Visiting fourteen wineries in two days may seem a little ambitious, but, on the second installment of Jim’s and Nancy’s Excellent Adventure, it was, well, an excellent adventure. On Veteran’s Day 2005 weekend, we made our way through the Yadkin Valley wineries, tasting wine, talking to each other, and experiencing some of North Carolina’s most beautiful countryside at one of the nicest times of the year.

Nancy, my wife of 23 years, and I somewhat planned this drive through northwest North Carolina after, two summers ago, winging it on our first Excellent Adventure in Western NC. While I’m more of a beach person and she’s definitely a lover of the mountains, we both enjoy the elevations when it comes to sightseeing. The beach is my place of rest with a chair, an umbrella, a cooler of beverages, some reading material and a radio/tape player filled with beach music. The mountains, though, are my amazement.

In the summer of 2003, our daughter, Emily, was working as a volunteer at Windy Gap, a Young Life camp in Weaverville NC, just north of Asheville and about a four-hour drive from our home in Cary. She was there only two weeks, but, with the Saturday in between a day off for Emily, we had an excuse (as if we needed one) to visit her as well as our son, Chris, living in Hendersonville, 25 minutes south of Asheville.

This Excellent Adventure included walking the unique downtown streets of Asheville with Emily and the smaller but just as interesting downtown of Hendersonville with Chris. We stay the night in the Flat Rock Inn (www.bbhost.com/flatrockinn), a bed and breakfast a couple of miles south of Hendersonville. We visited the home of Carl Sandburg, hiking to the top of the mountain behind his house to see the quiet and majestic place Sandburg would sit for hours while contemplating the words of his works.

We ventured through Brevard and up US highway 276 past Sliding Rock (www.alleneasler.com/slidingrock.html), a wide place in the stream that runs along the highway and where in the summer visitors brave the near ice-cold waters to slip and slide down huge rocks as water cascades forth. Then, it was onto the Blue Ridge Parkway (ncnatural.com/Parkway/) near Mt. Pisgah and just a few miles from the now famous Cold Mountain, and heading south on the Parkway towards Waynesville. Before we exited North Carolina’s most scenic and interesting highway, we stopped as a scenic overlook, rolled down the windows and enjoyed the cool air—even in July—with a 30 minute nap. Then it was on to Cullowhee—home to Nancy’s college alma mater, Western Carolina University—to visit and stay with Nancy’s brother, Michael, and his wife, Anita, and their young children, Madison and Adam.

Excellent Adventure #1 continued with a visit to Harrah’s Casino in Cherokee (www.harrahs.com/our_casinos/che/), but not really for the gambling. We wanted to see what it was like and to be able to say, "Been there, done that."

We drove back through Asheville, staying off the Interstate highway, taking roads that twist and wind through the Mountains, and on to Chimney Rock (www.chimneyrockpark.com/) and Lake Lure of Dirty Dancing fame and glory but also a place North Carolinians knew of way before the movie. We passed up the Lake Lure Lodge and other adequate motels for Gaestehaus Salzburg (www.gaestehaussalzburg.com/), a wonderful B&B, for the night. The next morning’s breakfast was delicious and made by innkeeper owner Werner Maringer. It is now one of our recommended stops.

As we drove east away from the B&B and the mountains, Nancy was studying the official North Carolina state transportation map which is the best general guide to the state. After a few moments of me asking for a destination, Nancy asked if I had ever been to Little Switzerland, a small village on the Parkway and about halfway between Asheville and Boone. Having not, we made our way there on two-lane roads through the country and seemingly straight up the mountains. Again, the scenery was simply wonderful. While the fall is a great time to visit the North Carolina mountains for the bouquet of colors, the greenery of summer is just as nice in different ways. Little Switzerland was not much more than a few small shops, one in which we enjoyed lunch before heading north on the Parkway with the intentions of finding our way back home.

