Screw it Wine – Issue 2

Michael & Amy Helton of

MARCH 2021

Around the Vine

A South Carolina couple plans to bring a new competition into North Carolina focusing on meads, ciders and fruit wines P3

Pilot Mountain Vineyards

Kari and Mark Barbar’s love for hospitality led to the couple buying a vineyard and turning it into a winery with gorgeous views P4

Serre Vineyards

North Carolina was fortunate enough to have 8 wineries open their doors this past year – one of them is Serre Vineyards. ........................................ P6

Food & Wine Pairings

From the Yadkin Valley to the coast, we ask two chefs to prepare a dish using wines from Brandon Hill Vineyards and Sanctuary Vineyards. P8

Women in Wine

This month, Screw it WIne shines the spotlight on Raffaldini Vineyards general manager, Barbara Raffaldini P10

Spotlight: Round Peak

Ken Gulaian and Kari Heerdt opened up Round Peak Vineyards back in 2008 in Mount Airy. P11

For the love of wine and art

COVER STORY: Michael and Amy Helton operate one of Yadkin Valley’s oldest wineries - and love to give back to the industry P12

On the Road

In this episode of On the Road, Screw it Wine visits three East Bend wineries: Cellar 4201, Divine Llama and Flint Hill P15

California’s Croze Vineyards

Owner and winemaker of Croze in California got his start in North Carolina, which eventually led to him owning a California winery P17

Rickety Bridge Winery

How did this 200-year old winery in South Africa wind up with a North Carolina Headquarters? We have the story ............................................ P19

Across State Lines

If you take a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, you should stop at one of the state’s largest wineries – Williamsburg Winery P22

Music in the Vines

Triad’s Darrell Hoots has been involved with bands in the past, now he’s taking it solo and having a great time P25

Editorial

From flavor profiles of wines, red to white and what’s going on in the Texas wine scene, Jennifer Primrose and Dave Nershi explain it all P26

COVER PHOTO BY MONTY COMBS

A ROUND THE VINE

Dennis and Jenni Turner of the South Carolina wine blog Winery Escapades have organized the Palmetto Wine Competition since 2018. They are now bringing a new judging competition to the Tar Heel State. The North Carolina MeadCider-Fruit Wine Competition will be held on May 24 in Flat Rock. It will be an inaugural event that lends some attention to libations that aren’t recognized as much as the state’s vinifera and muscadine grapes.

“We pitched this idea to Whit Winslow and the NC Wine and Grape Council. We didn’t want to be in competition with the NC Fine Wines or step on any toes. We are huge fans of mead and cider, so that’s actually where this idea came from,” says Dennis Turner.

The Turner’s are still in the process of finalizing judges for the competition, but a few have been confirmed. Chuck Blethen, a member of French Broad Vignerons, will join the judging. He is the owner of Jewel of the Blue Ridge Vineyards

John Macomson of South Carolina’s Fat Ass Heifer Cidery is another judge. Macomson won a gold medal in the 2020 Palmetto Wine Competition for his The Mangy Heifer cider.

Triangle Around Town’s Jennifer Primrose and Dathan Kazsuk will also judge as media officials. Primrose is level 1 certified WSET and currently training for level 2, while Kazsuk is a member of the French Broad Vignerons and American Wine Society, where he is now a board member in the Triangle Chapter.

Official entry forms will be posted by Wine Escapades in early April.

Breweries continue to ferment adding wine to its portfolios

With a handful of North Carolina wineries dipping their toes into the brewing world – it’s no surprise that breweries are now thinking of ways of producing their own wine.

Wineries such as Morgan Ridge Vineyards , Daveste Vineyards and Westbend Winery (which no longer produces its own wine) serve up flights. But now, you can find places such as Asheville’s Burial Beer Co. expanding its portfolio with the growth of its Visuals project. “Doug and I started getting into wine again around three years ago,” says Burial co-owner Jess Reiser . “He’s diving deep into wine and learning tons about

it – and the next thing we know, he contracted grapes from Oregon.”

This led to the brewery’s first offering that they turned into Vermouth. In 2019, the brewery then introduced a Grenache and Sangiovese, but look forward to what’s next, as the brewery has six or seven different wines lined up.

Staying in Asheville, the team at DSSOLVR also has plans to start producing wines by next year. But DSSOLVR and Burial won’t stop at just wine, as the brands will include beverages such as ciders, meads, wine spritzers, bitters and other fermented treats.

Duplin Winery to open

Florida location next year

North Carolina’s largest winery, Duplin Winery in Rose Hill, has recently broken ground on its third tasting room facility. This new tasting room will be located in Panama City Beach, Florida. Duplin’s new digs will be located on 70 acres at the previous Hombre Golf Club, and will be an amazing 35,000 square-foot complex.

Expected to open in early 2022, the tasting room will employ more than 50 employees and feature over 20 acres on the property devoted to land conservation.

North Carolina wineries continue to thrive

Marked Tree Vineyard in Flat Rock is currently planting up to 2,200 new vines. The new varietals will include Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Also planting new vines is Tryon’s Mountain Brook Vineyards. They will be planting Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.

In Hendersonville, Burntshirt Vineyards has started the pre-construction work on its new on-site restaurant. This new restaurant will be located between the tasting room and its Vintner’s Cottage.

California-based Murphy-Goode Winery, is giving one lucky individual an opportunity to live rent free in sunny Sonoma for an entire year – and make $10,000 per month salary.

“Do words like Cabernet, Rosé and Chardonnay just roll off your tongue?” If you answered yes,

this might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Job duties include shadowing winemaker Dave Ready Jr., and then figuring out which aspects of winemaking best suit your desire.

Candidates can apply for the role from now until June 30. The job will roughly begin in September.

South Carolina couple plans to bring new mead/cider competition to North Carolina

WINERY ESCAPADES

South Carolina wine bloggers, Dennis and Jenni Turner.

BURIAL BEER CO.

Asheville’s Burial Beer launched its Visuals a couple years ago, and you can look for more wine in the future.

DUPLIN WINERY

North Carolina’s largest winery will open a new location down south.

For the wine lover: your dream job awaits in California ... at least for 1 year

Keeping in hospitality, couple opens Pilot Mountain Vineyards during pandemic

Tell us about your background and how you got into the wine industry?

We previously owned a beautiful Bed & Breakfast in Waynesville. We enjoy seeing people come and relax and have a good time.

Mark was a teacher, then a school principal in Texas and North Carolina for over 30 years. He knows how to make everyone happy. Kari worked for IBM for more than 30 years. Her last decade was as an international executive consultant. We had the opportunity to live in China, London and Australia with IBM. When we “retired,” we wanted to work together in the hospitality business. In addition to the vineyard, winery and tasting room, we also manage AirBnB

overnight accommodations on the property.

What made you decide to open a winery, and why did you select North Carolina to do that? We love North Carolina. The people are friendly, the weather is excellent, and the cost of living is reasonable. We were very lucky to find a beautiful property with an established vineyard and a stunning view of Pilot Mountain. The previous owners grew grapes for other wineries. We decided to add the winery and tasting room to share this amazing estate.

How many total acres do you have? How many are under vine? The

property is 31 acres with 6 acres of vines.

What are you growing here on your property? We grow French-vinifera grapes. Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Mourvédre and Syrah. We also have Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris and Riesling.

What made you decide on these grapes? The previous owner planted the 8 varieties of grapes back in 1996. So we are lucky to have mature vinifera grapevines. His wife loved Chardonnay, and he loved Viognier and Merlot. So, we have the most of those 3 varieties. He was a scientist and wanted to experiment with the other 5 varieties.

Kari and Mark Barbar (center) enjoy telling their story to guests at Pilot Mountain Vineyards.

SAM DEAN

In your opinion, what is the most challenging part of owning a winery? The unpredictability of the number of people coming by. One day we only had 10 people come by; another day, we had 250 people. Makes it tricky to plan for staff and supplies.

What advice would you give to any new, future winery owners? Join the NC Winegrowers Association, visit as many wineries and tasting rooms as possible, and get to know the other owners.

Is it difficult for you to run the tasting room and also be the winemakers?

Making wine is a fascinating process. There are many important calculations and details to keep track of. Kari loves spreadsheets, so that part came easy for us. We were fortunate to have an experienced winemaking consultant, Linda King (formerly with RagApple Lassie), to help us start commercial winemaking. Linda is a retired winemaker with 40 years of experience.

Our state is known across the nation for being a “Muscadine” state. How do we let people know that we also produce many award-winning vinifera wines? Keep talking about the delicious NC wines. Word of mouth and social media are the best ways for people to share that they had a wonderful North Carolina wine experience.

Chardonnay has always been that go to “white” wine, but here in the state, we hear many grapes such as Petit Manseng and Traminette grow better. Do you think these varietals are making their mark as something to keep an eye on? Our Chardonnay is popular, especially the barrel fermented. However, our Viognier is even more prevalent. Viognier is the state grape of Virginia. We are pleased to offer it here in North Carolina.

