Exploring North Carolina with KathieyV

A year ago my family and I took off for the mountains of North Carolina.  We rented a house near Blowing Rock and Boone for our family vacation. No matter where you find yourself in N.C. you can usually find a winery nearby.  Whenever I travel, I try to visit a new to me wine shop or winery in the area.  This vacation was no exception.  Erica, T-Josh and I took off in search of  Banner Elk Winery  in Banner Elk NC. It was a beautiful drive.  T-Josh was the driver of the evening and took us on some beautiful mountain roads, and with the windows open we breathed in the refreshing mountain air.  Wonderful. We arrived and were greeted by a wooden elk sculpture just outside of the tasting room.  Then we went inside to find some much-needed wine. We each selected our wine and then headed out to enjoy the evening.  We found some nice seats outside overlooking the property took a then took a seat and enjoyed the lovely view.  Here ...

Several weeks ago,  (Update: back in 2010) , Joe and I decided to head to the mountains for our 34th wedding anniversary.   (Update: He left me at year 37 so he is no longer in the picture.)  We love the Blowing Rock area, so we decided to head up there and do a bit of hiking off the Blue Ridge Parkway. Someone at work suggested that on our way we stop off at the  Raffaldini Vineyards and Winery . She said it was not far off the highway and the wine was excellent and the setting beautiful.  So I found it online, plotted our course and off we went....... Nice welcoming entry.  I thought I was in Europe. Let's go in for a tasting... Click  here  for info and pricing of their wine tastings. Wine is a relatively new experience for me.  I have only been enjoying wine for the last few years.  You could say I was a late bloomer. I thought most of the wines at Raffaldini were lovely.  I usually shy away from the ...

It's fall, my favorite time of year.  Now is the perfect time to travel up to the Blue Ridge Mountains to experience the crisp mountain air and hopefully see the colorful fall leaves.  Erica and I decided to stop at a few of the many wineries in NC on our mini vacation.  On the way to Blowing Rock we took a slight diversion to  Shelton Vineyards in Dobson NC . Here is what they say on their website... "Located in the Yadkin Valley American Viticultural Area, the vineyard shares a similar climate and growing season to that of some of the best wine growing regions in Europe. The vineyard is one of the largest on the East Coast." One thing I like about Shelton Vineyards is the fact that they have a restaurant. We decided to eat lunch and enjoy some of their delicious wines.  First stop was the  Harvest Grill.  We decide to try their wine flight.  It came out in a tiered display.  You may choose five wines.  As they...

Doyle's Vineyard  in Durham was hosting an event they called Claws Mini-Faire.  Here is how they described it on their Facebook page. "Join us for our biggest event of the year! CLAWS will be hosting a mini-renaissance style festival at Doyle's Vineyard."   Claw's Inc  rehabilitates wildlife and rescues exotic pets.  For this event, they were displaying several birds of prey and releasing a few of the rehabilitated birds back into the wild.   Below are a few photos of some of the beautiful birds.... We also enjoyed sword fighting demonstrations put on by  Sword Conservatory. (Caleb and I with a very nice knight) We watched a show put on by the League of  Extraordinary Belly Dancers.   What a group of very nice and talented ladies. It was great being with my family at this event.  We enjoy good wine, entertainment and of course seeing the birds fly to freedom. Thanks for a great time, yet again, Doyle's ...

It was my final day of my mini-vacation.  I had climbed the stairs to the top of Chimney Rock, I had pontooned beautiful Lake Lure, and I had stayed at the lovely Esmeralda Inn.  Anytime I take a trip I do my best to visit a local winery, and I had been remiss in my tradition on this trip.   I could just go home, but that would be crazy if there were a local winery to explore. Well as luck would have it not far off my journey there was a winery. I consulted Google and plotted my course to  Burntshirt Vineyards in Hendersonville NC.  First I wanted to know where the name came from.  Here is a quote from their website... " Mountain lore has it that back in the day farmers would burn their fields to clear the land on Burntshirt Mountain for planting. They tossed their shirts in the fire for good luck and the fields yielded a bountiful crop!" I did not have a lot of time to tour or visit due to my pending long drive back home, but I did manage the wine...

Did you know that September is North Carolina Wine Month?  That's all the motivation I needed to take a drive to a winery I had heard about but never visited.  I set off for a little over an hour drive to Hurdle Mills NC to visit  Rock of Ages Winery    On my route, I saw beautiful old barns, rolling hills, and farmland.  I drove through one of my favorite towns Hillsborough NC.  There were a few slow-moving vehicles on the journey.  Instead of trying to pass them I took the time to relax and enjoy the sights of smells of the countryside. Before I knew it, I had arrived.  There it was the Rock of Ages Winery.  What a lovely building. There is nothing more inviting then a beautiful door. The building itself is beautiful. The stone and wood create a welcoming setting.  I met the owners, Kevin and Kim Moore.  They took the time to meet and greet everyone.   They know their wine and seem to enjoy sharing t...