MTGlass

When I think about NC wine country, admittedly, Davidson County may not immediately jump to mind, however, as I recently discovered, it should. Davidson County is home to three exceptional vineyards, and with their close proximity to Winston Salem, Salisbury, and Greensboro, these vineyards are just waiting to be discovered. My husband and I took a Friday afternoon and managed to visit all three vineyards; what we found were three very different wineries with very different wines, philosophies, and atmospheres. This Davidson County Wine Tour provides an excellent cross section of what NC winemaking is all about.

We started off our tour at Weathervane Winery, located at 1452 Welcome Arcadia Road in Lexington, North Carolina. Weathervane has a nice relaxed feel that gives visitors an excuse to hang out for an afternoon and enjoy the wines. The ambience of the tasting room really feels like home and the staff ensures guests are treated as friends and family. Sid Proctor, the owner and wine maker, is normally on site, and takes the time to visit with guests, answer questions, and provide cool little tidbits about his winery and his wines.

Speaking of his wines, Weathervane has quite an impressive assortment of whites, reds, desserts, and even an original rose΄. As usual, I’ll highlight some of my favorites and I encourage readers to go try the rest for themselves. In the white category, the Evening Breeze Riesling was a definite standout. Crisp and fruity, this fresh white has slight flowery undertones and only a bit of sweetness, which is a nice contrast to some Rieslings. Whereas I may only want to drink one glass of Riesling typically, I can see how Evening Breeze could be enjoyable well past the first glass.

There are two notable reds at Weathervane, but they are very different wines. The Grand Vieux Chateau du Roi is a 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 Southeastern Wine Competition Gold Medal Winner. It is a French style red wine with beautiful color; it offers bold aromas and a strong taste of cherries on the front end and woody flavors at the finish. On that note, Weathervane has an interesting way of oaking their wines. Instead of aging in oak barrels, they use oak chips is cheese cloth in order to better control the amount of oak flavor that a wine may have, it seems to pay off in the end product, as none of their wines come off tasting like a tree. The other notable red is their Zinfandel called Stratosphere; a 2006 Southeastern Wine Competition Gold Medal Winner. This wine is slightly sweet but not overly so, it is a good everyday red that would go well with a number of dinners on a regular basis, but most notably, steak and potatoes.

Probably the most interesting wine that Weathervane has isn’t actually on the tasting menu…yet (but they will let you taste it). The Cirrus White Rose΄ is a blend of red and white wines, but instead of having the sweet element that you would expect in a rose΄ from California or even from other NC wineries, Sid has blended this rose΄ in the Canadian or Washington State style. It has a totally different feel than other local rose΄ wines. I would say that this is perfect for someone who needs more punch than a white, but just hasn’t quite acquired the taste for a bold red. It’s the perfect “in between” wine.

Finally, the dessert wines. I can’t say enough about the dessert (fruit) wines. Weathervane has some of the best that I have tasted at NC wineries. Instead of only using the specific fruit to make the fruit wine, Weathervane carefully pairs a wine grape with the fruit and the pairings and the end result are simply phenomenal. I could go on about every one of the 6 fruit wines that they offer, but I won’t and can’t do them justice, so I can only ask that you visit Weathervane and give them a try. My personal favorites are Placid Peach and Tropical Wave, while my husband loved Blue Norther and Rooster Black; but with that said, Rooster Red was incredible and I gave Sweet Mountain Bliss and the chocolate that went with it 3 stars too. I mean I really can’t speak highly enough of these wines. There will be a limited release of a pomegranate wine coming soon, but it is sure to go fast, so make sure to check out their website for more info www.weathervanewinery.com.

Our next stop was about 5 minutes away at Junius Lindsay Vineyard located at 385 Dr. Zimmerman Road Lexington, North Carolina. This vineyard is a totally different style than the previous one. Junius Lindsay has a European feel to it’s tasting room, a little bit Mediterranean, a little bit French. The wine is all the way French, as is the intent of the owner, Michael Zimmerman. If you want a true sense of a French Vineyard, then Junius Lindsay is the place to go. The wines are evolved and very mature, and the tasting cellar also has a refined feel.