If the wine Gods came to you and said you could only grow one varietal on your property, what would that be and why? That is an interesting question. We

would pick Viognier. It is delicious as a white wine varietal and is a wonderful base for blends. Better than Chardonnay. Our Cranberry Delight is Viognier with natural cranberry. Our Mountain Mist white wine blend is Viognier, with a smaller portion of Pinot Gris and Riesling.

All states that have a wine industry probably have to deal with one big issue. What is our “big” issue? The weather - frost in April hit many wineries hard this year, and too much rain is a challenge growing grapes.

What will be the next big trend in the wine industry? Larger tasting rooms with comfortable, relaxing furniture to lounge away the afternoon is the next trend to watch. People crave an escape from their daily lives’ hectic pace and appreciate finding a special place to relax and unwind. The experience is as important as the wine.

And what trends need to fade away? Wine in cans.

Mark and Kari Barbar opened Pilot Mountain Vineyards in August, and was part of 8 new wineries that opened in 2020.

PILOT MOUNTAIN VINEYARDS

O VER A GLASS

A leap of faith led to opening a winery

How Melissa and Christian opened up a winery in the pandemic with instant success

The path that led Christian and Melissa Hayes to one another was a little rocky, to say the least. Before they met each other, Melissa lost her first husband to Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and Christian went through a divorce. There was much heartbreak in the two households – hope had to prevail. And it did.

With Christian and Melissa both having children from their previous marriages, the couple finally met in 2015. With both of their love for wine, the two ended up visiting two North Carolina wineries –Jones von Drehle and Roaring River Vineyards. At Jones von Drehle, Melissa ordered a white wine assuming the red wine wouldn’t be satisfying because she was only experienced with California and West Coast wines. But she was amazed that these wines were high-grade.

A couple of months later, Christian brought Melissa to Roaring River’s tasting room on yet another date. Melissa sampled and fell in love with the Chambourcin that co-owner Tom Silvey was pouring that afternoon. “He explained their back story and how the grape can grow in the soil here,” says Melissa. “I was blown away.”

After those two dates and Melissa and Christian living their lives as serial entrepreneurs, the two decided to take the plunge in starting their own winery. “I’ve been doing this for a couple of decades now,” Melissa states. “That’s why we took the crazy leap to take on another business ownership.”

In the past, Christian has dabbled in the world of wine and beer. And Melissa has created a business in the fitness world – but now they’re taking on new roles as farmers.

But according to Melissa, all roads come to the same intersection. “There are always different working pieces and parts. The accounting is similar. The hiring of employees is similar. There are a lot of skills you can utilize that go across both industries,” she says. And Melissa is blown away by how supportive the industry has been since they opened the doors to the tasting room in October of 2020.

As a mid-western girl growing up in Ohio, Melissa admits that most of her wine exposure came from going to the

For Melissa and Christian Hayes, the idea of owning a winery came from several visit to a couple North Carolina wineries.

local grocery store or liquor shop where California wines were flooding the shelves. But today, with the knowledge of the exceptional wine industry within the state, she’s always looking for that bottle of NC wine when she goes out.

But today, Serre is just one of eight new wineries that opened up during the Covid pandemic in 2020 and have been making a name for themselves with a spacious tasting room, great views and tasty wine. Varietals such as a Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and Chardonnay, and a few fruit wines and blends are available for tasting.

Although the pandemic has kept some people at bay, the winery has gained a lot of attention, thanks in part to Distl Public Relations in Charlotte. “I also ask people how they found out about us, and a lot of it is from Instagram and Facebook,” says Melissa. “We did make it in the production of the new Surry County Wine Trail book. I think that will help.”

A BRAND NEW START

Upon arrival at Serre, you’ll look around and see that there are no vines – so how do they make their wine? “We had to start from the ground up,”

Melissa says. “We cleared the land around three years ago. There had been a field by the river for farming, but it was too wet and close to the river.”

Melissa jokes that some Muscadine vines were growing on the property, with wild vines growing throughout the field. “I mean, it’s beautiful but not appropriately pruned.” Christian and Melissa wanted to start planting vines as soon as they purchased the property but were told to wait until April to begin.

So, where did all their wine come from? The answer is simple. They relied on the services and knowledge of Mark Frizolowski at Childress Wines and Ken Gulaian of Round Peak Vineyards. “It’s really important to us that we promote the Yadkin Valley AVA because we are a part of it, and a lot of people worked hard to get it established,” Melissa says. “That’s why we worked with Round Peak, which is a very close neighbor.”

The service of these two wineries crush pads help produce Serre’s current vintage, and with Christian studying under Gulaian, it won’t be long before he takes over as full-time winemaker.

When you take a look around, many wineries rely on custom crush and renting the equipment from larger,

more established wineries. Serre admits they’ll be one of them. “These guys have done all the hard work and have invested in gigantic operations. We weren’t buying something already established, so for us, investing half a million or more into wine-making equipment just wasn’t feasible,” Melissa says. This process helps both parties: Serre doesn’t have to purchase expansive equipment and a new facility, and places such as Childress and Round Peak bring in some extra revenue.

And wine isn’t the only thing that has piqued Christian’s interest in the world of fermenting. Serre has also introduced its line of small-batch beers under the handle Beast Trail Brewing – named after the trail leading to the winery. With help from Gulaian, who is the owner of Skull Camp Brewing, the two have come up with a Marzen and a red ale. These beers will be for sale at the winery and sold in 12-ounce cans. And with Christian being a garage beer crafter, Melissa can see a time when they’ll produce their beer in small quantities at the winery. “We don’t know how it will sell, but I’m very encouraged because we get a lot of requests for beer. So we’re really excited to have it,” she says.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING

Pairing food and wine together is a balancing act – and when that perfect combo is achieved, your mouth will thank you.

Saffron and Chardonnay Steamed Mussels with White Truffle Aioli

INGREDIENTS

16 ounces mussels, cleaned and de-bearded

2 ounces olive oil

1 tbsp sliced garlic

1 ounce shallot, small dice

2 ounces, halved cherry tomatoes

1 tsp chopped thyme

1 gram Saffron

4 ounces Chardonnay

4 ounces butter

1/2 ounce lemon juice

Pinch red pepper flakes

Heavy pinch salt

1 tsp. chopped parsley

STEP-BY-STEP

• In a hot sauté pan, combine the olive oil and shallots and give a quick toss.

• Follow with the mussels, garlic, saffron, salt and chili flakes.

• Deglaze with the Chardonnay and cover, let steam for 2 minutes.

• Add the butter, cherry tomatoes, thyme and lemon juice and steam for another 2 minutes. Finish with parsley and remove from the heat.

• Garnish with white truffle aioli and serve with toast points.

White Truffle Aioli

1 whole egg

1 egg yolk

1 ounce lemon juice

1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1/2 tbsp minced garlic

11/2 tsp salt

9 ounces olive oil

1 ounce white truffle oil

In a blender, add the eggs, salt, garlic, lemon juice, truffle oil and the mustard. Turn blender on lowest setting and in a slow, steady stream, begin adding the olive oil. Be careful not to over work or the emulsion will break.

MORE INFORMATION

Robinson Ferry – 111 Bragg St, Warrenton, 27589

Sanctuary Vineyard – 7005 Caratoke Hwy, Jarvisburg, 27947

ROBINSON FERRY

ROBINSON FERRY, WARRENTON SANCTUARY VINEYARDS, JARVISBURG

Paired with Sanctuary Vineyards’ Pearl, a blend of 78 percent Albarino and 22 percent Viognier.

FOOD AND WINE PAIRING

Pairing food and wine together is a balancing act – and when that perfect combo is achieved, your mouth will thank you.

SASSOOL, RALEIGH BRANDON HILLS VINEYARDS, YADKINVILLE

Kibbeh Nayyeh

Kibbeh Nayyeh is a Lebanese delicacy eaten on holidays and special

preparation and when served. It is paired

course that provides for a lot of socialization

INGREDIENTS

1 pound lean beef or lamb leg meat (no fat)

1/2 cup of fine Burghul (cracked wheat)

1 white onion

1/2 green bellpepper

20 mint leaves

2 bunches, green onion

1/2 teaspoon of 7-spices (also called mixed spice)

1/2 teaspoon Cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

High quality olive oil for drizzling

Optional sides of greens, including green onions, white onions, radish, mint and jalapeno.

STEP-BY-STEP

• Put the meat in the freezer for 1 hour to make it very cold. Place it in a food processor with five cubes of ice, a pinch of ground cinnamon, and spin it for about 3 to 5 minutes until it becomes very fine. Important: stop the food processor every 1 minute or so and feel the meat’s temperature to make sure it is not warming up; otherwise, its color and taste will change. If you think it is warming up, add a bit more ice or 1/4 cup of icy water and spin again.

• Place the Burghul in a small bowl and rinse it with cold water, then squeeze it to get rid of as much water as possible.

• Put the green pepper, mint, green onion, salt, cayenne pepper and 7-spices in the food processor and mix them well.

