Germany and complex reds from Bordeaux, Argentina and Italy. Their aim is to bring the world of wine ..read more

You can’t discuss the origins of the North Carolina wine industry without understanding the impact of Ed and Charles Shelton. The brothers were born and raised in Surry County. Even though they created companies in other parts of the state, their love and dedication to the Yadkin Valley remained strong. If one event could be a catalyst for what would become the Yadkin Valley American Viticultural Area (AVA), it would be creating the Viticulture and Enology program at Surry Community College (SCC). Ethan Brown, winemaker at Shelton Vineyards, explained it best, What I always like to discuss is ..read more

While traveling to the western part of North Carolina we stopped in for our first visit to Slanted Window Wines. We got a lot more than we bargained for. We not only tried their amazing wines, but we tasted great food and enjoyed the music of Nicole Marie Quinn . There is something for everyone here. They also serve beer and bourbon. Sometimes good things come from bad situations. Having spent their younger years in western North Carolina, Dion and Cathy Sena decided to make the area their summer home. Upon arriving they discovered so much hurricane damage they would have to restore the fami ..read more