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20 august 2001 |
time to wash down those snacks!
Let's see...in the past year, I've given you a pretty complete glimpse of native North Carolina snacking habits. We've covered the local donut industry, Moravian cookies, and good places to sit down and eat some more. Someone figured that we need something to wash it down. In recent years, tobacco farming has fallen not only out of favor, but has also become less profitable. Farmers have had to come up with creative ways to either maintain their land, or sell with hopes of doing something new. Among those who continue to farm tobacco, many are now selling it not to cigarette suppliers, but to research labs. Between here and the Triangle area (Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill), several companies are doing nicotine research toward Alzheimers, Parkinsons, and many other disease treatments. For those who no longer farm tobacco, it turns out that where there was smoke, there is now wine. Throughout the state, people have discovered that between the land and the climate, North Carolina is an ideal place to grow European varietal grapes. With a lot of support to maintain our agricultural presence, vineyards are becoming downright common around here. Not only do the vineyards give us a future in something new, but also add to our increasing tourist industry. A walk around a pretty farm and wine? Sign me up! Friend X and I headed over to Mocksville, a small town just west of Winston-Salem. There, we found a very new vineyard, Ray Len. They are so new, in fact, that the wine that they manufacture is currently made from locally-grown and purchased grapes, but not grapes grown on their own property. This is an endeavor in its infancy, after all, and our grapevines will take up to two years to come to first maturity. Nonetheless, Ray Len is making some dee-licious--and well-known--wine. We drove onto the property, to see what looked like very young vines. This whole place was new. The house, the wind equipment, the irrigation system--it was shiny! Nice view of the Yadkin Valley, too. Not a bad place to just sit on the porch and have a beverage. Now, I am not a wine connoisseur. I know what I like, and have a general idea of how to conduct myself during a tasting. I like reds, mostly merlot. Don't care too much for white wines, but I tried everything they had to offer. When you walk into the tasting room, you are greeted by a friendly fellow and a glass. Pay three dollars for the souvenir glass (a good deal, considering you can taste every available wine). Then, sniff and glug! Erk...I mean, savor the aroma and, uh, slosh it around your palate. I enjoyed the chardonnay that I tried, but those reds were worth waiting for. Ray Len is best-known for what they call the Carolinius. Richer than the merlot (which is also one of the best I've tasted), oak-aged, and with a hint of dark chocolate, this stuff is yum-my. All of them were yummy. I was impressed. We were kind of worried that it wouldn't be very good wine, but the trip would be pretty and took our chances. Turns out that it was pretty, and the wine was delicious. While I don't know if we'll rival California anytime soon, I think that we're well on our way to getting on the wine map. In any case, we've still got our Krispy Kremes. They beat cheese on a toothpick any day.
Ray Len Vineyards and Winery |