• Place the ground meat in a large bowl, add the wet Burghul and the spices mix, and mix it well with your hands for a few minutes to make sure that all the ingredients have infused in one another. While mixing it, you can wet your hands every now and then in a bowl of icy water that has a tiny bit of ground cinnamon in it. Kibbeh Nayyeh needs to be served cold, so you need to keep the dish in the fridge until serving time.

• Spread the Kibbeh on the dish with your hands or spoon, into a shallow mound. Make some patterns using a fork on the top, if you wish.

• Add extra virgin olive oil on it and put the olive oil on the table for additional drizzling.

• Serve with a platter of raw greens.

lots

ABOUT THE WINE

“Raptor Red is a signature blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petit Verdot. This wine is earthy with hints of violets, flavors of red fruit with bright tannins, and a finish of dried currant and vanilla. This wine pairs well with meats such as lamb or beef. A percentage of each bottle sold is donated to the Carolina Raptor Center located in Huntersville.”

MORE INFORMATION

Sassool – 9650 Strickland Road, Raleigh, 27615 Brandon Hills Vineyard – 1927 Brandon Hills Rd, Yadkinville, 27055

– Brandon Hills Vineyards

SASSOOL

celebrations in Lebanon. It is like lamb tartare and is kept at a very cold temperature throughout

with

of raw vegetables, olive oil and pita bread. In Lebanon, kibbeh nayyeh is eaten during Mezza, an extended appetizer

and enjoying alcoholic beverages. This appetizer was paired with Brandon Hills Vineyards’ Raptor Red.

WOMEN IN WINE

Food and hospitality are key ingredients to the Chianti in the Carolinas

FROM LAW SCHOOL AND CULINARY CLASSES TO TRAVEL AND RUNNING OPERATIONS AT ONE OF NORTH CAROLINA’S LARGEST WINERIES, BARBARA RAFFALDINI IS ONE OF THE STATE’S TRENDSETTERS WHEN IT COMES TO THE NC WINE INDUSTRY

Barbara Raffaldini’s quick to admit that Raffaldini Vineyards & Winery in Ronda is her brother’s brainchild. Still, she’s also very attentive about all the time and energy she devotes to this North Carolina winery. Working 3 to 4 days a week at the vineyard, which also includes weekly visits to Costco for supplies, Raffaldini’s jobs include, but are not limited to, general counseling, human resources, maintaining the books and records, and general manager of day-to-day operations.

“I’ve also helped in the planting of 12,000 new vines this year,” she says.

But where did it all begin for Barbara? How did she wind up in North Carolina, partnering up with her older brother in the wine business?

While her brother, Jay, spent his entire career working in New York, Barbara is proud to call herself a mid-westerner. “When I was nine, and he was 10, we moved to a suburb of Chicago,” Raffaldini says. The two went to the local high school. Then when it was time for college, Raffaldini left for the east to attend Georgetown University. She graduated cum laude with a B.S. as well as her J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center.

After she graduated, she moved back to Illinois, where Raffaldini became a partner in the law firm

Pachter, Gregory & Raffaldini until she eventually moved to North Carolina in January 2015.

“Jay and Maureen (his wife) moved to North Carolina in 2008,” she says. “I would come and visit and spend time at the vineyard in almost a reverse commute.” Eventually, Raffaldini concluded that it would be best for her to do her legal work long distance. “My clients didn’t care where I was, and my law partners were fantastic and were like, ‘You can be our North Carolina office.’ I’m still affiliated with my firm in Illinois and work remotely.”

One might think working alongside a sibling in business might not be the best option, but Raffaldini sees only the positive side. “It’s a wonderful thing to be in business with a sibling. We’re different and can appreciate each other’s strengths. There’s only been a few times we’ve wanted to hit each other over the head,” she says. Just look at other wine family greats such as the Gallo’s or Mondavi’s. “Yeah, but they all hated each other,” Raffaldini quips.

A HELPING HAND

When Raffaldini isn’t at the winery, she enjoys devoting time to nonprofit organizations such as Bookmarks. The Winston-Salem organization began in 2005 and helped bring together authors, illustrators, and storytellers worldwide. Raffaldini started out volunteering and is currently the board president of Bookmarks. “We’ve been doing these amazing book build programs. We’re infusing over 25,000 books into the local school libraries,” she says.

Raffaldini is also on the Piedmont opera board, another nonprofit organization in Winston-Salem.

Even at the winery, the

BARBARA RAFFALDINI

Raffaldini Vineyards Ronda, NC

philanthropic roots go deep. Raffaldini Vineyards has also supported local animal rescues by donating proceeds of its unique Pino Vino, which features a shelter dog on its label each year.

Taking part in these nonprofits can always tug at heartstrings, but they can lead to some fantastic dinner conversations while enjoying a wine glass. Raffaldini’s moment might be when Bookmarks launched an event for the debut of Frances Mayes’ new book, “See You in the Plaza.” A fan of Mayes’ bestselling book “Under the Tuscan Sun,” Raffaldini got to meet Mayes and talked about how she took 25 Raffaldini wine club members to Tuscany and Cortona with her travel agency, Behind the Vines Travel.

“In her last book, (Mayes) had a sentence saying that a winery in North Carolina is growing Sagrantino grapes. And she loves Sagrantino. So, when I met her, I said that winery is us, and gave her a bottle,” she says.

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

On the drive to the winery’s ornate Italian villa tasting room in the heart of Yadkin Valley, you

will one day see a new destination that will catch your eye. Raffaldini purchased 12 acres adjacent to the vineyard, where she plans to erect a B&B and restaurant. While there’s still a lot of work to be done, she knows her desire for the endeavor. “I want the feel to be simple. Clean lines, a two-story library seating area, as well as outdoor seating around grapevines.” With Swan Creek’s group of wineries all within a tight group of one another, Raffaldini knows the area is in dire need of secondary businesses and lodging, and a high-quality restaurant/ B&B would lead to more people from out of town staying a weekend.

A business plan is still in the works, designs are getting sketched, and permits have yet to be obtained, but when complete, visitors to the Swan Creek AVA will feel like they’re somewhere akin to Napa Valley’s wine country.

“Because of Covid-19, I think there will be a lot more people traveling near home to places they can rely on and trust. I think there is an opportunity to capture more business.”

– Dathan Kazsuk

SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON THE WOMEN IN THE WINE INDUSTRY

Barbara Raffaldini does a lot around the winery to help out her brother and owner, Jay Raffaldini.

RAFFALDINI VINEYARDS

Serving up wine and beer leads to success for this Mount Airy winery

For Ken Gulaian and his wife, Kari Heerdt, becoming the owners of Round Peak Vineyards back in 2008 led to learning much about the industry, and meeting many industry leaders. Today, the winery, along with its sister brewery, Skull Camp, have become on of the state’s great winery stories. Screw it Wine caught up with Ken and Kari on a chilly winter afternoon sitting around a fire pit and playing with their two dogs as we discussed wine. Below are their take on a few subjects.

ON ROUND PEAK’S CABERNET FRANC

We went to a wedding in the Loire Valley in France 3 years ago, and they do a Cabernet Franc in stain less steel, which isn’t done in very many places. They do it a lot in France, and Kari liked it, so we decided to come home and do one of our own. We aged ours in the tanks for 3 to 4 months before we bottled. We will continue to do that, but the 2020 vintage won’t happen because our Cab Franc was destroyed in the frost that decimated so many North Carolina wineries last year.

ON CUSTOM CRUSH

The idea to do more custom crush came from the beer world. With beer, you can brew every day or a couple of times a day. But with wine, you use it, clean it up, and then it sits for a year. And the cost of that is high, and that’s why custom crush helps. Other wineries can use it as long as it is scheduled around your harvest.

Instead of competing with places such as Chil dress and Shadow Springs, we decided to have it where you come in, use our equipment, and I will be there for guidance if needed.

ON DISTRIBUTION

Getting North Carolina wines in a lot of shops can be pretty hard dealing with wholesale. I’d rather focus on our tasting room for sales and do private label for others who need a bunch of wine – rather than sell to restaurants.

ON NEBBIOLO

Nebbiolo is our signature wine. Not really our best-seller, though. As far as I know, only Grove Winery is the only other one doing Nebbiolo. It’s very temperamental, like Viognier. It is a lot of work with a very small yield, but it’s the one we definitely decided to stick with because we like it.

ON URBAN WINERIES

We almost became the first true urban winery in North Carolina because we looked at putting Skull Camp wines in Charlotte’s NoDa back in 2009 when we just came up with the idea. We live in Charlotte and thought NoDa would be an excellent place for an urban winery. We went and looked around but ultimately decided that it wasn’t the right area. But then it became a hotbed for breweries.

Pleb’s a good example of an urban winery. They’ve always been an urban winery and never tended to vineyards. They are a good success story. Having something like that in Charlotte or Raleigh, where you have a reasonably sized population – I think it’s a great idea.