However, after a stop in Linville Falls to see the falls, we decided the Adventure needed one more night. As we drove past Grandfather Mountain (www.grandfather.com) and thought about numerous places in the Linville-Boone area, we settled on Blowing Rock (www.visitblowingrock.com/home.cfm) and found the delightful Azalea Garden Inn just around the corner from Main Street proper. There are probably some better known B&Bs in Blowing Rock, and, from the outside, the Azalea Garden Inn looks like a renovated old motel (which it is), but the accommodations were exceptionally nice. In addition, if you’re there in the summer, sitting on the veranda and sipping wine in the evening is worth the stay. Sipping wine is where this story began, and we’ll soon make it back there.

We explored Blowing Rock that evening and around the area the next day. Blowing Rock is one of many neat little towns our state has to offer for visiting as well as for a good standard of living. Our visit brought back memories when I was much younger and my sister, Suzanne, attended nearby Camp Yonahlossee. Our family would stay in the area, usually at the Sunshine Inn, a B&B in downtown Blowing Rock. I remember there were many Friday-night auctions along main street.

After five days and four nights, it was time to end Excellent Adventure #1 so we returned to the Parkway, drove north to US highway 421 and headed down the mountains. Along the way, we noticed road signs for North Carolina Wineries, stopping at a couple. However, it was Wednesday and for some reason those visited were not open. We actually went several miles out of our way to no avail, but in keeping with our effort to stay off the interstate highways as much as possible, we followed two-lane roads and non-interstate four-lane highways to our home. We vowed, though, to stop at North Carolina wineries whenever traveling our state. We had visited Napa Valley in northern California a number of years back and wanted to experience the growing vineyard and wine trade of North Carolina.

Excellent Adventure #2 which took us to 14 wineries in two days, Veteran’s Day and the next day, was preceded by a winery stop here and there prior to and since Excellent Adventure #1. While visiting friends near Wilmington, a special trip was made to Bannerman Vineyard with a Burgaw address. It was a fun visit, but wines were sweet, made primarily from Scuppernong and Muscadine grapes. On the way back from another visit with our daughter, in college at UNC-Asheville, we stopped at Waldensian Heritage Wines in Valdese (www.valdese.com/winery.htm) (www.waldensianheritagewines.com/). The wines didn’t exactly please our pallets, but the presentation and explanation was wonderful, and we toured the wine making process which includes the use of large open vats of grapes and yeast moved around by the volunteer workers using 100-year-old dogwood tree sticks. You could hear the wine being made. Lucy and the winery episode came to mind. It was not the same as stomping but it was very interesting. Prior to Excellent Adventure #1, we stopped at Dennis Vineyards (www.dennisvineyards.com) near Albemarle. More recently, Horizon Cellars (www.horizoncellars.com) just south of Siler City NC was in our travel path.

Couples talk about taking vacations, usually planning hotels, flights, and extracurricular activities. On Excellent Adventure #1, we winged it, even the night we stayed with Nancy’s brother. No reservations anywhere. Just a map of North Carolina and a desire to see the countryside and have a good time is all we needed. Sitting in the sun by a pool in a tropical destination is nice, but we think this type of travel and exploring is also good for the soul.

Excellent Adventure #2 was somewhat similar. Armed with a map of North Carolina and 2005 Guide & Map to North Carolina Wineries (www.ncwine.org/welcome.html), we headed out from Cary about 7:30 a.m. on Veterans Day with our first destination targeted—Old North State Winery in downtown Mt. Airy—and an idea of the wineries we could visit that day. Some opened at 10 or 11 a.m. and some closed at 5 or 6 p.m.

Just about two and a half hours to Mt. Airy was traveled on four-lane roads and interstates, using US 64 from Cary to Siler City, US 421 to Greensboro, Interstate 40 to Winston-Salem and US 52 to Mt. Airy. The last few miles, though, were traveled on old 52 into Mt. Airy. We were on a mission to get to the first winery, but we also wanted to experience the town as well. This was true on every stop as well as the drive from winery to winery.

