Back to Yadkin Valley Wineries Part 2

The first winery we visited for tastings on Sunday was Brushy Mountain Winery in downtown Elkin, NC. This tasting room is in the old Elkin canning company building and they base their wine labels on the old canning labels.  This is actually a really nifty spot, with a pretty bar and inviting seating/conversation area.  The most interesting thing is the exposure of old ads on the interior brick wall that was uncovered during their renovation of the building.  They offer different prices for the level of tasting you want to do and one level includes option to keep the glass.

• Foothills Folly Renovation Rosé – sparkling rosé, cherry, crisp, nice acidity, very light, not too sweet, good
• Chardonnay – steel and oak aged, very light, green apple, pear, good
• E&A Red – named for railroad, Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, nice tartness, mellow, pretty decent
• Bugaboo Creek Red - Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, very nice, mellow, good fruit, decent/mild tannins, like
• Red Bud Ridge Red - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Chambourcin blend, dark fruits, berry, a little jammy, good mouthfeel
• Chatham Reserve Red - Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Chambourcin and Cabernet Sauvignon blend, more oaky than others, more tannic, dry
• Pour Mon Amour - dessert wine, port style

Uncovered Ads

Something to note is that Elkin Creek, Grassy Creek, Brushy Mountain and McRitchie are part of the original four wineries in this area and they offer a visitor "punch" card.  After you have done tastings at all four wineries you can return to any of one them for a free tasting. This offer never expires and we have collected 3 of the 4 "punches" over the last year and a half. We have actually already visited all four but when we were at Grassy Creek we were with a wine tour group and didn't know about the punch card.

The second stop for tastings was Adagio Vineyards. Adagio is operated by a husband and wife team with a significant interest in music because the wife is a classical violinist. Hence the name of the group and nearly all their wines being based on musical terms  The tasting room is set up to allow for musical performances which we got to experience in the form of a violin duet during our visit. Do not recall the tasting fee but did get to keep the glasses which are a very pretty stemless version.  Please note this place is brand new and I am sure the wines will better develop over time.

• Chardonnay (steel tank) – crisp, light, buttery, light oak, good
• Vivace – Traminette with a trace of Chardonnay, oily mouthfeel, some tart/sourness, citrus, green apple
• Chaconne – Merlot, Tannat and Petite Verdot blend and was described as “cherry, plum, smoke”, tasted sourness, empty, too light, not balanced
• Coda – dessert style made from Taminette, fruity, kiwi, good

Tasting room performance at Adagio

Final stop of the day was a revisit to Slightly Askew to re-taste some of their fruit wine options in order to stock up for summer beach outing.  Read about our previous visit here.  If you are looking for a nice fruit & real wine blend I think these are the best in NC and my favorites include Tattoo on the Beach (Banana Pineapple Viognier) and Drama Kween (Strawberry Banana Reisling Viognier).