For the love of wine and art

For Michael and Amy Helton, their winery is a place for education and learning

BY JENNIFER PRIMROSE

With a background in art, a love of France and a passion for wine, this recipe for success culminates within the confines of the oldest winery in the Yadkin Valley –Hanover Park Vineyard and the passion owners Michael and Amy Helton pour into its success story. Both Amy and Michael began their careers as artists and art teachers. This background influences both their winemaking and artistry, as depicted on the wine’s labels. Their love of French wines was born out of a month-long honeymoon in the south of France and a desire to bring this enthusiasm home to North Carolina when, in 2000, they fulfilled their new dream of owning a winery and vineyard to produce Old World, French-style wine. Their passion shines through from the 1897 farmhouse tasting room to the art displayed upon the winery walls.

Michael, a graduate from Chapel Hill with a Master of Fine Arts degree in painting, worked for almost 20 years as an artist. His degree led him to teach at the university sporadically as he pursued his love as an artist. However, Michael soon realized that working as an artist would not pay the bills, so he decided to teach high school. His skills and personality were best suited in mentoring high school students rather than college. He taught at Northern High School in Durham and passionately exclaimed how much he loved it. Amy, also an artist, completed her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with education courses on the side. She also taught middle and high school art for a total of 27 years and, to this day, keeps a sketchbook in her purse. The two met while attending the annual North Carolina Art Education Association convention held in WinstonSalem.

During their honeymoon, Michael, who never drank wine before, became an instant wine lover. When the Helton’s returned home to North Carolina, they decided to venture into something new and start a vineyard and winery of their own. While searching for the perfect location to fulfill their dream, Michael stumbled upon a farm with an inactive and abandoned farmhouse. The site

contained the exact requirements of what they were looking for in a vineyard and winery. It encompassed the proper slope and acreage. Little did they know at the time, however, that the soil was not clay but sandy loam soil, which proved to be very beneficial for the Helton’s.

Eventually, the old farmhouse was transformed into what is now the current tasting room. Amy states that when they purchased the property back in 1996, parts of the house weren’t touched by human hands in over 33 years. But only one year after acquiring the site, the Helton’s planted the first vines from 1997-98. Two years after planting, Hanover Park opened its doors on July 1, 2000 – and history was made. During that time, North Carolina only had a total of ten wineries, and as Amy says, only three of them, including Hanover Park, were doing actual vinifera-style wines. The other two include the historic

Biltmore estates and Westbend Winery, which is no longer producing its own wine.

With a passion for reading and research and a newfound love of wine, Michael taught himself the art of winemaking, which included return trips to France to learn directly from French winemakers to bring that influence to Hanover Park. Helton is growing varietals in the likes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Malbec, Petite Verdot, Mourvedre, Syrah, Grenache, Chambourcin, Chardonnay and Viognier on a total of eight acres. He emphasizes that a winemaker’s work is 12-months of the year – working in the vineyard, tasting barrels, taking notes on wines in French oak versus American oak – new barrels versus old barrels. This dedication is where the passion happens when the artist creates his masterpiece in the form of that special bottle of wine.

Amy and Michael Helton opened Hanover Park WInery back in 2000.

PHOTOS BY MONTY COMBS

Michael uses this analogy when he sets out to make his next masterpiece, “When you first begin with art, you have a blank canvas. When you first begin your wine, it’s blank as well. When you first start to cook, it’s blank.” He continues with the art analogy, explaining, similar to creating art, the winemaking process starts with a single grape varietal or a blending of grapes to create the perfect mixture. “When I put together a Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petite Verdot or Malbec, and I start tasting it, I know I can do better – a lot better than this. I think what’s missing in that particular vintage? What are the weaknesses? What are the strengths? And as I put it together, you have to react to it. And as you react, you alter and you change.” At Hanover Park, its wines are aged at least four years before bottling, and in that time, the wines are sampled and studied. Michael always strives to make his wine better by making those tweaks similar to cooking that perfect meal. “The choices you have, in doing art, are the same choices in cooking and the same choices in making and blending wine.”

As Michael creates his masterpieces, he also seeks input from their guests, making for a unique customer experience. He explains that there are four categories he looks for. The nose, the attack, the middle and the finish. The attack, he describes as the split second it hits your mouth. “You may get a different sensation than you do two seconds later if you’re enjoying it,” he says. He then labels each bottle A, B, C and D and makes his way to the tasting room to have guests try each one asking for feedback. This small gesture is one example of what makes Hanover Park a special

and unique winery. Guests become eager to return once the wine they had input in makes it to the tasting room.

Some may consider the Helton’s pioneers in the North Carolina wine industry sharing their experiences and becoming mentors to up-and-coming wineries in the state. But to Michael and Amy, they modestly say they are just happy to help the industry. They are gracious hosts allowing prospective winery owners to come to the vineyard to volunteer and learn. Michael explains, “It’s a cycle. A one-year cycle if you really want to understand completely what we do, because a lot of the chores you do at one time you don’t fully understand the thinking behind it until seven or eight months later.”

The two have also served on the North Carolina Wine and Grape Council in some capacity over the years. Amy is currently on the council and is eager to use her knowledge and influence in continuing the industry’s promotion and putting North Carolina on the map in the wine world. When asked for one piece of advice the Helton’s would give to new wineries, they simply stated, “have passion.”

LOOKING BACK AT PEARL, HANOVER PARK’S PERSONAL GREETER

This past August, at the age of 13, we said good-bye to our little girl.

Pearl was our greeter to everyone, even after she lost her hearing. She would look out her window and watch you coming in and was ready at the front door!

She knew people, especially when treats were involved. When Daniel, our UPS man, pulled in, she was at the back door or jumping into his truck.

She knew Gary’s bag of goodies as well as Monty’s cookies for her.

To us, she was our little girl. Yes, our farm, vineyard dog. Aren’t Cavalier King Charles Spaniels always ready to run and chase and, of course, sit right on the chair next to you or your lap?

We think about how many Cavaliers were added to families because they met Pearl.

We think about how Pearl comforted others and us during times of sadness and times of joy.

When we told our accountant years ago that we had a new dog, he said, “Oh, a new guard dog,” no, I said, more of a greeter.

She sure was.

BY AMY HELTON

HANOVER PARK

Hanover Park’s co-owner Amy Helton and her fur-baby, Pearl.

ON THE ROAD CELLARS, FARMLAND AND LLAMAS!

BY JENNIFER PRIMROSE

Willie Nelson sang it best, “On the road again, goin’ places that I’ve never been …” also describes the discovery of the wine industry here in North Carolina. Driving down winding country roads, past farmland, vineyards and small towns one never knew existed.

This edition of On The Road takes us down some of those rural roads to the outskirts of the small town of East Bend, North Carolina, to three unique wineries featuring a boutique cellar, llamas and an old historic home, all located within a 5- to 10-minute drive from one another.

Originally known as Banner’s Stone, the town of East Bend was named after Martin Luther Banner. Banner eventually moved west and became the founder of the mountain town of Banner Elk. In 1887 the town’s general assembly incorporated East Bend’s name, named after the Yadkin River’s east bend. An original member of the assembly, commissioner J.G. Huff, started a buggy manufacturing business in 1873 called the Huff Buggy Factory. It closed in 1920, and he opened a funeral home, which is still owned by his heirs - Huff Funeral Home. However, East Bend’s most prominent figure is New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox player Ernie Shore. Shore was part of the Red Sox’s 1915 World Series championship team that beat the Philadelphia Phillies 4 games to 1. That year, Shore was 18-8 with a 1.63 ERA.

Driving through the town’s main street, shops such as Idols Gun Vault, Alex’s Grill and Ice Cream, Bad Monkey Vapes and Kitchen Roselli make up this small town’s character. However, just outside this small town are

three unique wineries adding diversity and uniqueness to the state’s wine industry – Cellar 4201, Divine Llama Vineyards and Flint Hill Vineyards.

Travel just 3-miles east on Main Street, take a left onto Union Hill Road and then a right onto Apperson Road. This gravel drive will lead to Cellar 4201. This small boutique winery rests on 5-acres and produces 900 to 1,000 cases of wine annually. Owners Greg Hutchins and Donna Carlyle Hutchins established the vineyard in 2003, planting Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese. The tasting menu offers these varietals in addition to a Rosé and a couple of red blends. Due to Covid-19, the tasting room remains closed; however, guests may purchase a flight of three wines to enjoy on the outside patio. Cellar 4201 is located at 4201 Apperson Road.

After enjoying a glass, bottle or flight of wine at Cellar 4201, it’s time to head over to Divine Llama Vineyards and visit the resident llamas while sipping on a glass of wine. Leaving Cellar 4201, head southwest on Apperson Road, turn right onto Macedonia Rd., then

Cellar 4201

another right on Divine Llama Lane. This unique North Carolina vineyard and winery is home to the largest llama farm in the Southeast and the only one in the state to offer guests the opportunity to spend time with the llamas onsite, including llama trekking expeditions. Llamas are not new to wineries, however. There are wineries across the United States also luring guests in with these furry creatures and award-winning wines.