In Mt. Airy, the town supposed to be Mayberry of the Andy Griffith Show, there’s a lot of Andy this and Opie that and Aunt Bee stuff and Barney things. We were pleasantly surprised with the wine at Old North State not to mention the presentation made by our server. It was 10:30 in the morning, and we were knocking back a few ounces of some pretty darn good wine. We knew then it would be a good day and interesting trip.

Our two-day drive took us through some beautiful country with breathtaking (for North Carolina) vistas in northwestern North Carolina including a trip through Sparta where we had breakfast Saturday morning and where I encountered a former professor at NC State University with whom I discussed Chemistry and University matters and the daily crossword puzzle in the rear booth at the now defunct Old Time Hotdogs on Hillsborough Street in Raleigh.

Thirteen of the 14 wineries on our tour are part of the Yadkin Valley Appellation. At each stop, we tried nearly every wine offered. Neither of us are wine connoisseurs. Oh, we hold the glass up to the light to check for consistency. We breathe deeply into the glass to allow the aroma to penetrate our senses to get an idea of how it may taste. We swirl the red wines in the glass to allow oxygen to penetrate the juice and bring out its fullness. We do all those things that we think we’re supposed to do or at least what we have learned from watching the movie “Sideways” and from visiting so many wineries.

The wineries in North Carolina usually charge a tasting fee of $2.00 to $5.00 per person which includes a little taste of everything they offer. For the fee, you also get to keep the souvenir glass with the winery’s name and logo etched on it. We tasted some very nice wines (at least to our pleasure) and we collected 20 wine glasses along with numerous bottles of wines. Interestingly enough, many other tasters were leaving wineries with a case of a particular wine, but Nancy and I preferred to purchase a bottle or two of several varietals. Nancy prefers “white” wines while I, like most men, prefer “red” wine.

As we sampled, I usually stayed away from sweet wines, tasting a few, but asked early on about why there are so many sweet wines in North Carolina wineries. “It’s because everyone here drinks sweet tea. So, we make lots of sweet wine,” responded nearly everyone. We were also told that sweet wines make up the majority of wine sales at North Carolina wineries. Not true by us, though, or should I say, “Not buy us.” We made purchases at nearly every winery, after a wine tasting at nearly every stop, just to get a sampling for our wine rack. A wine tasting amounted to about one ounce of a type of wine. Most wineries offered four or five different varietals. Sometimes the tasting includes six or seven or eight different varietals. One had 11 bottles to sample.

Old North State Winery (www.carolinaharvestwines.com) offers Chardonnay, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc and several sweet wines, and is a cooperative of grape growers. They all toss their grapes in together and produce delicious wines. As our first stop, we completed a scorecard, rating from one to 10 the wines as we tasted. I usually gave higher marks to red wines and Nancy gave higher marks to whites, at least at first. Later, Nancy was looking closer at the red wines, and we usually just placed a mark by what we liked so when it was time to make a purchase, we knew what we wanted.

Round Peak Vineyards (www.roundpeak.com), which has a Mt. Airy address but is reached from Mt. Airy by a drive on highway 89 to near Bottom, NC. From the back of the winery you get absolutely the best view of North Carolina’s mountains. The wine again caught our fancy which is sort of how Round Peak got started. A couple of guys drinking wine and touring wineries in another part of the country decided they could do the same thing. They did, and it’s good wine in a very nice setting.

A drive south on Interstate 77 and then through Dobson, the county seat of Surry County, and north a little on Highway 601 is where we found Black Wolf Vineyards (www.blackwolfvineyards.com). The drive through the vineyards took us to a beautiful facility atop a small hill overlooking the grape acreage, but inside the management was more interested in seating the lunch customers than offering a wine tasting to another couple already waiting and us. We stayed around for about 15 minutes but no one appeared, so Nancy and I left without a tasting or a purchase. Oh, well.

