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Carolina Cru, Hillsborough, NC (2026)

09/17/2020

One can’t forget just how young the United States is. Let’s put it this way: the Mayflower will have landed 400 years ago come this December.

That’s only 20 generations? How often do we see family portraits proudly displaying 5 generations? Well, that’s just 4 X that. Crazy, right?

That is just fresh into college young, and when it comes to our native grapes, we still have a lot more credits to earn, a ton more tuition to pay that we can’t afford, and centuries of grad school and interning before we can even come close to mastery.

MAKING AMERICAN GRAPES AMAZING is not an overnight kind of thing and we are only just beginning to get super interested in it. You can thank the Paris tasting of 1976 for helping to make France and other European countries respect Californian viticulture and in turn opening up the mind of wine world to other AVAs and grape varietals.

And you can thank the dialectic tug o war between European styles and Napa styles for producing an interest in wine that is somewhere in-between that the East coast of the United States can provide.

And not only is the East Coast growing European Vitis vinifera and making crazy good wine with it using Old World and New World methods, and also experimenting with a lot of lesser known grapes. I read somewhere - correct me if I am wrong — that North Carolina’s wine regions are the most diversified in terms of the grape varietals being grown in the US.

Take the age friendly Tannat for instance. A bottle of Tannat is super hard to find; that is unless you are in Ecuador or the South of France. However, Shelton Vineyards is goring it right here in Yadkin Valley and it is supremely delicious with all it’s dark fruit, chocolate, and weightiness.

And with all that experimentation and finessing European varietals to our terroir, we are also playing with native grape varietals as well as new cultivars.

Now, I am no enologist or viticulturist: however, it is plain to me that we are living in a historical time for viticultural history and US History. Another reason why it’s fun to be alive!

@ Hillsborough, North Carolina

09/12/2020

Cheers Carolwinos 🥂

If you visit my Gewürz, you will see why I took this photo. Please note that it took about a half a bottle of wine to get this half-assed photo.

Have you Gewürztraminer from Alsace? How about from America? What’s your favorite? Have you tried Traminette?

Just talk to me! I need to talk wine.

09/01/2020

It’s Scuppernong time.

If you are new to North Carolina, you might not know that Scuppernong, a chief varietal of muscadine, is the state fruit of North Carolina.

Scuppernong is phonetically pronounced and I think very fun to say.

What’s even more fun, is that it’s Scuppernong harvest time, which means we celebrate.

This creates a great opportunity to connect with the local culture, and savor the traditional offerings of North Carolina.

You can start by picking up a bottle of Bennet Vineyards Limited Edition Elizabeth II, which is a white Scuppernong now available at Chatham hill winery located in one of the following markets:

STATE FARMERS MARKET: FRI•SAT•SUN 10-4pm
RALEIGH MARKET 9-5 and Sunday 10-5
Clayton FARMER’S MARKET: SAT 9-12pm.

Sadly, because of Covid, we can not visit museums right now, but we can still experience history through our tastebuds because our Scuppernong uses the same recipe that was used in Early colonial times.

And If you want to give your kids a taste of history too, the farmers markets mentioned above will also have fresh scuppernongs and muscadines grapes for sale as well as scuppernong juice and jelly.

And did you know that Scuppernong has the most resveratrol of any other wine?
Reseveratrol is an antioxidant that has been known help protect DNA, prevent cancers, diabetes, heart conditions and more.

Muscadines are also the only grapes to contain another phytonutrient called ellagic acid, which can also help prevent cancer, lower cholesterol, and risk of heart disease, and much much more. There are several other notable phytonutrients making Muscadine a true superfood.

Muscadine wine is typically made in sweet style. However, even if you don’t typically like sweet wine, Muscadine is still a must try for the wine curious. It has the most expressive aromatics and a very unique balance of flavors from floral to savory to piney, and the full gamut of fruit flavors.

Also, isn’t it fun to try a wine that is truly Local?

08/24/2020

Who wore it better?

I picked this fruit infused wine from , not because I adore blackberries, and I do, but because it matched my outfit.

Sometimes you have to choose a wine like you choose the winning pony - for it’s pretty.

I did take this beauty home, chilled it and shared it with a neighbor in our backyard, Covid Style, and it was everything that we needed at the time!