This 91-acre vineyard was initially purchased in 2006. In 2007, varietals such as Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chardonol and Traminette were planted. The 1940s farmhouse was renovated to serve as the winery’s tasting room, and recently, the outdoor patio underwent an expansion and transformation, allowing more guests to enjoy the 11 different wines produced. Due to Covid-19, the tasting room remains closed; however, the outside patio remains open to serve guests. Divine Llama Vineyards is located at 4126 Divine Llama Lane.

The next stop on this wine trail is a quick 10-minute drive. Head

south on Divine Llama Lane, turn right on Macedonia Road, right on NC-67 West and right onto Flint Hill Road. Ahead, on the right, sits a 100-year-old family-home turned winery tasting room. Walking up to the front door of this restored 1889 historic home is reminiscent of visiting family. With an array of family photos scattered throughout the house, the history comes alive. Flint Hill Vineyards opened

in 2005 by owners Brenda and Tim Doub, and they produce eight different wines and five varietals; Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chambourcin, Viognier and Chardonnay. The intimate tasting bar is located inside the house, which also contains plenty of seating inside and picnic tables outside for those sunny days. Flint Hill Vineyards is located at 2133 Flint Hill Road.

Divine Llama Vineyards

Ties to the Tar Heel State played a factor in the success of Croze’s Daniel Benton

For owner and winemaker of Yountville, California’s Croze and Smith Wooton wineries, the journey into the fabulous world of wine actually began in North Carolina.

Daniel Benton was born in the Rowan County town of Salisbury, North Carolina. With a population just breeching 33,000, the town has seen many notables rise from its homesteads. United States senator Elizabeth Dole; Mike Evans, creator of the TV series Good Times ; New York Mets’ pitcher Bobby Parnell; SAS Institute CEO James Goodnight; and even President Andrew Jackson practiced law in Salisbury.

But it was there that Benton grew up, went to high school, and eventually an under-graduate at Catawba College. At Catawba, Benton studied chemistry and biology with the plans of going into the medical field. But the idea of that career path eventually faded, leading Benton to take an entry-level job.

“Part of my job, as I climbed

the ladder, was wining and dining executives and owners of multicar dealerships and insurance companies,” Benton says. “Most of the time, I was 20 to 30 years younger, and the topic for a lot of these executives was usually on fine wine.” Being young and not fully educated in the wine world, Benton decided it was in his best interest to study up on the much-talked-about topic. And in doing so, he fell in love with the world of wine and started researching ways to make a new career out of vino. “I remember coming home and telling my wife I want to go back to school to learn how to become a winemaker,” he recollects.

After 28 years in Salisbury and 10 years of that in corporate America, Benton has chosen a new path.

RESEARCH AND SURRY

Benton, along with his wife, Karen, started delving into extensive research. Part of that was taking vacations to different wine regions around the country and the world

– even volunteering when ever possible. “I remember calling a French chateau and telling them I was coming out for a couple weeks around harvest to work. The guy said, ‘You don’t understand. We’re not hiring.’ And I said, no, you don’t understand, you don’t have to pay me. We did it the apprentice way.” But becoming a journeyman and doing volunteer work wasn’t going to get him where he needed to be. Eventually, he was going to have to go back to school. Was he going to make the trek cross-country to prestigious schools such as UC-Davis or UC-Fresno for his education? He wasn’t quite sure. While getting his hair cut at a local barbershop in North Carolina, someone told him that there is a community college in the state that just started a wine program. That college: Surry Community College in Dobson.

Benton met the head of the program at the time and decided he will get his formal training in his home state.

Back in December of 2019, Daniel Benton, left, took part in a wine dinner at Margaux’s restaurant in Raleigh. From left to right: Benton, Taylor Cash and Ben Cash of Taylor’s Wine Shop, and Steve Horowitz, co-owner of Margaux’s.

DATHAN KAZSUK

After his training was complete, Benton stuck around and helped with some consulting and taught in the community college system, not only in Dobson but at Wilkes Community College in Wilkesboro. “I taught the wine curriculum as an adjunct professor where I did a couple of classes on wine and food pairings and wines of the world.”

During this time, Benton made wine at Surry and worked for a local distributor when he met Gary Wooton. Wooton, the owner/ winemaker of the Croze and Smith Wooton brands, came out to North Carolina to discuss having the distribution company Benton worked for pick up his portfolio of wines. “We started talking about wine production,” says Benton. This led to the two finding out how much they had in common in traditional winemaking. “I always thought, at least back in the 80s and 90s, that American winemakers were just making wines to appease the American palate,” he says. “They were making these wines that were 18 percent alcohol. They were heavy oaked and super extracted and viscous.”

CALIFORNIA BOUND

A month later, Wooton called Benton with a business proposition. Wooton had been talking it over with his wife, and with no children or exit strategy, and with retirement looming, he asked Benton to come out and make wine with him – and possibly take over as the head winemaker. “I discussed it with Karen, and just like every good idea, it came with a catch,” says Benton. “That catch was (Wooton) wanted us to have some skin in the game – so we negotiated some stock options in his company.”

After only one year, Wooton retired and left all the winemaking duties to Benton. He must have figured it all out. “It’s agriculture, man. You never figure it out. Every year Mother Nature throws something at you that you’re not ready for,” jokes Benton.

Benton was now the head winemaker for both Croze and Smith Wooton – even though they were separate businesses with different investors. “When Karen and I started buying out the parent company,

NC TIES

Croze, we acquired the Smith Wooton brand as well and just put them under one umbrella. The challenge we had was both of those brands had a 10-year market presence, so we couldn’t really change the names and rebrand them,” Benton says.

Croze and Smith Wooton are now under Benton Family Wines label. Under this company, the Benton’s have launched the Corvus brand, which Benton says is its more entrylevel California Cabernet. “We kept it separate from Croze, which is our more luxury level wines. We have a couple other brands, and we make wines for six other clients as we branched out into custom crush.”

Custom crush has been very popular in both California and North Carolina and across the country. When you look at the prime soil of Napa Valley, which has over 500 wineries and 3,000 growers – ground is hard to come by. “I mean, it’s map 101,” says Benton. “There just isn’t a lot of property available. And what is available is some of the most expensive dirt in the United States.” According to Benton, prime farmland in Napa Valley can run as much as $500,000 per acre. And that would make wine cost-prohibitive, where wineries would have to sell product around $500 per bottle.

That’s why Benton Family Wines sources close to 95 percent of its juice each season. But it gives the winery flexibility. “If you are stuck using only your vineyard, and if you have a bad year, you still have to make wine. We work with family growers up and down the valley. We have generated long-term relationships with growers to mark off specific sections of their vineyards.”

But home is where the heart is. Even though Benton is living his dream in California, he goes back to Surry Community College, and how it helped him become the winemaker he is today. “I came to one of the greatest wine regions in the world, where some of the most talented winemakers in the world reside. And I had a foundation of knowledge from Surry. I didn’t feel like I was behind any of the Davis guys or gals. Actually, in some aspects, I felt like I was ahead of them.”

In the next issue of Screw it Wine, Daniel Benton along with other winemakers discuss what they feels North Carolina wine makers need to do to put the state on the map as top producers.

From the Western Cape to High Point

History behind this South African winery with ties to North Carolina

South Africa’s Rickety Bridge has been around since 1797, but it’s been the last 20 years, with current owner Duncan Spence’s purchase of the winery, that has truly seen the winery flourish.

The winery, whose current U.S. distribution can only be found within the North Carolina borders, has seen two significant renovations in that period. The first occurred soon after Spence purchased the winery, which included an increased wine capacity and a larger barrel storage facility.

In June of 2019, the second happened when Rickety Bridge expanded the winery, extending almost double its capacity and adding more steel tanks for fermentation.

But who is Duncan Spence, and where did this entrepreneur come from, giving the winery a newfound glory and resurrection?

It all started when Spence and a friend wanted

to go into the print business back in Oxfordshire, England. “We taught ourselves to be printers by going to the local technical college, and we ran that business for about 10 to 12 years,” Spence says.

But the business remained small, and with Spence and his partner both getting married and having children at a young age, the printing business couldn’t afford to pay for both families. So Spence left the company and took on sales at Titanium Printing in Oxford, England. At that time, one of the largest typesetting companies in the United Kingdom.

Wanting to retire early, Spence, at the age of 50, then decided to become an angel investor. Through a cell phone technology and property development in South Africa, he discovered Rickety Bridge Winery.

“One of my colleagues in the cellphone business

SOUTH AFRICA

said to me, ‘you like wine –there’s a nice business for sale.’ So I went and took a look at it and bought it,” he says.

But how does a Franschhoek, South African winery wind up with its U.S. headquarters in the furniture capital of the world – High Point, North Carolina?

“My wife is from here,” Spence says. We used to come four or five times a year for three or four weeks, and during that time, I got introduced to somebody at the time we were developing our house here.”