Shelton Vineyards (www.sheltonvineyards.com) took the place former dairy farm in the country just south of Dobson. It seems money has been no object in building a beautiful facility surrounded by acres and acres or rolling hills covered in vines. Nancy and I had a picnic lunch (Nancy packed it before we left Cary) in the middle a pond. Then we took a tour of the winery, but the tour guide had zero personality and was stingy with the tasting. We met one of the owners, Ed Shelton, who has a wonderful business, a folksy personality, and knows how to entertain. Shelton also offers a restaurant and cheese shop where we did a cheese tasting. One of the nicest parts of facility is the drive around the perimeter of the vineyards, giving you a good look at the acres and acres of rolling hills planted with vines. We knew Shelton is big, but this confirmed our knowledge. When you visit Shelton, make sure you take the perimeter drive.

RagApple Lassie Vineyards (www.ragapplelassie.com) is another short drive down highway 601 in Boonville where you walk through the winery to get to the tasting and gift shop to find the owners handling the pouring and hospitality and explaining how the winery is named for a cow. The husband and wife team were excellent presenters and wonderful hosts. His hat had the words “Farm and Vineyard Supply” on it, showing the changing face of North Carolina agriculture.

Not really knowing where were we going or if we had time for another stop, we drove west on highway 67 to Jonesville and through Elkin to highway 268 west and then a back road to Ronda, knowing of a couple of nearby wineries.

We eventually found Windy Gap Vineyards (www.windygapwine.com) where we had tried to visit on Excellent Adventure #1 but found it closed. This time, the owner was very accommodating with his wine tasting. This vineyard can be seen from US Highway 421 just a couple of exits west of Interstate 77.

It was getting late but according to the Wine Guide, we still had time for at least one more visit before the noted 6:00 p.m. closings. The owner of Windy Gap made a couple of calls and we found an entrance to highway 421 nearby and drove one exit to the east.

Laurel Gray Vineyards (www.laurelgray.com), as it turns out, is owned Benny Myers, with whom I matriculated at NC State University in the early 1970s, and his wife, Kim. They offer very good Viognier, Chardonnay, Chambourcin, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and many sweet wines and only sell them from their tiny tasting room less than a mile off of exit 267 on Highway 421. It was so good; we were convinced to join their wine club. We also knew we had to return when it as a little lighter outside so we could see what appeared in the half-dark sky as a beautiful setting.

It was now about 6:00 p.m. We had been up more than 12 hours and traveled many un-logged miles. A long day, it was indeed, and we still had to find a place stay for the night. Kim and Benny suggested the Home Coming Bed & Breakfast (www.homecominghouse.com) a few miles away in Elkin but we opted for the Comfort Inn just off Interstate 77 in Jonesville. The B&B would have been nice but we felt too tired to enjoy a B&B.

Seven wineries and six samplings in one day was the topic of discussion much of the rest of the evening. It was also time to organize the back of the Mazda Tribute where boxes and bags of wines and tasting glasses had been strategically placed so as not to shake, rattle and roll as we meandered through the country. It had been an excellent and adventurous day.

The next morning started with a 30-minute, brisk walk in chilly weather around the parking lot of the Comfort Inn and the nearby Waffle House and McDonalds. With the early morning traffic rushing up and down viewable I-77, the serenity of the moment was a far cry from the pleasure of the previous day. But it was invigorating to start the day that way.

It had been early to bed and early to rise, as is usually the case for both of us. We opted out of the usually suspect and bland continental breakfast at the hotel and headed north on I-77 and then US 21 towards the Blue Ridge Parkway. The route up the Blue Ridge Mountains, past Roaring Gap and the entrance to the YMCA’s Camp Cheerio (http://www.campcheerio.org), another of Emily’s summer camps, took us to Sparta, a nice little community on the other side of the mountain peaks but still way up there in altitude.

