Old Homeplace Vineyard - Winston-Salem, NC

I've got to be honest, pulling into Old Homeplace Vineyard, I wasn't sure what to expect. First thought though as we winded up the  gravel entrance road, this sure is beautiful property. The Vineyard and Winery lie on the banks of Lake Thom-A-Lex, between the towns of Thomasville and Lexington. Open just 7 months, owners David and Jill Stone have put a lot into making this place special. The property, long in Jill's family, is an old tobacco farm.

The tasting room is a renovated old farmhouse, with an absolute beautiful large back deck. The deck is shaded, overlooking the beautiful grounds, tire swing, and of course the lake. Perfect for relaxing and enjoying a bottle of their wine. The tire swing matches the logo of the winery, which was designed by Jill.  David mentioned that to his knowledge, they are the only winery in North Carolina located directly on a lake.  A fire pit also sits out in the yard, perfect for cool evenings.  Jenni and I relaxed on the deck and shared a bottle of the semi-sweet 2015 Riesling, which just won double gold at the North Carolina State Fair.

Adirondack Chairs and picnic tables are scattered about the back yard, several just by the shore of the lake. Several groups were relaxing in the yard enjoying a comfortable Saturday afternoon. A barn is also in process of being constructed, which will be used to host weddings and other fun events.

There is a bell as you leave, with a sign requesting to show them some love by ringing.  We couldn't pass without showing our love.

Horses and donkeys graze in the pasture beside the winery. Jenni couldn't resist giving the horses some love. This guy didn't seem to mind one bit.

Currently the vineyard is planted with muscadine and they are buying all North Carolina grown grapes to supplement. David is buying  some fruit from Georgia for the sweeter fruit wines.  Mark Friszolowski, winemaker at Childress Vineyards,  is consulting in the formulation of their wines. I couldn't help but to let the owners know as we were leaving, they've something special going. The property is simply beautiful, and the wines are certainly good. David mentioned that he and Jill, though both currently still working "real jobs," look forward to making the vineyard and winery their full time passion. I've no doubt, success of Old Homeplace Vineyard  is in their future.  

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10 Year Anniversary for Rocky River Vineyards and other Fun

We started our weekend with a second visit to Old Rock Quarry in Enoree after dinner since they're open until 8 of Friday and Saturday. While the attached picture is no so flattering of me, I wanted you to "meet" the two lovely ladies that own the winery, Debbie and Linda. To say we love these 2 ladies would be an understatement. They are so funny and sweet! I would encourage all of you to make the drive (short from Spartanburg, Greenwood and Columbia) to see these two. We shared a bottle of their peach, brought a bottle of that and a bottle of their Snap Apple Sassy home.

So Saturday was the 10th anniversary for Rocky River Vineyards so we headed up there. They had several vendors, a DJ and live music. They also had special commemorative glasses and t-shirts. We brought one of the glasses home. We shared a bottle of the Peace and Quiet which is a Niagara with just a touch of Merlot. We had a good time there. As always met some really fun people.

We then headed to Old Homeplace Vineyard. We had the greatest time here. The owners, David and Jill Stone, were so super sweet! The farm has been in Jill's family since 1945. It used to be a tobacco farm and the winery has only been open for 7 months but do not let that lower your expectations! The wines are fantastic! David said he had always wanted to have a vineyard/winery so when the opportunity presented itself, he did it. They both still work full time jobs, but are hoping to make this their full time job later on. Dennis and I shared a bottle of their Riesling that just recently won double gold at the NC Fair. As you can see from the pictures below, I made a new friend and they have a beautiful view. The picture of Dennis ringing the bell says, Thank you for visiting Old Homeplace Vineyard. We wish you well. Show us your love by ringing the bell. So of course we did!

We stayed the night in Burlington, NC and went to a couple of other wineries on Sunday. 

