Last weekends of 2017

So with Christmas and New Years we decided to combine the blog for those 2 weeks. So... here we go.

After doing a tiny bit of last minute shopping on Saturday the 23rd, we decided to head to Waldensian Heritage Wines. Very quaint tasting room and they had some regulars enjoying wine and football. Since it had been quite a while since we had been there, we decided to do a tasting again. We ended up bringing 3 bottles home as they were having a really nice sale.

We then headed to Shadow Line Vineyard . Marvin & Geba are such lovely people. We also met a very sweet couple who are neighbors to the vineyard and had such a nice time chatting with them. This was the second time we went to Shadow Line and both times it was rainy. We are going to pick a very pleasant, sunny day the next time we do so we can enjoy the patio area they have. If I am not mistaken, we came home with 3 bottles from them. Yep restocked the wine racks!

Sunday being Christmas Eve, we went to church, had family lunch, I wrapped gifts and then we headed to Russian Chapel Hills. Andre was doing a special tasting with oysters that Dennis did. I  am not an oyster fan so I just had a glass of the Sauvignon Blanc. 

Last Saturday we went to a new winery in Laurens, Abiding Vines Vineyard. Owner David Barnes is so personable. Come to find out he works with someone that I grew up with. Small world! This is a young vineyard/winery and he is currently producing all muscadine but is wanting to make some other fruit wines in the future. He had a two varietals of muscadine that we had not had before the Creek and the Regale. We brought a bottle of the Regale home with us. 

We then went by City Scape to get another bottle of the Winemaker's Cab Sav since I had given the one we had as a retirement gift. As always the winery was hopping and we enjoyed a glass each and a cheese board and got to see Pinot for a few. He was dressed all snuggly in a sweater. We made a quick stop at Happy Cow Creamery as Dennis wanted some of his milk and we also picked up some cheese, natural peanut butter and a spaghetti sauce that I thought looked interesting. 

We then drove up to Victoria Valley. Such a beautiful place! The owner and winemaker Les Jane's daughter Brittany did our tasting and we had a lovely chat with some locals/regulars. We brought a bottle of the Table Rock Rose home with us. 

Sunday after church and lunch, we drove up to Parker Binns for a little bit before heading to Greenville for our traditional New Year's Eve dinner & comedy. BTW, if you've never tried Uber, you must! It's fantastic! Since it was so cold, we were pleasantly surprised to see how busy they were. Sadly they were out of our favorite which is the Rose, but we enjoyed the Lulu Red for a nice change. As we were leaving sweet Dee was there, enjoying a glass on her day off on the OTHER side of wine bar! 

So after all the festivities on Sunday night, we got read

y, check out of our hotel and headed south to GA. Thinking the weather would be better that way. Dennis wanted to go to The Dillard House in Dillard, GA. On the way, we ran into some snow, but it wasn't too bad but it did concern us for a little bit. About 15 minutes later we were out of it and got to enjoy a MASSIVE lunch.

We had planned to go to a winery that we had not been to before, but they were closed for the day, so we headed to Habersham Winery and Vineyard. Did a tasting facilitated by the very lovely and sweet Sydne. We decided to shared a bottle of the Gewurztraminer and met two super fun couples. Sadly we had to tell them good bye and head home. All in all I would say the holiday weekends were a great success and much fun!

Winery Escapade- Weekend 48 2017

Wow this past weekend so much fun! Honestly I did not want it to end! We left early Friday afternoon and headed to Elkin, NC.

Our first winery stop was at Grassy Creek Vineyard. We had a blast with Wayne and Joyce chatting and learning about the property. We brought several bottles of wine home with us, with 3 that are going to be Christmas gifts, a t-shirt for me and a horse shoe for Dennis. The entire property was horse pasture and the tasting room was a horse stable once upon a time.

 We left there with a recommendation from Joyce to have dinner at Southern on Main. Man was she right! The food was fantastic and our waitress was terrific! I had pork medallions and Dennis had crab cakes. Neither one disappointed. Even though we were rather full, we diet splurged and shared a Crème Brûlée for dessert. Then we walked around downtown Elkin as it was Light it Up Friday. 

Saturday morning started out with breakfast at Breakfastime which was right beside out hotel. We left there and wandered around Antique Mall of the Foothills that was near by. First of all, the store is deceptively large. It just kept going and going. We were in there for well over an hour and I am certain that we missed a lot of good stuff. We came home with 2 gorgeous blue wine glasses, a beautiful crystal heart paper weight for my desk and a super cute snowman that lights up. 

From there we headed to Midnight Magdalena Vineyards. This is a rather young vineyard but man were the wines good. Apparently there was a 7 vineyard event going on that you could visit them all and taste what is called a vertical flight of one of each of the vineyards wines. Midnight Magdalena was doing their Merlot, 2017, 2016 & 2015. Unfortunately we didn't know about that event, but we were able to do the vertical flight at Midnight Magdalena. The winery is owned by a set of sisters and their husbands. The venue itself is beautiful and Krista (one of the sisters) was a delight! We enjoyed a glass each and listened to some live music. 

Our next stop was Dobbins Creek Vineyard which was our 100th NC winery stop since this journey began. Dennis will be posting a special blog about this stop. We met our friends Will & Pam there along with fellow bloggers The NC Wine Guys. 

Our final stop of the day was at Laurel Gray Vineyards. We shared wine and laughter with Will & Pam and brought a bottle of the Peach wine & their BBQ sauce home wtith us. Dennis & I have a soft spot for peach wine. 