The earliest opening for a winery that day was schedule for 10:00 a.m. We had time to experience the changing leaves as we headed toward Sparta in search of breakfast which we found at the Pines Restaurant on Main Street. It’s also where I found Dr. Forrest “Buzz” Hentz, who retired recently after 38 years of teach chemistry at NC State University. He also held court in that back booth at Old Time Hotdogs just across the street from campus. I hadn’t seen him since OTH closed several years ago. Now, I was talking with him in Sparta of all places. He was holding court for his grandson, and, as much as he was enjoying the morning, my appearance started his blood to circulate as he was excited to see the face of a long time friend and student.

Our Excellent Adventure #2 then turned back to wine as we drove a few miles in search of Chateau Laurinda (www.chateaulaurindawinery.com) which is not part of the Yadkin Valley Appellation. While the brochure touts its various types of wine, except for the scenery getting there and from Sparta and then back down the mountains to the Yadkin Valley, it’s not on our recommendation list. The owner was as sweet as the wine but not impressive with the presentation or winery tour, which we cut short, mapping our drive on NC highways 113 and 18 through the two Wilkesboros (regular and North) and then onto US 421.

The route included a rest stop and to pick up a sweet tea at barbeque joint in the middle of nowhere at the intersection of NC 88 and 18, and another stop at a nameless biker hotel/restaurant on highway 18 just north of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Those were two interesting experiences to say the least. We made our way, unfortunately, back to civilization through the Wilkesboros and eventually onto highway 421 just a few miles west of the exit for Windy Gap Vineyards, also one of two routes that could lead us to our next tasting. It was nearly 12:00 noon and we had about six hours to experience six more vineyards/wineries.

A touch of Tuscany was our next stop as we visited Raffaldini Vineyards (www.raffaldini.com) which is actually located between Windy Gap Vineyards and Laurel Gray Vineyards. We’ve never been to Tuscany or even seen the movie, “Under The Tuscan Sun,” but for some reason Raffaldini Vineyards, with its rolling hills and Italian architecture and wines, reminded us of Tuscany. The presentation by one of the owners was excellent and informative. The wines were wonderful. The rose garden was delightful. And the group enjoying a picnic lunch on the deck that serves as the entrance to the Italian-like architecture building gave us an idea for another trip at another time.

Speaking of rose bushes, do you know why there are rose bushes planted at the ends of each row of grapes in the vineyards? The presenter at Raffaldini gave us a couple of explanations. First, it’s to keep insects off of the grape vines, or at least to a minimum. The rose bushes seem to attract the insects more so than the grape vines. Reason two has to do with mules. Before mechanical pickers (and most North Carolina vineyards are picked by hand), a mule would pull a cart between the rows of vines. At the end of the row, the mule would turn to the next row and usually cut it too close, knocking over the vine. The thorny rose bushes were planted to remind the mule to make a little wider turn. Those are two of the stories we heard about the rose bushes. Both seem logical along with the fact that the roses looked very nice.

Actually, it was such a nice day that we thought about staying at Raffaldini most of the afternoon, but we took one last glimpse, walked back through the rose garden, thought of the mules and headed out to the right instead of the left, taking us the second way to get there as our exit. This route was obviously the prettier of the two ways to find Raffaldini. It took us within a few yards of Laurel Grey and then across highway 421 a few miles to Buck Shoals (www.buckshoalsvineyard.com).

A smaller vineyard, a nice tasting room and an actual wine producing facility greeted us at Buck Shoals. The latter of the three was not evident at Laurel Grey or Raffaldini or at some others. Not all wineries or vineyards have wine production on site. On the trip a few years ago to Napa Valley, we learned there are wineries that grow grapes and make wine on site, there are wineries that buy grapes from other growers and make wine on site, there are wineries that grow grapes and have another winery make its wine, there are wineries that buy grapes and have another winery make the wine, and there are wineries that are a mix of all of the above.