We started the day at SilkHope Winery. Oh my goodness! The lady that runs the tasting room was such a hoot! We didn't have a bottle or glass there, but we did bring home a bottle of their White Chambourchin American style (this was a first for us and boy did we like it! They have a French style as well that is also very good, we just preferred the American) and a bottle of the 2008 Chambourchin (so when people say a Chambourchin doesn't age well.... tell them you know someone who would argue that point). As we were leaving the owner, Wally. He's an older gentleman, was very nice to talk to for a little bit. 

We left there, got some lunch and then headed to Zimmerman Vineyards. I didn't get the lady that did our tasting's name (hopefully Dennis did) , but I believe she is one of the owners. They had several nice wines but we simply can't afford to take them ALL home. The view was lovely and wines were very good. We each had a glass of the White Persephone. They have 4 dogs that all needed a little bit of loving. I only managed to get a picture of one of them though and that picture, makes me think of an episode of Mad About You where Murphy was on the table, so of course I had to take the picture.   

#ncwine #ncwinemonth

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Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend Dennis and I went to  Flint Hill and Sweet Home Carolina. Both were quiet but we attributed that to it being the first week of college football.

Flint Hill is in a lovely restored home that was the owner's childhood home. The ladies that were working were so lovely. We enjoyed our time there very much. We brought home a bottle of their 2013 Chambourcin and shared it at a get together. It was very lovely with smores! 

We left Flint Hill and headed over to Sweet Home Carolina. Again, the lady that waited on us was super sweet and very knowledgeable. Others came in as we finished up our tasting so we got a bottle of the Twisted Pear and enjoyed their beautiful outside area. The owners arrived and sat outside with us for quite awhile. They are both so very sweet. The wife is practically blind, yet she paints some amazing pictures that they use as the artwork for some of their bottles and they also have them on display in the tasting room. The parrot on the glass is the winery mascot. We brought home a bottle of the Moonstruck Malbec.

Sunday afternoon we went to Parker Binns. Wine, live music (by Brinn), my fabulous hubby, animals, butterflies and pizza, who could ask for more?! We love Sundays at Parker Binns so much! Dee is such an asset to Karen and Roberto. Greets us with a smile and a hug! 

All in all I'd say we had a pretty great weekend! 

#ncwine #ncwinemonth #wineryescapades

Thoughts from Dennis:

This weekend's escapade kept us on the go as Saturday we headed up towards the Yadkin Valley AVA in North Carolina. As Jenni mentioned, we first stopped at Flint Hill Vineyards. Flint Hill had participated in the NC Wine Month Kickoff event at Childress, so we were excited to visit. 

The restored 100+ year old house is really beautiful. A framed picture on the wall shows the house before and after restoration. 

Check out this tranquil outside sitting area.

We took home the chambourchin, and as we were invited over to a cousin's house for smores, we gladly shared our bottle. Yes, the chambourchin paired really well with smores!

Once we arrived at Sweet Carolina Home Vineyards and Winery, I was a little unsure what to expect. This small rural farmstead winery far exceeded my expectations. 

After our tasting, we sat outside on the back porch overlooking a small onsite vineyard of Diamond grapes. The winery has additional vineyards at a separate location.  The owners John and Lyn each spent a long time just sitting and chatting with us. We also met a couple of other new friends. By the way, Lyn is the self taught winemaker. 

Sunday we  first headed to Hendersonville for the Apple festival. A friend warned us it would be crowded, it was.

We did get to sample some hard apple cider from Flat Rock Ciderworks. 

We then headed over to Parker-Binns in Green Creek, just outside of Columbus/Tryon area. Parker-Binns is one of our local favorites.  They serve up free brick oven pizza on Sundays, live entertainment as well. Our joke is a bottle of wine, live entertainment, and dinner for about $20. That's what I call an unbeatable deal!

Lulu always greets us!

The gardens are always in bloom. 

Love the wine cork wallpaper. 

Monday we spent the day at Grandfather Mountain  The views from the mile high swinging bridge are simply amazing. 

Enjoyed a picnic and saw the bears and other animals (see my twitter feed)

Drove home for a while along the Blue Ridge Parkway and then the gorgeous wife and I finished off the long weekend relaxing and enjoying a bottle of the Lulu Red from Parker-Binns Vineyard

Happy Weekend Wining!

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