That person offered Spence a business proposition that would allow him to set up a High Point company that would sell Rickety Bridge wines across North Carolina. And for the past five years, the Rickety Bridge label can be found in bottle shops, world markets and upscale restaurants.

The Rickety Bridge label consists of many wine varietals which flourish in South Africa, such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Mouvedre, Semillon and the country’s star grapes: Chenin Blanc and Pinotage.

The winery features other labels, including the successful Foundation Stone blended wines, Paulina’s Reserve wines, an entrylevel series, Rising River, which features a 100 percent

Pinotage rosé and the new Pen Dragon series.

The Pen Dragon series is the story of King Arthur, the magician, Merlin, and a littleknown dragon, who came crashing to earth inside a dragon-shaped comet. The series of six wines feature everything South Africa is known for, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage, and a white blend, red blend and rosé blend.

Over in Franschhoek, the winery is located on a farm covering roughly 124 acres of land, where it grows ten different varietals. Its

most considerable lot of land belongs to its Cabernet Sauvignon, which takes up almost 10 acres of land.

Visitors are welcome to visit the newly built wine tasting center (but be aware of the current Covid guidelines in traveling to South Africa), where one can admire the Wemmershoek Mountain range’s views. Or stay a couple of nights in the lap of luxury at either the Manor or Country houses. Rooms range anywhere from $103 to $275 per night. It’s a great way to experience South African wine in bliss.

WINE REVIEWS

RICKETY BRIDGE

2018 Paulina’s Reserve Chenin Blanc

When one thinks of prime South African grapes, usually Chenin Blanc comes to mind. This reserve wine is barrel fermented and aged in oak Foudres for 10 months, which leads to a crisp taste of pineapple, pear, and white peaches with a mild spicy oak aftertaste. High in acidity, this Chenin Blanc will pair well with most seafood dishes such as oysters and shrimp. Try it with liver páte on toasted ciabatta!

RICKETY BRIDGE

2019 Pinotage

Another one of South Africa’s premier grape varietals –Pinotage. This varietal, which is a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, has a very fruit forward taste of black berries, blueberries and dark plums. Very light aging in oak gives to velvety hints of vanilla and tannins. Those velvet sensations also derrive from the wines malolactic fermentation which takes place in stainless steel. This is a great “meat” wine!

RICKETY BRIDGE

2019 Noble Late Harvest

This dessert wine is made using 100 percent late harvest Chenin Blanc. This limited wine was harvested when the temperature was 36 degrees, which unveils the wines natural sweetness and full body taste of the Chenin Blanc grapes. This sipper is rich and ripe with the sweet taste of apricots and peaches with a little bit of honey rounding out the finish. This wine would pair well with fruit and soft cheeses.

Do you want some wine with your history

Enter the 300-acre farm, commonly known as Wessex Hundred, for the first time on your way to the Williamsburgh Winery, and you know you’ll be in for a treat. Pass the open gates to veer to your right, where grapevines nestle themselves into the Virginia soil. Make a slight right, and you see more rows of vines off to the left. Around the bend, dozens of evergreen trees give privacy to the luxurious country inn hosting a Frenchthemed restaurant. And then, in your final turn, you see it – the winery itself. But not just the winery, but the tasting room, event center, gift shop and tavern. This winery has it all.

The Williamsburg Winery is the brainchild of Patrick Duffeler, who started producing wines back in 1988. The European-style wines began with critical acclaim and have continued to do so over three decades.

Duffeler began his expert career working for Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York, after graduating from the University of Rochester. There he spent five years with the analog photography company before leaving for Switzerland to become the director of promotions at Philip Morris. It was there Duffeler started a Formula One motor racing team, and under his leadership, won

two world titles. Take a look inside the halls near the Wedmore’s Café Provençal, and you’ll see dozens of prints framed on the walls of Duffeler’s accomplishments.

After his racing days were over, Duffeler schooled himself in the beautiful world of wine in Burgundy, France. Wanting to move back to the U.S., Duffeler, his wife Peggy, and their two kids found their home in Williamsburg.

Today the winery has over 51-acres of vines on its property, growing over nine different varietals such as Vidal Blanc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Tannat.

Shop the winery’s expansive gift shop, where it features almost 40 different wines that range from reds, whites, dessert and sparklings. Due to Covid, tastings are currently not available inside the winery except for wine club members, who make reservations. But the winery recently constructed its two-level outdoor wine pavilion.

And don’t forget to reserve your lunch or dinner at the Gabriel Archer Tavern. There you can find wine by the glass, bottle or flight to go along with great menu items such as sandwiches, salads and seafood dishes.

Walk inside the winery’s tasting room and gift shop, and you’ve probably had a

conversation with Kenny Bumbaco. As VP of direct wine sales, Bumbaco has his eyes and ears on what the guests desire. He’s an abundance of knowledge, especially with how the winery kept afloat during the pandemic. He recalls that day on March 23 of last year, when everything was completely shut down. “During that time, we were still doing shipments and curbside pickup. We did offer a lot of shipping promotions. We shipped more wine out the door than we normally do at Christmas, so it was quite a rush of online orders,” Bumbaco says.

And luckily for the winery, they completed its 1619 pavilion before the pandemic, so when restrictions were lifted in May of last year, they could host guests outside for wine flights. Bumbaco admits that, just like everyone, sales were down from the previous year, and a lot of that was in part to the giant tasting room, which still sits vacant.

“We’ve adapted as much as we can,” he says. “We kept trying to keep our staff working all the way through, finding different things they can do. And fortunately, like many other companies that are our size, we were able to get a PPP loan that helped keep everyone working.”

From March 23 until late April, the winery laid off almost all of its part-time employees

One of Virginia’s largest wineries brings a taste of Europe to the state

Kenny Bumbaco is VP of direct wine sales at Williamsburg Winery.

history lesson?

MEET THE WINEMAKER

and even some full-time employees. As Bumbaco puts it, for about a month, the regular staff of roughly 100 employees dwindled to 16. But with the help of the government loan, the winery was able to bring everyone back by the end of June. And with that loan, the winery spent all 100 percent of it on the payroll.

With much turmoil surrounding the pandemic, in the beginning, many wineries didn’t know what to expect, especially from the loyal wine club members. Williamsburg Winery was no exception to the members they thought they might lose. “We were really hoping that we would not have lost members, but it was a lot less than we expected, considering the fact that it was a difficult time for everyone,” Bumbaco says. But those members helped carry the winery under challenging times; many of the members added more wines to their quarterly allocations.

“The two things that kept the business going was our wine club and wholesale sales. Even though we sell in grocery stores, we also rely on restaurants. So we were fortunate that our wine club members supported us in those times.”

“I’ve been drinking wine with my father as far as I can remember,” says Williamsburg Winery’s Matthew Meyer. So it comes as no shock that the winemaker for one of Virginia’s largest wineries found himself taking a wine hobby and turning it into a professional career.

“My dad had a wine cellar, and I had a little baby cellar. We collected together and talked about wine (at) the dinner table.” Meyer says while sitting in his office, which lies in the winery cellar, surrounded by hundreds of aging wine barrels.

As a child born in England, Meyers and his family moved to Washington, D.C., at an early age. Then, as a young adult, Meyers enjoyed adventure travel and traveled throughout Asia. He decided a life in foreign policy and international relations would be where his path to a career would lead him.

But that love for wine never strayed far from home. While in school on the East Coast, Meyers would attend a wine club every week at a local wine store, where someone told him that he was such a wine geek and should head west to California’s prestigious UC-Davis to study Enology and Viticulture.

“I called UC-Davis, and they told me what I needed to do. And I did it. So I graduated from UC-Davis in Enology and Viticulture. I basically turned my hobby into a career,” Meyers says. After graduating, he went to work in Napa under the Heitz family at Heitz Cellars. Meyer jokes about turning his hobby into a career by saying, “Luckily, I wasn’t a stamp collector.”

After spending some time in Napa, Meyer wanted to return to the East Coast and explore his options and what he can accomplish closer to home. While looking for a job, he was contacted by Charlie and Ed Shelton of Shelton Vineyards in North Carolina. There was interest in the position, Meyer says, but his wife at the time couldn’t find a job in the area. “She’s a psychologist, and they asked her if she would be interested in running their cheese factory,” he says. “I won’t use the exact words she used, but it was similar to what do I know about running a cheese factory?” Suffice to say, Meyer didn’t take the job. “If I were single, I probably would have said okay.”

After a couple of conversations, Meyer was introduced to Patrick Dueffler, who flew

him to Virginia for an interview in 2002. “I wouldn’t count the first couple of years,” Meyer says. “It was a very transitional period. The winemaker that was there was supposed to leave and didn’t, so things got a bit weird.”

In time, everything settled down, and Meyer was able to take over and add his twist and passion for wine into every bottle produced by the winery.

One of the wines that led to the winery’s success was an “entry-level” wine called Governor’s White. A wine that Meyer credits made up a majority of sales at Williamsburg Winery. “It was almost one-third of our wine sales, with a production of around 25,000 cases a year,” he says.