The production facility at Buck Shoals is actually a joint venture between Buck Shoals, which owns the land and building and oversees the wine production, and Raffaldini, which owns the equipment. Additionally, Laurel Grey’s wine is produced at the Buck Shoals facility. And, another winery will soon open in that area and the wine will probably be produced there. The wines, though, are not the same for each winery. There are different grapes, different blends, different aging processes, and different other stuff to differentiate the wines of the various wineries produced with the same equipment.

Interesting stuff.

The wines of Buck Shoals were also excellent, as far as our tastes are concerned. Another set of wine glasses and another wine purchase. And we had more good conversation with seemingly knowledgeable grape growers and wine makers as well as with each other.

When we were visiting one of the other area wineries, we were told of an Amish country store near Buck Shoals. So, as we left Buck Shoals, we turned away from our destination route, passed by the few North Carolina highway signs warning us of horse drawn carriages and soon found the store, a delightful place that would have been perfect for lunch if we had been the least bit hungry. Maybe another time, but we were on a mission at this point with four stops to go and time running out.

We weren’t rushing through the wineries as if to set a record of any kind. But we did have four more stops to make by six o’clock after which we would still have about a two-hour drive home.

Meeting other winery tourists and tasters is one of the neat things about touring wineries located near each other. We noticed the day before several familiar faces at each stop. A couple may have been at Shelton when we were there and then two wineries later we saw them again only to part company and have a tasting together at another vineyard. As the two days flew by, more and more familiar faces were evident. We also came to realize that while we enjoy our Excellent Adventures as a twosome, playing as a foursome is much better. It changes the conversation a lot and injects many different opinions. We decided the next trip would have to include another couple.

At Hanover Park Vineyard (www.hanoverparkwines.com), maybe 15 to 20 miles down highway 421 and US 601 from Buck Shoals, we ran into a couple we had seen at least once that day. In the old-house tasting room at Hanover Park, we struck up a nice conversation and enjoyed the tasting experience with them. We joked, tasted, opined, tasted some more. This was one of the better tasting experiences with nearly a dozen samples offered by a delightful young man who knew his stuff, or at least it seemed that way to us. The other couple bought a case of a favorite wine while we made our usual purchase of two or three bottles of different varietals. In the parking lot our newfound friends asked our next destination and if we knew the way. They wanted to follow and join us if they had not been there earlier.

Westbend Vineyards (www.westbendvineyards.com) is one of the wineries Nancy and I experienced on a previous trip. We think it was on Excellent Adventure #1, but we wanted to make a return visit since it was close to our previous stop and because the other couple wanted to go. With a Lewisville, NC, address, again we found an out-of-the-way, country setting with a rolling drive to the winery and tasting room. The four of us picked up where we left off at Hanover Park, tasting nearly everything on the extensive list and making our usual selection of two or three wines to purchase.

The other thing we’ve noticed about the wineries is the number of different wines at each winery is different. Some have four or five; others have eight or nine. Some even more. Some were sold out of their best; others were pushing particular varietals. It all made for an interesting experience.

We parted company with the other couple and mapped our final to stops for the day, one north of Mocksville on highway 158, and the other west of Lexington on highway 64.

At RayLen Vineyards & Winery (www.raylenvineyards.com), it was getting late in the day. Saturday’s are very busy for all wineries, offering tasting after tasting all day long. When we arrived about four o’clock, it was obvious the staff was dragging a little. We wanted to take a tour of RayLen’s production facility but opted just for the tasting. RayLen has an excellent location as it actually borders both highway 158 to its east and Interstate 40 to the west. The vineyards and winery can been seen from I-40. The gentleman serving us seemed to be pouring rather quickly as if he wanted to finish up though they would remain open until 6:00 p.m. There were 11 wins on his tasting list and about five or six samples into it, I remarked that so far, from top to bottom, whites and reds included, I thought RayLen’s wines were all nice, very nice. In other words, from top to bottom, after sampling wines at 11 other wineries, I was most impressed with RayLen. Oh, the others offered excellent wines as well, but these all struck my fancy. Our pourer slowed his effort and paid more attention to details. We left there very impressed, especially knowing this was an easy stop on our way to and from Asheville and Hendersonville to visit our daughter, son and daughter-in-law.

