NC's Finest (so far)

On our way to Blowing Rock, NC Jim and I stopped at a couple of NC's finest wineries in the Yadkin Valley.

The first stop was the RayLen Vineyards. The first thing we saw was a gigantic moss covered silo that appeared to be home to many birds. Unfortunately, no one at the winery seemed to know the original use of the silo.

You have 3 tasting options: The red flight, which includes selections such as The Carolinius and Category 5. The white flight includes their Barrel Chardonnay, Viognier, and Yadkin Gold. We opted for the Complete Flight which included all wines from the red and white flight as well as selections from the reserve cellars. Though this is a fairly young winery (they opened in 2001) all of their wines had a strong,distinct flavor. We LOVED the cabernet sauvingnon and the Barrel Chardonay. We also bought the Category 5, which has an image of hurricane hugo on it.

Westbend Vineyards was up next. This is one of NC's oldest wineries and it is very well established. You have probably seen their wine on the shelves in grocery stores and Total Wine. Next time you see it,pick up a bottle, chances are you are going to love it! Along with the tasting, you also get a very thorough tour,which actually starts as a stroll through the vines themselves. We bought a bottle of their reserve cabernet sauvignon.

Next, we went to the The Bannerl Elk Winey. This is another very young winery that surprised me. Their whites were their strong point and we bought a bottle of the Seval Blanc. We also bought a couple of glasses to drink on the porch while we listened to folk music and took in the mountainous scenery. This winery may be hard to find, but once you do it willbe well worth it.