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Quality of N.C. wines continues to improve
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Published: May 14, 2008
Salute! The North Carolina Wine Celebration that was downtown Saturday provided a snapshot of an industry on the move, in the variety of wines and in the rising quality.
Twenty-nine North Carolina wineries participated this year. About 6,500 people attended, according to the Downtown Winston-Salem Partnership, which organized the festival.
Jason Thiel, the executive director of the partnership, said that the festival made improvements in the number of food vendors, better positioning of the food booths and music stages, and the addition of a pre-festival reception Friday night and post-festival party Saturday night.
Four of the 10 planned dinners pairing wineries and local restaurants Friday night were canceled because of a lack of reservations, a fact that Thiel said he will take into account in planning for next year. But, he said, wine sales at the festival were up -- an important gauge.
North Carolina wine trends
In sipping my way through the festival, I noted a few trends among North Carolina wines:
□ More wineries are making sparkling beverages. McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks is one of several wineries making sparkling traminette wine, and it also has sparkling hard apple cider and Niagra wine. Duplin Cellars has an unusual almond-flavored sparkler made from chenin blanc.
□ Lots of winemakers are experimenting with riesling, a German white grape that can make a delightful food-friendly wine.
□ The state continues to add wineries. I had my first taste of wines from Native Vines Winery in Lexington, owned by American Indians. Other relative newcomers include Owl's Eye Vineyard and Winery in Shelby, Autumn Creek Vineyards in Mayodan, Rocky River Vineyards in Midland, Rendezvous Ridge in Wilkesboro (founded by the late NASCAR legend Benny Parsons), Daveste Vineyards in Troutman and Amber Crest Winery in Matthews.
□ Wineries are experimenting with wines that use grapes in combination with other fruits. Lake James Cellars in Glen Alpine mixes blackberries with cabernet sauvignon and cranberry with shiraz. It also, along with Amber Crest, makes a wine that mixes apples and Riesling grapes -- an appealing combination that's refreshing.
Experimenting with flavors
Other experiments include dry roses from McRitchie and Childress Vineyards, and port from Shelton and Hanover Park Vineyards. Hanover Park also has a neat fortified wine called Vin d'Orange, made from oranges, lemons, brandy and vanilla beans blended with rose wine.
In general, North Carolina is having more success with whites than reds. Many of the reds are just too thin, without enough substance and with what one wine professional called a "piney" taste.
Cabernet franc, though, is already producing some eminently drinkable reds, as is syrah/shiraz. Also, consumers can expect to see more sangiovese, a red wine that goes well with a variety of food.
I also judged the improvement in the state's wines by tasting just about every chardonnay I could find. The good news is that I can't say I found a really bad one -- an improvement over past years -- and I found quite a few good ones, especially in the barrel-fermented, oaky style.
Scott Jones, the executive food editor of Southern Living magazine, provided further insight into the state of the industry during a workshop and reception the night before the festival. The workshop, which sold out to 120 people, was at the Henry F. Shaffner House on South Marshall Street. It included such appetizers as pimento cheese and hot roast-beef party sandwiches, and seven wines.
Two of the wines were previous Wines of the Month in the Winston-Salem Journal: RayLen Vineyards' Category 5, a smooth and satisfying red Bordeaux blend, and McRitchie Winery's Chardonnay, a prime example of barrel-fermented chards.
Also in the lineup were Michael's Blend from Hanover Park, Childress' Cabernet Sauvignon, Shelton Vineyards Riesling, Biltmore Estate Methode Champenoise Blanc de Blancs Brut and Duplin's Magnolia.
The magnolia grape is a type of muscadine, and Jones was quick to tell people that native muscadines are not to be discounted. Muscadines have a distinctive taste and are often made into very sweet wine -- two factors that turn off some wine drinkers. But Duplin's Magnolia, made from late-harvested grapes, is smooth and delicious -- an elegant example of how refined this "wild" grape can taste.
Jones also gave another reason for not snubbing the muscadine: It sells. "In many ways, wine industries in North Carolina and other states would not exist without muscadine and scuppernong wines," Jones said. "It's the fuel that drives the engine."
Jones ended his workshop by urging people to taste more North Carolina wines, even as state wineries continue to search for what works best.
"People talk a lot about eating local…. But then they'll go down to the wine market and buy Rosemount Shiraz (a popular Australian wine). I feel like there's a real disconnect here. I would encourage people to seek out local wines. The state has a lot to be proud of."
■ Michael Hastings, the Journal's food editor, can be contacted by phone at 727-7394, e-mail at mhastings@wsjournal.com, or mail at c/o Winston-Salem Journal, P.O. 3159, Winston-Salem, NC 27102. His most recent columns can be read on our Web site at www.journalnow.com.
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