Before I get into the wines, let me take a minute to acknowledge something that may occasionally get overlooked, but is special in its own right…the labels! Junius Lindsay has the best looking labels that I have seen produced by a NC winery, hands down. Other vineyards have good looking logos and pretty designs but Junius Lindsay labels are works of art. I would hang them in my home, no kidding, you could collect them. It’s little attention to detail like this that led me to believe that I was in for a treat when the tasting began.

Now let me preface the tasting by saying that all the vines are French clones, and that the owner intends to stay true to the Rhone Valley of France which is a major wine producer of excellent (and expensive) French wine. Junius Lindsay offers guests the French wine experience without the French wine price.

It is important to mention that Michael recently entered two of his wines in the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition and walked away with two medals! The 2008 Second Leaf Viognier-Roussanne won the Gold Medal and the 2007 Triomphe Red won the Bronze Medal. The 2008 Second Leaf is a full bodied and bold white wine. It has a strong pepper finish and it has lovely floral aromatics. The 2007 Triomphe is a nice blend that displayed a smoky fruitfulness first but finished smoothly with traditional French spices.

Besides the award-winners, the 2006 Syrah Barrel Select is worth bringing up. This wine has an outstanding color and an intense pepper start followed with a strong oak and leather flavor. I would caution that this wine is made for a mature palette and wine novices may mot be prepared for the strong overtones that this wine has in store, but for those of you with experience in excellent, expensive bottles of wine, this is right up your alley.

Finally I’ll mention the Estelle Dessert Wine. If you ever wondered what would happen if they forgot to harvest the grapes, then try this wine. This is the Viognier left on the vine for two extra weeks. After continuing to ripen, the grapes are so much sweeter that the Viognier turns into a dessert wine. There is no extra sugar added, it is simply nature at work and it is fabulous. Overall, Junius Lindsay is a local look at French flair.

We wrapped up our afternoon at Childress Vineyards. Once again, this winery is a totally different experience than the other two we had visited. I recommend saving this one for last just because the other two are close together and they are more similar to one another than to Childress. Childress Vineyards is owned by NASCAR Racing Legend Richard Childress. The grounds are expansive and impressive and right off of Highway 52 in Lexington, NC. The tasting room is Tuscan styled and beautifully decorated inside and eloquently landscaped outside. There is plenty of parking, a hotel, a restaurant and a shopping center on the premises. Childress Vineyards is probably the most commercialized winery in North Carolina and thus probably draws the most tourists of all the wineries.

Childress has two tasting options for guests to choose from, either sweet wines or the varietals. I personally chose the varietals. I would like to note that tastings at this winery are going to be quite a bit higher in price than your average NC vineyard; however, when you consider the surroundings, the size, the distribution of the wines, and the splendor of the building, the price may be justified. This vineyard has a master wine maker and has won over 500 awards. This is indeed a high end experience.

Onto the wine. The mentionable wines in the varietals tasting were the 2006 Chardonnay and the Pinnacle. The 2006 Chardonnay is interestingly enough aged in both stainless steel and oak, with 80% resting in stainless steel. It still holds a good oak flavor though and is lightly fruity and clean. It’s color was nice as well, which normally doesn’t stand out to me in a white. The Pinnacle is a Bordeaux style red blend and the 2008 Mid Atlantic Wine Competition Gold Medal Winner. It is a pleasant red wine with light berry flavors that can be enjoyed by experienced wine drinkers and novices alike.

Childress Vineyards also has two dessert wines that are worth tasting. The Late Harvest Viognier and the Starbound Dessert Wines are excellent. The Late Harvest Viogner is honey tinged with hints of golden citrus. The Starbound is a port-style blueberry wine with a punch up on the liquor content that will warm the body and the spirit while still be very tasty. Overall, Childress is an experience that is not to be missed.

So that sums it up. Davidson County surprised me. These three wineries, different as they are, are all excellent in their own right. Each one has something special that the others don’t provide; and they all have something that leaves you wanting to go back and revisit them, which I plan to do soon, and so should you!