Chef Dutertre greeting a guest
Grand Assemblage at
North Carolina
Graylyn Estate The North Carolina Chapter hosted its 2021 Grand Assemblage on the grounds of the Graylyn Estate in Winston-Salem, North Carolina during the weekend of October 1-3. Our Chapter was very pleased to welcome some very special guests to our event, including KOV National Grand Commander Buddy Hagner and his wife, Trish; KOV National Grand Vice Commander Ken Haapala and his wife Christine; and Lodi KOV Chapter Master Commander Gordon MacKay and his wife, Annette. Graylyn is an historic 100-year-old estate located just minutes from downtown Winston-Salem. Its vast 55-acre property allows visitors to experience a world away from the hustle and bustle of city streets. The perfect combination of a modern, sophisticated con‑ ference facility and an enchanting, historic residence, Graylyn captivated all of us from the moment we en‑ tered the estate’s gates. The former residence of Mr. and Mrs. Bowman Gray, icons of North Carolina’s history, the property was donated to Wake Forest University in 1972 and restored to its original splen‑ dor. It is now used as an executive conference center, boasting 85 private guest rooms and 15 meeting rooms. Graylyn is considered to be one of the finest conference centers in America. On this fabulous autumn weekend in October, the Knights and Gentle Ladies of the KOV were treated as royalty. The weekend began on Friday evening with a wine tasting presented by Jay Raffaldini, owner of nearby
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Raffaldini Vineyards www.Raffaldini.com. Jay is always ver y serious about the quality of wines produced not only by his winery, but by all wineries in North Carolina. He is also an entertaining speaker and he proudly presented four of his winery’s best wines: 2020 Vermentino Superiore – the Estate’s signature white grape. This wine had just won a gold medal at the Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition. 2019 Montepulciano Riserva – This wine also had just won a gold medal at the Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition. 2019 Sagrantino – This wine had just won a platinum medal at the Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition. 2019 Grande Riserva – This wine had received recognition at the Sommelier Challenge International Wine Competition as the best non-Bordeaux red blend. The staff at Graylyn honored our guests and the wines by providing fresh glasses for each wine to ensure that our members tasted the wine in its truest form.
By Jeff Price The Arbor
