In yesterday's post, I wrote about my recent back roads trip home from Charleston. Of course, I found some NC Wine stops to make along the way. The first was the lovely Cypress Bend Vineyards (http://www.cypressbendvineyards.com/) in Wagram. Next, I saw J. Wesley Vineyards (http://www.jwesleyvineyards.com/) in Cumberland County listed on the NC Wine Guide. I double checked the hours to make sure they were open on Sunday. We followed the directions and found the winery. The vineyards look young, but I figured they must be buying grapes for now and working toward having their own grapes. When I walked to the door of the tasting room, I was very disappointed to see that the hours listed on the door indicated that the winery is closed on Sunday. This was different information than what is listed in the 2009 NC Wine Guide and on the J. Wesley web site. Here is the lesson to learn: call the winery before taking off on a journey to make sure that the hours have not changed. I will make another stop by J. Wesley in the future to see what they have to offer. Meanwhile, it was pretty much on our way on the back road trip home.
The next stop made up for this disappointment! We were cutting it close on time, but we decided we could make it to Adams Vineyards (http://www.adamsvineyards.com/) in Wake County (www.wakegov.com/visitors). I do advise calling the winery if the directions seem confusing. We needed a bit of help to make the connections to find it. When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by the owner and wine maker. The wine maker and his wife were very hospitable and gave our kids some homemade grape juice my daughter said was the "yummiest" she had ever had.
The next stop made up for this disappointment! We were cutting it close on time, but we decided we could make it to Adams Vineyards (http://www.adamsvineyards.com/) in Wake County (www.wakegov.com/visitors). I do advise calling the winery if the directions seem confusing. We needed a bit of help to make the connections to find it. When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by the owner and wine maker. The wine maker and his wife were very hospitable and gave our kids some homemade grape juice my daughter said was the "yummiest" she had ever had.
While the winery has only been open for a little while, Mr. Adams has been making wine for over 40 years. He always made it for himself and family and friends. He learned to make it from his parents while growing up in the house we saw from the tasting room where he still lives and uses as the picture on his bottle labels. He explained that it is legal to make wine in certain small amounts for one's own use and share with family and friends. He decided to start making it officially and to open the winery to sell the wine. All of the wine made at Adams uses the muscadine grape. The Adams told us about some of the health benefits of the grape and the many varieties muscadines (http://www.ncmuscadine.org/). I felt connected to the land in that (as I explained in yesterday's post) this is North Carolina's historic grape and the wine maker has experience and knowledge passed down to him from previous generations. As I left, I saw the sign designating Adams Vineyards as a North Carolina Century Farm (http://www.ncagr.gov/paffairs/century/history.htm). North Carolina's agricultural heritage is important both for preserving past traditions in the state and supporting today's economy. Remember, grape growing is farming! Wine is a North Carolina agricultural product! We saw the event room and the small, but nice collection of merchandise and had a nice visit at Adams. The tasting fee is $8.00 with a glass to keep. We enjoyed several nice wines. We brought home a dry white that we drank with some grilled chicken a few days later!
As we left Adams Vineyards, we saw Porter Farms and Nursery (http://www.porterfarmsandnursery.com/) across the road. We decided to stop for some fresh produce. Again, we were not disappointed. The produce was beautiful! We even enjoyed some homemade ice cream. I know I will go back to Porter Farms whenever I pass exit 312 on I-40 (just five miles off the exit) and will probably make a stop at Adams too! I left the Willow Spring area full of pride in our state's agricultural products!
As always, I am not a wine professional; I am just an enthusiast who loves wine tasting, road-tripping, and experiencing local flavor in North Carolina! Check back soon as I continue to take you on the journey through North Carolina wine country! My goal: Visit ALL North Carolina wineries! NC Winery Count: 25
As we left Adams Vineyards, we saw Porter Farms and Nursery (http://www.porterfarmsandnursery.com/) across the road. We decided to stop for some fresh produce. Again, we were not disappointed. The produce was beautiful! We even enjoyed some homemade ice cream. I know I will go back to Porter Farms whenever I pass exit 312 on I-40 (just five miles off the exit) and will probably make a stop at Adams too! I left the Willow Spring area full of pride in our state's agricultural products!
As always, I am not a wine professional; I am just an enthusiast who loves wine tasting, road-tripping, and experiencing local flavor in North Carolina! Check back soon as I continue to take you on the journey through North Carolina wine country! My goal: Visit ALL North Carolina wineries! NC Winery Count: 25
