Stonefield Cellars

Stonefield Cellars

This winery is located in Stokesdale, NC near Brad’s hometown of Madison. It is a pretty sight with a really nice store and tasting bar. We had the pleasure of being the only two people in the place late one Saturday morning as we were in route to visit Brad’s family.

Upon our arrival we were greeted by the prettiest cat I have ever seen. We later learned his name is Noah, he is a Bengal, and they have a Merlot in his honor. Noah actually did a nice job of escorting us around the property so that we found the tasting room. Robert, the wine maker who is from California and has a Wine Chemistry degree, did our tasting. Let me go on record now saying that when I first learned 10 years back that there was such a thing as wine chemistry degrees I almost made a significant career change. Time will tell if I was wise to stay the course of my current direction.

Noah says no pictures please!

Their tasting fee is $10 and I failed to note how many that allows you to taste. Once again we were permitted to taste more than the fee limit. I noted that they had in their store collections of three bottles of wine labeled as Sangria kits so I had to ask about that (bottle each of Peach, Strawberry, and Merlot). Ask and ye shall receive. After being told about the Sangria, Brad (what a wing man) comments about how much I love to make Sangria. And I was then presented with a large glass of a batch that had been made up for that evening’s event. It was incredibly good but I resisted the urge to buy the Sangria Kit. Instead we purchased the following wines:

• Viognier – nice crisp, fruit flavors of apple
• Gato Merlot – it is described as smooth and approachable like Noah the cat, very nice
• Barrel X (Syrah, Barbera, Mourvedre) – nice bold wine
• Malbec – good big wine, full bodied
• Beneficence (Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Franc) – I am becoming a fan of blends with Cabernet Franc
• Cabernet Sauvignon – very rich, good wine
• Strawberry – 100% strawberry juice, like eating a nice ripe strawberry and one of the three wines in the Sangria.

A Couple of Winston-Salem Fine Dining Spots

While doing a four day trip to the Yadkin Valley area to taste NC wines we also managed to enjoy a couple of nice meals along the way. I have eaten at these two places at least three times thanks to a management workshop that we have each year in Winston-Salem but it was Brad’s first visit. Both restaurants have evolving menus based on seasonally available ingredients. Both restaurants also have very modern and unique offerings and fall into the fine dining category in terms of quality and price. However, neither location is stuffy nor stogy, in fact the Meridian in particular is very stylish, possibly trendy.

1703

This is a small place near the Reynolda Village area of Winston. When I have been here for management meetings we have the entire restaurant reserved for our group. On each of those occasions we have watched numerous potential diners arrive hoping to have dinner only to be turned away. This has always given me the impression that it is a consistent dining spot for many locals. The offerings on our limited menus during our management dinners have always covered a nice range of options and every meal has always been wonderfully done.

On the night that Brad and I went the place was virtually empty when we arrived but was full when we left. We opted to share the special appetizer: sausage and cranberry risotto dish for starters and they served it in separate bowls for us. I am a picky risotto eater and prefer mine creamier and less al dente than what was served; however, the sausage in it was wonderful. Brad, who will eat more al dente risotto, agreed that this could have been creamier. For entrees I had the meat pasta special: linguini with sausage, mushrooms, tomatoes all in parmesan cream sauce and Brad had the rack of lamb: roasted rack of lamb with mashed potatoes, wilted spinach and a Spanish Sofrito sauce. Both were absolutely wonderful. For me the pasta dish is the ultimate type of comfort food and I was not disappointed. Brad loves lamb and too often it is presented overcooked but not this time. The wine we selected for our meal was Diseno Old Vine Malbec, from Mendoza, Argentina. It went perfectly with Brad’s lamb but is definitely a wine meant for food because tastes of it prior to eating were a bit disappointing.

Meridian

Meridian is near Old Salem, just south of downtown Winston-Salem. It is a larger restaurant than 1703 and has a pleasing décor and layout. Again, on the occasions when I have been there for management dinners the menu has had nice selections and the food has always been wonderful. The Duck Three Ways seems to consistently be on their menu and I have seen fellow coworkers enjoy it year after year.

For starters Brad had the nicoise salad: rare tuna with eggs, green beans, and tomato-sherry vinaigrette and I had the soup of the day: vegetable minestrone. Both were very good. For entrée’s Brad had Duck Three Ways: three sections prepared in different ways (I think it was seared breast, a confit, and maybe a pate) served with caramelized root vegetable and an apricot sauce. I had the scallop risotto: seared scallop risotto with asparagus, mushrooms, fennel and mascarpone cheese. Again both were wonderful dishes and I was very pleased with the consistency of the risotto, creamy. To finish we shared the chocolate cake dessert. The wine we selected for the evening was Soter Pinot Noir from Oregon, which paired nicely with our food.