The Governor’s White is a semi-dry Riesling, which makes it an easy-drinking wine – although Meyer prefers the taste of a dry Riesling considerably. Williamsburg Winery doesn’t grow any Riesling onsite, so Meyer gets the grapes from Washington state at the same vineyard that sells its Riesling to Hogue Cellars.

Even with the popularity of the Riesling and its entry-level counterpart, the Two Schilling Red, Meyer admits both wines are great, but he isn’t fond of the names. “You don’t need to tell someone that a white is white or a red is red. It’s pretty obvious. I would have preferred something such as The Governor’s Blend or the Governor.” But in today’s world of you buy what you know, the winery doesn’t plan on rebranding the wines.

But what exactly is an entry-level wine,

His hobby for wine collecting has led to a passion for winemaking

PHOTOS C/O WILLIAMSBURG WINERY

MATTHEW MEYER

NOW FOCUSED ON HIGHEND WINES IN VIRGINIA

and what makes it so popular? According to Meyer, these are wines that don’t spend a lot of time in oak barrels or made using grapes that don’t cost a lot to purchase. “A lot of times, a winery will use their entry-level wines as their bread and butter because it is always consistent,” he says. “It allows you that sale which can allow you to try other things.”

Today, the winery will continue to produce these top-selling wines but are now focused on higher-end production. For example, the winery’s 2017 Petit Verdot Reserve recently received a gold medal in the 2021 Virginia Governors Cup Competition. Wine Enthusiast just awarded the winery’s 2017 Adagio red blend with 92 points and the Merlot Reserve 90 points and featured the wine in a current issue highlighting some of the top Merlot wines around the globe.

With all these accolades, including the 2014 Adagio winning the top award in the Governor’s Cup – it comes as a surprise that the winery is actually up on the market. “It’s not because of Covid or anything bad,” Meyers says. “It’s just that Patrick wants to retire and live in France.”

Deuffler has no children to hand the business over to, so one could conclude that the winemaker would be next in line. “I’m working on that,” Meyer says. “Patrick has done exceptionally, but there comes a time where you need to hand it over to somebody who might have more money and younger ideas to take it to the next level.”

Williamsburg Winery is currently waiting for that right buyer, be it Meyer and a group of investors, or someone else ready to pay the $40 million for the 343 acres, plus another 74 acres in a perpetual lease. And with 52 acres under vine and a winery capable of producing close to 60 thousand cases per year – this could be a dream come true for a potential buyer.

Continue the wine tasting adventure by staying a night or two inside the luxurious Wedmore

Completed in 2008, the Wedmore Place at Wessex Hundred is a European-style country hotel featuring 34 lavish quarters.

Located on the same property as the winery, the Wedmore is centrally situated between colonial downtown Williamsburg and the popular tourist destination, Busch Gardens.

Amenities inside the Wedmore include wood-burning fireplaces in all but four rooms, Lavazza coffee makers, high-speed wireless internet, king-size beds and complimentary continental breakfast at Café Provençal.

The hotel features a massage service using ultra-fine aromatherapy oils rich in vitamins. All massage services require a prior appointment – so call in advance to check out the time and packages available.

The Wedmore is divided up into four different room levels. It starts with the traditional rooms, and from there goes to the Classic, Superior and the Wedmore Place Suites.

Classic and Traditional rooms range from 277 sq. ft. to 325 sq. ft. The Superior rooms are corner rooms and range from 326 sq. ft. to 430 sq. ft. But if you’re looking to unwind in luxury, the suites range from 500 sq. ft. to 1,100 sq. ft. in space. The suites range from $260 to $750 per night.

Be prepared to be impressed when you step foot inside. Upon entering the lobby, guests will encounter a woodburning fireplace surrounded by comfy furniture and a full suit of armor standing in the corner.

Every single room at the Wedmore is decorated with European-themed furniture and antique paintings that are perfect for couples enjoying an afternoon at the winery or looking for a honeymoon getaway.

And on a nice day, be sure to enjoy the sun in the quad while relaxing to the sounds of cascading water around the centrally located water fountain. Or head out to the pool and take a dip on those warm Williamsburg afternoons. Just behind the Café, the pool area features a lounge where you can have your bartender mix up a cocktail after your brisk swim.

While down by the pool and restaurant, be sure to check out all the memorabilia on the walls – as it highlights Patrick Deuffler’s past in the world of Formula One racing, including the cover of the Spanish edition of the 1972 Popular Mechanic, which he graces the cover.

Walking around the Wedmore, you’ll find a lot of fascinating tidbits. Such as the Triangle Bailliage of North Carolina that recognized the Café for its exceptional culinary achievements and execution. The Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseur, which fine dines around food and wine, has more than 20,000 members worldwide and is headquartered in Paris.

But that’s not the only award the Café has been awarded in the past. Wine Spectator gave the restaurant its “Award of Excellence” in 2019 for its outstanding wine selection.

Full disclosure: Screw it Wine was offered a complimentary night stay at the Wedmore while conducting this feature.

The Wedmore Place features 34 luxury rooms, a restaurant, swimming pool, library and lounge.

PHOTO BY WILLIAMSBURG WINERY

MUSIC IN THE VINES

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS

For Darrell Hoots, playing music comes naturally to him. Starting off performing in church-based bands, Hoots eventually formed a cover band, which he fronted in the Winston-Salem area. The band had a 10-year stint where it started as Knuckles Deep and finally Southern Eyes for the last three years of its run.

In that time, members of the band began having families of their own, making it difficult to continue the live performances. Hoots established many lasting relationships in the nightlife world and decided it was time to go out independently and try something new.

“I really wanted to transition into venues such as wineries and breweries to perform more easy listening stuff,” Hoots says. “With the band, we did a lot more harder (music) that appealed to a younger crowd. As a solo artist, I do a lot more easy listening songs people can sing along with and songs they probably grew up listening to.”

You’ll hear many of Hoots’ influences in his music, both in sound and style – just close your eyes and listen. There’s a mix of old classic rock and R&B with a twist of Otis Redding and Sam Cook comes to mind when you hear Hoots perform.

Currently, he is riding success with this new trend that’s starting to surge in the past couple of years. And that trend is more solo artists or small twoand three-piece bands performing at the local wineries, breweries and even distilleries. As Hoots states, he and many of his peers on the local music circuit find that serving as a solo act is a lot more beneficial to both the artists and the venues.

“There are a lot more opportunities, and it seems that the local businesses, as a whole, are getting the most return out of this than with a four or five-piece band.”

As Hoots points out, one of those is a venue having to pay a lot more for a full band. “If you are a one- or two-man show, the likeliness of getting more tips at the end of the night is greater than if you are a full band,” he says. So a winwin situation for the artist and venue.

Another bonus to becoming a

solo artist such as Hoots is none of the tumultuous band arguments that have been known to break up even some of the best bands. “We had really four different guys and four different perspectives, and sometimes that works out great, and sometimes it was like the worst nightmare in the world,” Hoots says. “In the end, you have to decide what you want to play – be it through an original perspective or a cover band.”

In Hoots’ solo career, he has taken more to performing cover material to keep his fans entertained, which doesn’t hurt his feelings. “I have written some of my own material, but I haven’t spent the time to sit

down and focus on that,” he says. “But one of my biggest compliments is when I’m performing somewhere, and someone asks me to play one of my original songs.”

When one listens to Hoots perform live, you can tell he’s taken this path to keep people happy. It’s what he loves to do. From performing under a tent on a chilly evening at Old Nick Williams distillery in Lewisville to sports pubs such as Mount Airy’s Granite City and small family-owned wineries such as Native Vines, Darrell Hoots is looking to entertain.

“If everyone is enjoying what I’m playing, that’s all that really matters to me at the end of the day.”

DATHAN KAZSUK

“If everyone is enjoying what I’m playing, that’s all that really matters to me at the end of the day.”

Darrell Hoots, Musician

FROM

TO NEW FOUND GLORY

EDITORIAL

DO YOU KNOW YOUR FLAVOR INTENSITY WITH THESE POPULAR WINES?

OUR VERY OWN ON-SITE WSET, JENNIFER PRIMROSE, BREAKS DOWN THE FLAVOR INTENSITY SCALE FROM THE HEAVY CABS TO LIGHT WHITES

Do you remember your first introduction to the pleasing world of wine? I remember mine. It was Beringer White Zinfandel. At the time, I didn’t know much about the different grape varietals and leaving the skins on for a brief amount of time with red wine to make a Rose. White Zin, which is basically a rosé, takes a Zinfandel, which usually is an intense grape (8.5 in the chart to the right), and brings it down to a 4, with a very light taste and flavors.

I have to say from there, my taste in wine only got better. Once I moved to North Carolina from Michigan, I met other wine drinkers and moved towards whites such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. And then reds happened.