Sunday started with breakfast at the hotel and then we had to go on a quest for tennis shoes for me as some how I had a shoe blow out. After finding the shoes we headed to  Jones von Drehle Vineyards. This is a lovely family vineyard that has 30 acres under vine. We spent some time chatting with one of the owners, Chuck Jones. The property is so lovely and they have some amazing wines. We brought a few bottles home (yes we brought SEVERAL bottles home this trip). 

                

Next up was Mcritchie Vineyards and Ciderworks. We had a lovely time there and brought some wine and cider home. We got to chat with Sean McRitchie for a little bit.

                           

And our final stop for the weekend was Slightly Askew Wines The original purpose for stopping was to get a bottle of the Spiker Dude. We ended up doing a tasting again and getting 2 bottles of the one we went after. 

As you can tell the weekend was full and we had a blast! 

Upper Hiwassee Highlands AVA

High in the Southern Appalachian Mountains of Western North Carolina and North Georgia lies the American Viticultural Area of Upper Hiwassee Highlands. Nine wineries within this AVA, make this the perfect area for a long weekend getaway. Check the VinoWine app for details and directions. 

Located in the North Carolina Mountains 

1. Callaboose Cellars - Andrews

Slightly of the main road, lie this quaint craft winery. The smallest winery in the country, in a an old stone building with bars on the windows as it was once used as a jailhouse. 

2. FernCrest Winery - Andrews

A craft winery located downtown Andrews. 

3. Nottely River Valley Vineyards - Murphy

Rural mountain top winery and vineyard with amazing views of three states, North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennessee. 

4. Eagle Fork Vineyards - Hayesville

While the tasting room is right on Highway 64, the vineyard grows on the owners private rural mountain property. 

5. Valley River Vineyards - Murphy

Rural farm based Winery off the beaten path. 

Located in the North Georgia Mountains 

6. Cane Creek Vineyards - Young Harris

Family farm based vineyard and winery offering exquisite views of the surrounding mountains. 

7. Hightower Creek Vineyards - Hiawassee

Family owned rural vineyard and winery producing hand crafted premium wines. 

8. Odom Springs Vineyards - Blairsville

Family owned rural estate einety with a lodge offering beautiful views of the vineyard spreading across a rolling hillside. 

9. Paradise Hills Winery Resort - Blairsville

Family owned rural farm vineyard and winery offering cabins for lodging and a spa for relaxation. 

Check the map below and utilize the 

VinoWine

Weekend Escapade - Week 42

Thinking we'd view some Fall foliage, Saturday we headed toward Andrews  and Murphy, N.C.  This area is part of the Upper Hiwassee Highlands American Viticultural Area. This AVA of the Southern Appalachian Mountains straddles the North Carolina and North Georgia Mountains around the state line. It is one of the nations newest American Viticultural Area. We have visited several in this area on previous trips, though still a few in North Carolina to partake.

Our first stop was Callaboose Cellars. The winery is located in a 100 year old stone building which was once used as a jailhouse. It's the smallest Winery in the country according to their website. Offering only a few wines, tastings are offered at no charge. Their nearby Vineyard supports over four acres under vine. There is a small porch and a big yard with beautiful mountain views. We took a bottle of the Revinoors Red home with us. This one is extremely unique. Can't wait to get back this way and spend a little more time just hanging out and enjoying the views.

 

In quest of visiting a few more in the AVA, we then made our way downtown Andrews to visit Ferncrest Winery. Ferncrest has a small off site vineyard which lies on the crest of a hill and thereby harnesses the power of the sun, much like a fern will. This is a true urban winery, perfect for a quick drop in when exploring the town of Andrews and surrounding mountains. We brought a bottle of the Silver medal winning Autumn Rosé, a semi-sweet made from Cynthiana grape, home with us.

We then headed toward Murphy with the intention to visit Valley River Vineyards. Except we found this winery closed. After checking their website, I see they are closed for the season and will reopen in March. I did find this cute plant growing in a wine glass on top of a barrel.

Quick to regroup, we headed towards downtown to Cherokee Cellars. This one is another true urban winery. Glad we made it as the owners informed us they are closing up as of end of October.  We did find several wines we enjoyed and took four bottles home with us. They are pretty much selling everything, so the have a few wine barrels on sale for $150 each.

Sunday we headed up to Overmountain Vineyards in Tryon.  We wanted to try the 2016 vintage of Camelia. Camelia is a very light white blend of Chardonnay and Petit Manseng. It's really crisp with a depth of floral aroma.  We enjoyed a bottle on the patio. It was so nice to speak with so many others enjoying a beautiful Fall day. Sophia was really busy but even so took a few minutes to speak with us. The winery Great Danes, Maximus and Shamus, are always up for some attention.

  

I made my way down toward the winery, and snapped a few pictures. Fortunate for me, owner and winemaker Frank Lilly approached and we were able to speak for a few minutes. Frank studied wine making in the Sonoma Valley, and he and Sophia are trying to emulate a Sonoma-Like experience at Overmountain Vineyards. From the looks of the crowd, and the taste of the wine, I'd say they are doing a darn good job. 

Upon leaving, we decided to stop by and see our friend Andrey at Russian Chapel Hill Winery as we know the winery is open until 6pm.  We've visited and written about RCHW many times, yet it is always nice to visit. The winery just offers a relaxing spot to have a good glass of wine and reflect on the past weekend. We met this pair of sisters who were just enjoying an outing and we enjoyed talking with them about wine and travel and fun. Oh by the way, check out the gelato which is offered at the winery. 

 

 

Another Weekend escapade comes to close. Happy weekend wining!

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