North Carolina

North Carolina North Carolina

Grand Assemblage at Grand Assemblage at Graylyn Estate 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 Raffaldini Vineyards www.Raffaldini.com. Jay is always very 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 By Jeff Price

Denise Hill, Russell Jones, Lisa Jones, Calvin Carpenter, Heather Wargo

Denise Hill, Trish Hagner, Buddy Hagner, June Decker, Al Decker

Jay answered questions about his wines, his winery and entertained the group with the story of his founding of Raffaldini Vineyards and Winery. He invited all Knights and Gentle Ladies to visit his winery whenever they had the opportunity. NC KOV Master Command‑ er Jeff Price noted the winery is certified by the National Wildlife Federation as a Wildlife Sanctuary.

Many of those in atten‑ dance stayed on the estate grounds for dinner Friday evening and were able to sample the cuisine from the Estate’s chef. Other mem‑ bers departed to sample the cuisine of Winston‑Salem’s many fine restaurants.

Saturday began with an elaborate breakfast courtesy of Graylyn Estate. Mem‑ bers and guests were encouraged to utilize the free time to explore the nearby Reynolda Estate and Village (an‑ other historic North Carolina property) and some of the nearly 70 wineries located nearby. Information was pro‑ vided to attendees about each of these available options.

Saturday evening began with the enthronement of new Knights and Gentle Ladies during an elaborate ceremony held in the Estate’s rose garden. New Knights Russell Jones and Calvin Carpenter and new Gentle Ladies Lisa Jones, Denise Hill and Heather Wargo were formally knighted and welcomed into the ranks of the many distinguished Knights and Gentle Ladies that comprise the North Caro‑ lina Chapter. The North Carolina cadre was assisted in the enthronement ceremony by Grand Commander Buddy Hagner, Grand Vice Commander Ken Haapala and Lodi Chapter Master Commander Gordon MacKay.

The enthronement ceremony was followed by an exqui‑ site dinner prepared by the Estate’s chef and featured wines especially selected by the Estate’s sommelier to pair with each course. During the dinner, raf‑ fle tickets were sold for numbered wine bags, each containing a truly elegant bottle of wine. The funds raised from this raffle were donated to the Chapter’s scholarship fund to sup‑ port the annual scholarship presented by our chapter each year.

Following the dinner, members congregated around the estate’s court‑ yard for more wine and more fun. After another fabu‑ lous breakfast on Sunday morning, members bade fare‑ well to each other and to the grand estate where we had all been treated so royally and returned to our respective homes, filled with great memories of a fun weekend!

North Carolina KOV members continue to spread the good news about the KOV. We invite our fel‑ low Knights and Gentle Ladies to stay in touch with us through our Facebook page at www.Facebook. com/KOVNC where you can also relive the exciting events of our 2021 Grand Assemblage.

Enjoying Fun in the Autumn Sun & Shining Bright During the

Medieval Night

Our Chapter celebrated a break from COVID lock‑ down with a couple of autumn events that offered our members unique opportunities to break away from COVID for a few hours.

First up was the Annual Medieval Dinner that was hosted by The Angus Barn Restaurant in Raleigh, North Carolina and held on Saturday, November 6. The restaurant’s in‑ credible wine cellar was the site of this amazing dinner and our members made up half of the 36 attendees who participated. Such a themed dinner was a natural setting for our Knights and Gentle Ladies and we all arrived intent on having fun and also ensuring that everyone present had fun with the pageantry of the occasion. The ex‑ quisite meal was not a surprise as that is what we have come to expect from the chefs and wait staff at The Barn and our members were royally treated and were thor‑ oughly engaged in the evening’s theatrical presentation.

