Back to Yadkin Valley Wineries Part 1

Long time no blog...life gets busy. But as a promise to those who do ask about our winery visits I am back in the writing chair again to add notes about our Summer 2014 Wine Weekend. As a reminder, tasting notes that indicate “like” are wines that are better than typical NC flavors.

We had enjoyed the area of Elkin, NC in the past and decided there were enough wineries we still had not visited that we could certainly do another long weekend.

First up was what ended up being our favorite winery visit of the trip: Jones von Drehle Vineyards & Winery. The grounds are beautiful! We enjoyed the scenic drive through the property to get to the tasting room which has a lovely patio with lots of seating to enjoy the views. It was $8 to taste 8 wines and they give you a pretty glass as part of the deal. We thoroughly enjoyed our tasting for the interaction of the staff as well as the wine being good. Dan, nicknamed Lama-Dan due to his superior laminating skills of winery materials, was a joy to chat with and he snuck in an extra taste or two when hubby and I picked different wines to try. Chloe, lovable winery dog, was a sweet, welcoming addition.

This winery was also one of the ones that seems to have food truck vendors available on a decent basis but we missed timed our stop and didn't get to experience the food truck. It is a nice spot for a leisurely snack or lunch so we will certainly return to this vineyard on future visits.

• Tempranillo – plum fragrance, light tannins, good 
• Cabernet Franc – raspberry and violet notes, mild, tart, mellow in a good way, like 
• Merlot – currant flavors, good mouth feel, light, mellow, well balanced, good 
• Rock & Rail – Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot blend – like a Bordeaux style blend, good mouth feel, well blended, really nice, really liked (shared a couple of glasses after tasting) 
• Petit Verdot – hard to describe, the tannins were too green, needs aging, good 
• Rosa Dia – Provence style Rosé, light, fresh, drinkable, not sweet, very refreshing, like 
• Viognier – apricot, crisp, not very sweet, light, very refreshing, really like 
• Petit Manseng – acidic, heavier mouth feel, good 
• Old Railroad Red – Cabernet Franc and Merlot blend – not overly sweet but very much like a Lambrusco wine, was described as being for the person not sure if they want a sweet or dry wine. 

View from patio at Jones von Drehle

Next stop was MenaRick Vineyard & Winery. This is another possible picnic destination that was also gearing up for food during our visit but weren't quite ready to serve before we left. This winery uses the Spanish and Portuguese style of winemaking. A tasting is $8 with a stem-less style glass to keep. For those who are fans of the Portuguese style Vino Verde they have plans to release NC first’s attempt at this wine in the near future by picking chardonnay grapes early. They were out of several of their blends during our visit.

• Albarino – tasted both chilled and room temperature. Chilled could pick up on the citrus more, tart; room temperature it tasted more fruity, a little tart overall, good 
• Chardonnay – crisp, minor bourbon flavor due to yeasts used, butterscotch flavors, ok 
• Grenache – spicy, can smell the spices, clean, refreshing, good fruit, very enjoyable 
• Touriga Nacional – bold, very port like 
• Merlot – empty, tad light 
• Syrah – a bit sour, good mouth feel, good level of pepperiness, ok 
• Peach – chardonnay with added fruit, not too sweet, very light, very nice 
• Raspberry – great flavor, fizzy, fruity, refreshing, not too sweet, really liked 
• Blackberry – very fruity, tad sweet, good, tasted again with lemon to get a sweet/tart reaction

View at MenaRick

Final stop for the day was to revisit McRitchie where we bought a bottle each of their ciders.  Read about our tasting here back in 2013.