The Great NC Wine Tour

Well, "Great" is probably a bit of an exaggeration. It only took one afternoon. And while "NC" is not an exaggeration, all the wineries were in NC, we only visited 3. It was however a very nice tour. We, the great Marquise and I, started out with the Chatham Hill Winery in Morrisville. It was a good one to start with because it was right between both of us. They had just moved into the new location (they were just down the street). It was the only winery where we had to pay for the tasting. We did get to keep the wine class, so it was OK. For my first winery, it was a little odd. I always thought there was going to be a vineyard right outside, but there was not. I thought about asking where they got their grapes from, but decided not to. The person who led (gave)(performed) the wine tasting was really knowledgeable and really entertaining. I think the really entertaining part was probably more important (are you supposed to tip these people? we didn't). I have to say, they were by far the most professional. However, the only wine I was enthused about was a fruit infused wine. It will be great as a summer "sangria" type drink.

The second winery we visited was the Silk Hope Winery ( could not get to their website) in Pittsboro. It was at the top of a hill that is the highest point in that county. They had a wonderful view. The owner was there to give us a tasting. He had sold out of all of his whites, he had 4 reds that I really did not care about. The last thing he did was to pull out this small pop bottle with some wine (yes, I did ask to make sure it was wine). He let us have a small taste of a batch of white wine he had just bottled. It was an amazing wine! It was a dry wine with a really, really fruity/citrus taste. He says it should be available in March. I hope I make it in time to get a bottle or two. Because of the frost and drought last year, he wasn't able to make a lot of it. I'm sure the Marquise will keep an eye out for it. It was the only wine we really agreed upon.



They also win the award for best sign!!!!


The last winery we visited was in Saxapahaw. I think they were probably the smallest one we visited, but they had a couple of good wines. The one I am drinking now is their white wine called "Carlos". It's not really a white colored wine, its more like cider colored. It has more of a fruity/apple-ish taste to it. They had a mulled wine which unfortunately smelled much better than it tasted.


I must say that for my first time really tasting wine, it was a surprisingly enjoyable day trip. I learned a little about wine and the different types and tastes. Most of the people were not disappointed when I told them I was definitely a beer person. And I actually found a couple of wines I liked. All in all, a very good day.