We were dressed in our best medieval outfits and made quite an impression from the moment we arrived at the restaurant. To the absolute delight of the rest of the restau‑ rant’s Saturday evening crowd, the costumed Knights and Gentle Ladies presented themselves to the host who delightfully paraded us through the restaurant before leading us down the stairs, through the wine cellar and into the adjoining private dining room. Many restaurant guests were seen quickly getting their cameras out to commemorate the occasion. As we entered the elegant dining room, we discovered the wait staff there eagerly anticipating our arrival and showed us every courte‑ sy. Throughout the dinner, we were entertained by the kitchen and wait staff, who were also also dressed for the occasion. We witnessed sword fights and enjoyed table side meal preparation and service that was second to none!

Two weeks later, on a crisp but sunny afternoon on Saturday, November 20, we found ourselves at The Assemblaggio, a participatory wine blending class pre‑ sented at Raffaldini Vineyards and Winery and hosted by the winery’s owner, Jay Raffaldini. Approximately 40 people arrived and were enthusiastically greeted by Jay.

As a special treat, our members had been invited to arrive a few minutes ahead of the other participants and were treated to a private tasting of one of Jay’s soon‑ to‑be‑released wines. Jay was eager to see what we all thought of the wine, and we all agreed that it was a truly exceptional wine!

After being seated, Jay began his lecture on the science of wine blending. At each table, participants found several bottles of Italian wine varietals and the requisite tools to blend and taste the wines. Jay announced that he would be the sole judge of each group’s presentation.

Cathy, Holly, Kathy and Waiter

Ron and Margy

After carefully listening to Jay’s description of the differ‑ ent characteristics of each grape varietal and his insight into how different grape varietals might be blended together, each group was given an hour to sample the wines, discuss among themselves how best to blend them to produce a winning wine, do the actual blend‑ ing and sampling and, in many cases, start over when the first blend didn’t work out as anticipated. When each group had finalized their blend, they then had to decide on a name for their new creation.

After an hour of wine tasting and blending, each group was proud to present their final product to Jay as he went from table to table, listening to how each group made its decision on their finals, how they chose the name and he then tasted the result. Jay would challenge each group to explain further why they chose their par‑ ticular blend and/or the name.

After tasting each team’s final blend, Jay pronounced his opinion of their efforts. Our members were divided into two groups and we all eagerly anticipated his judgment of our wines. We were all pleased and proud when he pronounced each of our blends as being worthy of a commercially marketable wine.

For an amusing tale as to how Raffaldini Vineyards came into existence, please visit Jay’s TED talk entitled “Be A Jellyfish” at www.raffaldini.com/our-estate/heritage and learn to enjoy each day.

Jeff Price, Russell & Lisa Jones Jay Raffaldini Our 2021 Charles W. Averre Memorial Scholarship Award* was presented to Mr. Dustin Stevens, an oenology/ viticulture student at Surry Community College (https:// surry.edu) in Dobson, North Carolina. Surry’s viticulture and oenology curriculum is well regarded in the industry and is designed to prepare individuals such as Dustin for any of the many careers that exist in the grape growing and wine making industry.

Like other students in the program, Dustin receives classroom instruction in plant science, vineyard stock selection and propagation, soil science, vine nutrition and pest management. He, along with other students, is also trained in planning, layout, economics and management of vineyards. Each student receives additional training in laboratory and field applications of viticultural/oenological principles and practices that includes microbiology and fermentation science, sensory analysis and winery economics and marketing.

Dustin was selected to receive the 2021 scholarship award because of his commitment and dedication to his field of study and the excellence he has demonstrated both in the classroom and in the field. Our Chapter is very proud to honor Dustin with the 2021 Charles W. Averre Memorial Schol‑ arship and we wish he much success in his future.

*The Charles W. Averre Memorial Scholarship Award is named for Dr. Charles W. Averre. Dr. Averre was a distinguished professor of plant science at NC State University. His research in plant science contributed greatly to the re‑emer‑ gence of North Carolina’s wine industry. Dr. Averre was a founding member of the North Carolina KOV Chapter in which he held the rank of Master Knight and was a member of the Chapter’s cadre prior to his death in 2019.