Pairing wine with food became my next big adventure. Pork tenderloin and blue cheese mashed potatoes pair well with a Merlot. Or a burger hot off the grill with a glass of Tempranillo.

At the Melting Pot, my friends and I would go for wine dinners and learn what meats should be paired with the wine at the table, which was usually a lot. A dry Riesling from Germany would go with the mushroom salad at the beginning. An oaky Chardonnay, which pairs well with almost anything, would go with most cheese fondues and lighter meats. But the Bogle Cabernet Sauvignon (yes, we would drink Bogle) was best served with the fillet and heavily-seasoned chicken.

Everyone’s palate is different. We all know that. What I may like for its intensity, such as a Cabernet Sauvignon or Malbec, you may say is too much for you.

Today, I’m a little more seasoned than I was back then, and it is a lot easier to find the right pairing. It’s the little things: a heavy Cabernet doesn’t pair well with lighter seafood. It might be too much for dishes such as mussels, clams or any shellfish. But a Rosé or Chardonnay would be ideal for seafood or spicy Thai foods.

Even pairing milk chocolate, we have a rule of advice. Make sure the wine is sweeter than the chocolate. If not, the chocolate’s sweetness will overpower the wine – and we don’t want that.

The Flavor Intensity Scale

9 8.5 8 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

WINE VARIETAL

CABERNET SAUVIGNON

From Bordeaux, France. As heavy as they get. An acquired taste for some.

SYRAH

From California and France. Called Shiraz in Australia. This is usually deep and bold in flavor – pairs well with red meats.

ZINFANDEL

We love the Zins coming from Lodi, California. This wine is just a little more intense than Merlot.

MERLOT

From Argentina, France and California. Forget Miles, this is a great varietal with thick, bolder tastes.

TEMPRANILLO

Also known as Riojas in Spain. This wine has deep tastes of pepper, cocoa and dark cherries.

PINOT NOIR

From Burgundy and Oregon – mild wine with hints of berries and cherries. A great, light-starter wine.

CHARDONNAY

Grows almost anywhere – pairs well with most foods – one of the dominate white wines.

ROSE

The lightest of the reds, primarily from Provence, France; Australia; and the United States.

RIESLING

Michigan and Oregon are doing great Riesling – but Germany ... ‘nuff said!

PINOT GRIGIO

From Italy and California, low in flavor – its like a session IPA.

SAUVIGNON BLANC

From New Zealand, South Africa and US - lemongrass and citrus.

READ BETWEEN THE WINES

Wine flourishes deep in the heart of Texas

Cactus,the Alamo, cowboy hats and spurs. When thinking of Texas, those things come to mind – and usually not wine. Sip a bottle from the Lone Star State and it may change the picture entirely.

The history of wine in Texas is a long one. The first vineyard planted in North America by Franciscan priests was planted around 1662 in Texas. European settlers followed the development of mission outposts, bringing more grapevine cuttings and developing the industry through the 1800s. Today, Texas has more than 500 wineries and the wine industry contributes more than $13 billion in economic value annually.

Texans don’t do anything in a small way. Texas is the fifth-largest wine-producing state in the US. Texas Hill County is the third largest AVA in the country, encompassing 9 million acres.

“One of the misperceptions about Texas is that it seems like it would be this very limited climate for growing grapes,” says Julie Kuhlken, co-founder of Pedernales Cellars, a familyowned and operated winery in Stonewall, Texas, that specializes in Spanish and Rhone varieties. “Texas is actually bigger than France, so you’re talking enormous geographic diversity. If you look at the High Plains, the reality is an amazing diurnal (temperature), which is very helpful. They are using irrigation, so you’re not relying on rainfall in order to make sure the plants have enough water.”

“As with many wine regions, the weather can be unpredictable, so there’s a lot of hard work required in the vineyard to get the highest quality fruit possible and in the winery to make the best wines from that fruit,” says Denise Clarke, sommelier and director of the Texas Fine Wine group, which was established in 2014. She has been involved with the Texas wine industry for more than a decade. “Texas wine people are very passionate about the opportunities in this state to make benchmark wines, and they are eager to share their experiences and knowledge with other winemakers and growers.”

Texas Fine Wine is a collection of five of Texas’ most distinguished wineries: Bending Branch Winery, Brennan Vineyards, Duchman Family Winery, Pedernales Cellars and Spicewood Vineyards. Member wineries are dedicated to producing benchmark wines from Texas grapes.

One taste of the lovely mocha and deep blueberry notes tinged with floral highlights from the Bending Branch 2017 Tallent Vineyard Tannat will convince any wine lover that something special is going on in Texas. An example is the Brennan Vineyard 2019 Ella’s

Pine, a 100 percent Semillon with a limited 200-case production. With a beautiful golden color, the wine delights with smooth pineapple and honey flavors topped with a touch of peach and dry herbs.

Many consumers just don’t know grapes like Tannat or Semillon. “One of our biggest challenges is many of the wines we produce may be unfamiliar to some wine enthusiasts – they may not know much about Viognier, Vermentino, Tannat or Tempranillo,” Clarke says. “We work hard to explain the varieties and how they are similar in taste and body to more well-known grapes.”

In his 13th year as winemaker at Duchman Family Winery, Dave Reilly thinks finding the right grape varieties has been key in the tremendous surge in Texas wine quality. “We can grow those grapes, but we weren’t making world-class wines,” Reilly says. “I’m not in any way saying you can’t make a world-class Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon in Texas because there are some. It’s just more the exception than the rule.” Real success for Texas wine began when the focus changed to varieties better suited to the state rather than just what people knew.

“We kind of launched ourselves out there with Vermentino, Trebbiano, Montepulciano, and Aglianico as our four flagship wines,” Reilly

says. “Grape growers that we were contracting with on the High Plains probably never heard of them, much less knew how to pronounce them.”

“People are so aware of the international varietals, many of which are grown in France, but if you go along the Mediterranean and actually track all of the warm weather varietals, there is an enormous range of them,” Kuhlken says. “It just blows you away. We have many of these varieties that are not well known, right? They’re not household names. What’s allowed the Texas wine industry to grow is that at some point, we said we need to stop growing things that people know the name of but don’t grow well here and start growing things that grow well here and get everybody else to learn their names.”

Although Cabernet Sauvignon tops the list of grape production (2019), Tempranillo, a Spanish grape, is not far behind. Other top reds include Mourvèdre, Sangiovese and Primitivo. The top whites are Viognier and Muscat Canelli.

According to Clarke, grapes that show the best promise in Texas are from warm climate, Mediterranean regions including Southern France, Italy and Spain – so everything from Viognier, Roussanne, Marsanne, Albariño, Picpoul Blanc and Vermentino to Tempranillo, Tannat, Mourvèdre, Graciano, Carignan, Teroldego, Souzão and Touriga Nacional.

The less-familiar grapes shouldn’t be a barrier to wine sippers. “I find most wine lovers are adventurous and eager to try new varieties and producers, and many wine enthusiasts have not had a lot of Texas wines,” Clarke says. “The Texas wines on store shelves are just a small percentage of the Texas wines made in the state. Thankfully, Texas wine country is just hours from Austin, San Antonio, Dallas and Houston, making it a great weekend destination to get out and explore wineries that make something for everyone.”

Clarke sees intriguing developments for Texas wines. Look for more single-vineyard wines that express microclimates and terroir and single-varietal wines from grapes like Touriga Nacional and Cinsault that, in the past, have been used primarily as blending grapes.

“Texas is an exciting but still young wine region,” Clarke says. “Texas is still experimenting with new grape varieties and winemaking techniques. I’m excited to see more wines come from our higher, mountainous elevations to complement the warm-climate grapes we are known for.”

Dave Nershi is the publisher of Vino-Sphere.com and a Certified Specialist of Wine. A former newspaper and magazine editor, Nershi is an award-winning writer with a focus on wines, wineries and related travel. Currently based in North Carolina, he travels extensively for stories.

Have something to voice about the wine industry? Send us a letter for consideration. Send your piece to trianglearoundtown@gmai l.com, Attn: “Read Between the Wines.”

Duchman Family Winery winemaker Dave Reilly TEXAS FINE WINE

The Swan Creek AVA, an American Viticultural Area, is located in the Piedmont region of North Carolina. An AVA is an area designated for grape-growing due to its climate, soil and elevation. North Carolina currently has six AVAs. Swan Creek was established in May 2008 as the second AVA with Yadkin Valley being the first. Swan Creek is a subappellation of the Yadkin Valley AVA.

However, the story of the Swan Creek AVA as a wine region began many millions of years ago, when a small landmass in the Southeastern corner of what would become the North American continent was thrust skyward thanks to geological forces.

To learn more about the story of how it all began, purchase a copy Triangle Around Town’s first e-book, The Wineries of Swan Creek. This e-book is an interactive guide for visiting each of these wineries with general information, tastings and membership costs.

Book features Dobbins Creek, Laurel Gray, Midnight Magdalena, Piccione, Raffaldini, Shadow Springs, Stardust Cellars and WIndsor Run Cellars.