Girvan Patterson and Janet Duggan led a fun and educational look at North Carolinian wines. We were treated to a short, but interesting, history of the North Carolina wine industry, an audio-visual presentation including some wonderful pictures of Girvan’s and Janet’s trip as well as some rockin’ music, and a wide range of different wines to taste.

North Carolina has a long history of grape growing and wine making. Scuppernong, a native Muscadine grape, was the U.S.’s first cultivated wine grape and is the official fruit of North Carolina. It was first recorded in North Carolina in 1524 by a European explorer. Sir Walter Raleigh’s explorers were credited with the discovery, in the late 1500’s, of the Scuppernong “mother-vine” on Roanoke Island—a vine with a 2 foot thick trunk and a canopy covering half an acre, which until recently, still produced grapes. (Girvan and Janet had an picture of the incredible, gnarly mother-vine.) Scuppernong and other Muscadine grape varieties were used to build the wine industry in North Carolina. In 1819, the American Farmer reported that “many farmers near Fayetteville, North Carolina have for years past drunk excellent wine of their own making from the native grape. ... It is common for a farmer to make 8-10 barrels of wine annually for his own use, and many sell considerable quantities.” The first commercial winery, Medoc Vineyard, was founded in 1835 by Sidney Weller in Halifax County. Paul Garrett, who’s father purchased Medoc Vineyard in 1865, became a powerhouse in the wine industry in the early 1900’s. He developed the label “Virginia Dare” (white and red). Virginia Dare became the leading selling wine in the nation and in 1904 won the grand prize in the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition. According to the 6th federal census, North Carolina was the leading wine producing state in the U.S. By 1950, all of the wineries in North Carolina had closed due to the effects of Prohibition. The industry slowly built up again in the 1950’s and 1960’s. The Biltmore Estate opened their winery to the public in 1985. In 1986, The North Carolina Grape Council was established to encourage the growth of the grape and wine industry through research and marketing. In 2003, Yadkin Valley was designated as an American Viticultural Area—North Carolina’s first AVA. As of 2004, there were 48 wineries, and North Carolina was ranked in the U.S. as 12th in wine production, 10th in grape production and acreage. Interestingly, there are still dry counties in North Carolina. For a more detailed history, as well as information on the various wineries, visit www.ncwine.org.

Okay, now to the wines! Flight one featured four whites. The Raffaldini Pinot Grigio had lots of lemon on the nose along with some floral and herbaceous notes. In the mouth, there was quite a bit of lemon acidity with some floral notes. A refreshing wine. The Shelton Vineyards Chardonnay had some butter and caramel and smokiness on the nose, which all came through on the palate. Many enjoyed it as an easy drinking Chardonnay. It was preferred over the Westbend Chardonnay, which had a slightly oxidized nose with a hint of cheese. On the palate, it was smoky, oaky, and cheesey. The Rockhouse Viognier was a deep gold colour with some oxidized and floral notes, and a hint of canned peaches. On the palate, the canned peaches came through with a full mouth feel.

Flight two featured three very different Cabernet Francs. The Raylen Cabernet Franc was very grapey, with some hints of blackberry and some earthy notes. On the palate, there was good acidity, with juicy grapes and some earthy qualities. It was more Gamay-like than Cabernet Franc-like The Shelton Vineyards Cabernet Franc had some nice light fruit on the nose, but seemed rather closed. However, it showed some complexity on the palate with light red fruit, some earthy components, and a little rosemary. A very nice wine for the price. Many of us wished that we could purchase both it and the next wine, the Barboursville Cabernet Franc. The Barboursville was also very nice with deep dark fruit and some tobacco. It was a bigger, deeper wine than the two other Cabernet Francs. In the mouth, there was super concentration of fruit, with tobacco, pencil shavings, a little greenness, and good tannin/acid balance. And surprise! It was from Virginia!

Nobody would have guessed the grape variety of the first wine in flight three. It was a Chambourcin from Westbend Vineyards. It had some dark fruit, wet leaves, and a bit of tar on the nose. On the palate, the dark fruit came through along with the wet leaves, and some cedar and licorice. The Martin Vineyards Meritage had an unusual nose of cucumber and ashes. In the mouth, it came off as a fairly light wine with some of that cucumber, some strawberry fruit, and lots of green pepper. It contained a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, and Malbec. The Raylen ‘Carolinius’ Bordeaux blend (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc) was earthy with notes of cedar and tobacco. Some thought it may have been slightly corked with a bit of cardboard on the nose. In the palate, it was very pungent, with earth, tobacco, some curry spices, and lots of acidity. The Shelton Vineyards once again impressed us with their Merlot (92% Merlot, 8% Syrah). It was a little closed on the nose, but swirling the wine around the mouth gave us some light red fruit and spice. It was a verygood wine for vines that are still quite young. It was the favourite of the flight. The Windy Gap ‘Fat Basset Red’ was an unusual blend of Chambourcin and Touriga Nacional. On the nose, there was some really earthy flavours: cabbage, sweaty dog, and leather saddle. In the mouth, there was a burst of sweet fruit, strawberries and cherries. Everyone agreed that it tasted much better than expected given the aromas on the nose.

The last flight was the sweet flight. None of these wines were cloyingly sweet and they all had a real hint of sweet concord grapes. I happen to love the smell of concord grapes, others don’t. The wines were served with a strawberry, a delicious chocolate filled with Hatteras Red (a Southern Red Muscadine wine, which is slightly sweet), and absolutely the best pecan pie I have ever tasted (from Thyme and Again!). The ‘Starlight White’ (Muscadine) from Old North State Winery smelled like a basket of concord grapes and gooseberries on the nose. In the mouth, it was quite light bodied, with good acid, and concord grape flavours. The Duplin Winery ‘Midnight Magnolia’ again had some of that concord grape aroma with some earthy notes as well. The palate was quite light with good body that again showed some of the concord grape fruit and a touch of the earthiness. The last wine was the famous Scuppernong. The Duplin Winery Scuppernong had more of the concord grape aromas and flavours along with more body and good acid. These wines were very interesting and quite different from the sweet wines we are used to—perhaps an acquired taste.

Many thanks to Girvan and Janet for an incredible tasting. We’re all looking forward to your next wine vacation!!

Here’s the line-up.*

Flight 1

Raffaldini Pinot Grigio, 2004, Yadkin Valley $11.00

Shelton Vineyards Estate Bottled Chardonnay, 2002, Yadkin Valley $15.00

Westbend Barrel Fermented Chardonnay, 2001, North Carolina $14.89

Rockhouse Viognier, 2003, ‘Hailey’s Field’, North Carolina (Mountain Region) $18.99

Flight 2

Raylen Cabernet Franc, 2003, North Carolina $15.50

Shelton Vineyards Cabernet Franc, 2002, Yadkin Valley $12.00

Barboursville Cabernet Franc Reserve, 2002, Virginia $18.99

Flight 3

Westbend Vineyards Chambourcin, 2002, Yadkin Valley $12.76

Martin Vineyards, 2001, ‘Reserve Atlantis Meritage’, North Carolina $18.14

Raylen, 2003, ‘Carolinius’, North Carolina $15.25

Shelton Vineyards, 2002, ‘Estate Bottled Merlot’, Yadkin Valley $15.00

Windy Gap, 2001, ‘Fat Basset Red’, Yadkin Valley $14.00

Flight 4

Old North State Winery, N/V, ‘Starlight White’, Yadkin Valley $9.50

Duplin Winery, N/V, ‘Midnight Magnolia’, North Carolina $11.99

Duplin Winery Scuppernong, N/V, North Carolina $6.99

*All prices are in U.S. dollars