With just about an hour left in visiting and tasting time, we struck out for Lexington and to Childress Vineyards (www.childressvineyards.com), named for Richard Childress of NASCAR driving and ownership fame and who owns Childress Vineyards. We had discussed Childress with other tasters earlier in Excellent Adventure #2, some of whom were impressed with the wine and others who were impressed with the facility but not the wine, some impressed with both and some not impressed at all. There’s a charm about facilities such as Hanover Park Vineyard which really is in an old house and RagApple Lassie that has an interesting appearance outside and a warehouse feeling inside. But with Childress Vineyards, well, you’ve got to be impressed with the setting up on a hill and the architecture which is absolutely beautiful, at least of what we got to see.

Arriving at 5:40 p.m., knowing the wine tasting closed at six o’clock, we were disappointed to see a “closed for reception” sign at the entrance. The drive up the hill to a lighted building wowed us. The walk to the front door and then just inside was neat and gorgeous. The wait staff scurrying around preparing for a larger arriving crowd for the evening was impressive. The locked doors to the tasting room, especially since another couple was inside finishing a tasting, were disappointing. But we managed to get over it, wondering if we would return. We continued to think about that until I wrote a note to Mr. Childress explaining our visit and disappointment. He (or probably a staff member) sent us two bottles of his wine, one white and one red, as an olive branch. I’m sure we’ll try it some other time.

As we headed back to Cary, hunger struck so we stopped at an Outback Steakhouse in High Point for a nice meal and to watch the first half of NC State’s football game at Boston College. The Outback actually allowed us to bring in one of our own bottles wine to enjoy with dinner. Nancy wanted white; I was ready for a beer, of course. From there to Cary, the 90-minute drive was consumed primarily with talk of our Adventure, reviewing the wineries and plotting a return visit.

The adventure actually continued that evening at home as we unloaded the wine and reviewed each bottle and winery again. We found a spot for the glasses. The wine was stored in their own boxes on their sides, stacked in a closet until we purchased a 25 bottle wine rack to display our catch or at least part of it.

Fourteen wineries in two days. Excellent Adventure #2 was indeed an excellent adventure, one we will remember forever. It was a trip we will make again, especially as we uncork another bottle.

POST SCRIPT: All wine clubs are different. The Laurel Grey club provides us with two bottles of wine about five times a year, all their very best. We have an option of having the bottle shipped to our home or personally picking them up at Laurel Grey.

Laurel Grey, Raffaldini, Buck Shoals and Windy Gap, while part of the Yadkin Valley Appellation, have their own promotional group, The Vineyards of Swan Creek (www.swancreekvineyards.com/). And, they have a Christmas open house weekend which was December 3-4. So, instead of spending the money to have our wine shipped from Laurel Grey, we decided spending our money and time driving two hours up and two hours back was a better option. And, we invited another couple, Nancy’s brother Rusty and his wife Robin, to join us.

We arrived at Laurel Grey at 12 noon to see an absolutely wonderful setting, one that previously was hidden in the half-dark light. (It’s a joke, of sorts. We were leaving Windy Gap on our previous trip, on a winding road, headed to Laurel Grey, and Nancy said to be careful because it was half-dark, not to be confused with it being half-light. Hah! It’s one of those phrases that’ll stick with us.) Laurel Grey’s tasting room is at the base of rolling countryside and is naturally and beautifully landscaped.

Benny and Kim offered the tasting, and we had some cheese and crackers before heading to Raffaldini for a tasting and a picnic lunch on the deck. We drove to Raffaldini the way we drove away from there in early November and now we know why that’s the best route to and from Raffaldini. Breathtaking again.

