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!

Abiding Vine Vineyard - Laurens South Carolina

The Great Jen-Nis Weekend Winery Escapades

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 Posted on January 8, 2018

Abiding Vine Vineyard – Laurens SC

A new vineyard and winery just recently opened in South Carolina. We are very excited to see industry growth in the state and therefore were excited for our first visit. Located on rural family property in Western Laurens county, Abiding Vine is the dream of David Barnes.

David has planted six varieties of muscadine, about 230 plants total. Three whites including Carlos, Magnolia, and Welder, along with three reds, Noble, Creek, and Regale. Plans are to plant additional vines in the near future and also offer some sweeter fruit wines.

David, an educator by trade, is truly enjoying this new venture. He loves to interact with customers and has many interesting stories to share. The small winery has inside seating and a small patio with outdoor seating. The rural setting and good wine make for a very peaceful experience for one that locals and travelers alike are sure to enjoy.

Abiding Vine and CityScape Winery in Pelzer are approximately 30 minutes apart. Siri knows the quick way taking you through some beautiful South Carolina countryside. We highly recommend a Saturday day trip visiting both of these rural craft wineries. Both small businesses are locally owned. Happy weekend wining!

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The Great Jen-Nis Weekend Winery Escapades

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 Posted on November 16, 2017

Winery Escapade – Weekend 45

Friday evening we had the pleasure of dining in Tryon, N.C. at an old favorite. The Caro-Mi Dining Room offers family style servings of Southern comfort food in a rustic cabin along the banks of the Pacolet River. The Caro-Mi does not serve alcohol, however brown bagging is allowed with a small service fee. So don’t hesitate to bring a bottle of your favorite local wine. I could perhaps pen an entire post about the Caro-Mi, but why not just go partake in this incredible dining experience for yourself. Keep in mind though, reservations are highly recommended.

Saturday our plan was to visit a couple which we had yet to get to. First stop is one we previously planned to visit, but ran short of time. Little River Winery is a beautiful historic property which also doubles as Summer Duck Farm. Owned by John Georgius, surrounding land acquisitions have expanded the farm to nearly 1400 acres.

The Greek revival style historic home, built in the early 1870’s, sits stately above the entrance driveway and vineyards.

Some of the wines offered which we most enjoyed included a German Riesling, and the silver medal wining Big Johns Red, a bold medium bodied blend with the Crawdad Creek label. Two different Cabernet blends, the silver medal winning Synergy which is 100% estate grown and the Infusion blend of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. Island Breeze, a pineapple wine is also bottled under the Crawdad Creek label. We brought a bottle of the Riesling and the Big John’s Red home to add to our collection.

We left the winery and decided to stop at Town Creek Indian Mound state historic site. The site was incredibly interesting, informative, and fun.

We headed back towards Ablemerle and our final stop of the day, Stony Mountain Vineyards.

The winery sits atop Stony Mountain, part of the Uwharrie Mountain range. The winery offers incredible views from their tasting room and a small deck. The view looks out over the vineyard and valley below and upon a neighboring mountain. We were able to watch deer playing and grazing just below the vineyard. You can see the deer in the below pictures.

Winemaker Ken Furr owns the winery with his wife Marie whom we were fortunate to speak with. Daughter Laura poured our tasting, and we also met son Devron. Devron explained that their Chardonnay is extra crisp, so they like to describe it as more of a ChardonnHEY! European reds and whites are offered, and the winery is making some good fruit wines. The view is awesome and we look forward to getting back one day and taking a tour of the entire property. We enjoyed a bottle of Strawberry at the winery, and brought a bottle of the Songbird Blush home with us.

Sunday our super talented friend Alex Davis was playing at Owls Eye Vineyard. We are saddened that the winery is closing at the end of this month, yet we just couldn’t past the opportunity to see Alex perform. As his website states, Alex certainly isn’t your average piano bar man. Alex is a fellow alum of the University of South Carolina, and one the nicest individuals we know. He plays at wineries up and down the East Coast and certainly has began to build a following. We are thrilled to announce that Alex has agreed to write a guest blog for us. Look for it soon, and check out his Website for upcoming shows and to listen to his original music.

Another weekend Escapade comes to close. One note I want to pass on, as of this weekend Jenni and I have visited a total of 95 North Carolina wineries. We’re looking for recommendations as to which one should be number 100. Hoping to make a big deal out that special visit. Happy Weekend Wining!

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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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