We recently got back from a two-week “workation” in western North Carolina. We rented a house in the small town of Newland, not far from the Tennessee border. It was a nice break and of course we visited some nearby vineyards.
We visited three wineries, and each was a different experience. They all had live music but varied greatly by size. The first winery we visited was Banner Elk. It had one guy on a guitar and was very laid back, like having your wine flight and munchies in someone’s beautiful backyard.
The next stop was Grandfather Mountain winery, which had more of a concert vibe. The parking lot was crowded, big crowd, porta potties and vendors. Clearly, this was a big event in the area. The band was rocking but unfortunately the flights were by far the most expensive at $30 for four tastings. None were good enough for us to purchase a bottle.
Our final winery stop was at Linville Falls winery. It was a fun combination of the first two – bigger than Banner Elk but smaller and more laid back than Grandfather Mountain. Flights were reasonable at $15 and we found some keepers.
As you can see from the image above we purchased six bottles from Banner Elk and Linville Falls. The winners were:
- Banner Elk Red – tasty red blend, easy drinking with raspberry fruit lead
- Linville Falls Blackberry wine – big blackberry hit, enjoyable after-drink for Gabriele
- Linville Falls Cherry Bounce – super unctuous, delicious, another digestif candidate
- Banner Elk Cabernet Sauvignon – light colored in glass, medium body, some tobacco, nicely different Cab
- Linville Falls Rose – bright, strawberry fruit, a bit richer than expected
- Linville Falls Crest – sparkling wine, methode champenoise, clean, nice
We also had a truly excellent experience at a restaurant called Artisinal in Banner Elk. The food and service were superb, but what stood out was a wine experience unlike any we’ve had before. After reviewing the list I spoke to the sommelier about which Pinot Noir he would recommend.
We landed on the GoodFellow Whistling Ridge from Willamette. The sommelier said it had a good amount of fruit for an Oregon Pinot. When brought to our table it seemed pretty austere and bit tight but we didn’t say anything. It opened up some in the glass, and I could have enjoyed it with dinner. But Gabriele wasn’t liking it.
The waitpersons (we had two) must have reported this, because a new bottle of Pinot Noir was brought out without us requesting it. It was a 2021 Rivers-Marie Pinot Noir from Sonoma Coast. This wine was more approachable with nice cherry fruit, a touch of smoke earth, and a clean finish. A really enjoyable wine and an example of above and beyond service to bring it out. Plus, they insisted we bring the remainder of the GoodFellow home with us as well.
Give these wineries and Artisanal a try next time you’re in the area. And happy unofficial start to summer!