After tasting, we selected a bottle of their 2004 Rosato, a dry Rose wine made from Berbera, Viognier, Aleatico and Nebbilo grapes. It goes well with turkey sandwiches, we were told and so it was selected. And, Nancy had packed turkey roll-ups for lunch, so it was appropriate. With a nice white tablecloth and red and white cloth napkins, we set up lunch on the deck and enjoyed the bright sun, beautiful surrounds and excellent wine. Lots of laughs. Yes, having another couple with you is better.

We returned to Windy Gap and Buck Shoals as well, this time taking a very interesting and informative tour of the wine production facility shared by Raffaldini, Laurel Grey and Buck Shoals. In doing so, a lot of what we had been told on the previous trip through wineries was confirmed such as the aging process.

Most wine is aged in oak barrels. Some wine is aged in stainless steel barrels and other wine is aged in aged oak barrels. Lots of wine has an oak taste. If it’s somewhat dominate, the barrels were probably new. Some wines have a slight oak flavor which means the barrels have been used many times and the imparting of the oak flavor from the wood is diminished. The stainless steel barrels obviously add no extra taste to the wine. Presentation means a lot in wine tasting so listen to a presenter to learn more of the aging process.

“Our wine has a wonderful and full oak flavor” means the barrels are probably new or close to it.

“Our wine has a hint of oak flavor” says the barrels are older and have been used a great deal.

“Our wines mature in aged oak barrels for a fuller flavor” might just mean the winery couldn’t get new barrels and relied on older and well-worn oak barrels.

“We aged this wine in stainless steel barrels to bring out the natural flavors” may not have any significant meaning except the decision was made to age the wine in non-wooden barrels.

The return trip to the wineries was much shorter but as enjoyable as Excellent Adventure #2. Going back to familiar places gave us different perspectives. We will return.

POST SCRIPT 2: My profession now takes me regularly to Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado. Traveling in a job can be good especially if you take time to look around. And, traveling is what our Excellent Adventures are all about.

In early November, I stopped at the Spoetzel Brewery in Shiner, Texas. It’s doubtful anyone in North Carolina has heard of Spoetzel. There are probably a few people in Texas who know that name when it comes to beer. Ah, but how about Shiner? It’s the town the beer by the same name made famous (www.shiner.com). At 9:30 one morning, I did a tasting there at the urging of the sheriff. Good stuff. Later in the month, I toured the Coors brewery (www.coors.com) in Golden, Colorado. This time it was about 5:00 p.m. Beer brewing is interesting stuff.

In early December, just a few days after our return to the Swan Creek Wineries, I resumed my wine tasting efforts with a visit to the Val Verde Winery (www.valverdewinery.com), in Del Rio, Texas. Val Verde is the oldest continuous running winery in Texas, and it produces some remarkable wines, especially it’s Port. On the same trip, on a whim, I stopped at the Lehm Berg Winery (www.lehmbergwinery.com) in Giddings, Texas. It was there that I learned more about experiencing the true taste of wine.

Not one for Merlot, I was told I would have to taste it as my final sample. I obliged the gentleman as I tried it in their standard small tasting glass. I didn’t think much of the Merlot but I was instructed to try it again but this time in a larger, deeper glass. I found myself breathing in the flavors as I turned up the glass. As the wine hit my taste buds, I knew I had found another winner and added a bottle to our collection. Another excellent decision to stop.

Shiner, by the way, is about halfway between Houston and San Antonio; Del Rio is about a mile from Mexico and 150 miles west of San Antonio; Giddings is on the road between Houston and Austin, closer to the Texas Capital City.

I could have passed up the breweries and wineries, and Nancy and I could have not taken our Excellent Adventures, but these types of trips, outings, and spontaneous stops are part of our life. We recommend it.

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This was first posted on http://jimpomeranz.easyjournal.com. For my blog on golf, go to http://ncgolfer.blogspot.com