I am not a sweet wine drinker, but I do love this wine. However, I think about it differently than I would think about the food friendly Nero D’Avila. I think of it more as an aperitif, or a porch supper- a social sipping wine.

It has a gorgeous violet color, that looks like amethyst when back lit, and tastes like the ripest Blackberries mottled in a little sugar : dark, tart, and sweet.

The base is Chardonnay, but this sweet wine comes off as red, given that blackberries are a common tasting note in lots of red wines.

This is a crowd pleasing wine, for sure. 10% of your guests won’t touch it, but the other 90% will be complimenting you profusely about it.

If you fall in that 10% who turns their nose up at sweet wines, I want you to consider this:

Think of it as an aperitif, mix it with a juniper infused Gin, soda water and ice in a nice glass, toss in a few blackberries, and a rosemary twig, And, you will be supporting a local winery and have a super swanky cocktail.

Most aperitifs are at least 25 bucks, this is 16, and in my opinion, even better!

What’s you favorite sweet wine? 🍷

@ State Farmers Market

08/21/2020

“Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.” -Paulo Coelho, Brida

For 9000 years or more, wine has been a great unifier of people, and it still is …

To add to that , It’s funny to me that people often talk about drinking wine as a way to forget about their troubles for a while. Because I tend to think of wine as a way to remember.

Something about the way it smells and tastes triggers olfactory memories and sweeps me back to some of my happiest moments in life. It’s like the key to my internal time machine.

That tomato leaf scent in Sauvignon Blanc reminds me of grandma’s garden and how we used to pick tomatoes together to make our famous tomato sandwiches.

And, that subtle spice in our Merlot reminds me of that one particular Christmas when my family went caroling all around the neighborhood. Mrs Franklin was so surprised and taken back with joy when she opened her door and we started to sing, she tripped over the threshold and splashed her mulled wine all over my new white Angora Holiday sweater. It was rough at the time, and I whined, but, oh… how I cherish the memory now.

Also, wine memories are not just wispy impressions, they come full force in high five sense fidelity.

Wine also helps me stay in the moment I am already in, especially when I sit with friends or family, savoring the sweet and the spicy, and the much needed conversation …

So, why not grab a few bottles from to share with your neighbors at your next socially distanced backyard party… Our fruit infused wines are always “crowd” pleasers. 🍑 🍎 🍇

Or, buy two, send one bottle to a friend and keep one for yourself and get on Zoom together. Pretend like it’s old times. Don’t worry, Old times will return soon enough.

Or, just surprise your honey today or this weekend with flowers from the State Farmers Market and stop by our shop for a beautiful bottle of our crisp and refreshing Chardonnay. Break up the monotony and call it a Date!

Life is about togetherness and wine helps (when imbibed responsibly)

08/17/2020

My husband and I drank this scrumptious Bordeaux up last night and I was so fiendish for It, I forgot to take a photo of it in the glass...

That is after letting it breathe in our glasses for a half hour while I made Tallegio quesadillas. Don’t judge, it was as close to cheese and crackers as we could get in a pinch.

Anyway, this 2014 Grand Cru Classe from Chateau Faugeres is not local but can be purchased at Wegmans. It’s from San Emilion on the right bank of Bordeaux. That’s in France. The right bank is where they make the merlot dominant blends vs, the left bank where you find the Cabernet Sauvignon dominant blends.

Color: deep magenta, extracted

Nose: aromatic, floral, violet, chocolate delightful!!!

Tasting notes: rich plum, black cherry, black berries, licorice, roasted cocoa beans, soft tannins, velvety tannins, perfect acidity and overall structure.

Deep color but medium bodied

It went great with a not to stinky washed rind cheese. And I image it would be good with filet Mignon, bbq beef brisket, bison, roasted lamb, roasted vegetables and mushrooms.

This is a wine to be sipped, savored, and enjoyed with good company. If you are an introvert, than drink this alone.

06/05/2020

I got a gift from my hubby!

I have been listening to Elizabeth Schneider’s podcast Wine for Normal people for years now, and I have to say a huge portion of my wine education has come from her informative, comprehensive, and totally frank podcasts.

Of course, I have to give credit where credit is due, so I’ll name a few others:

San Francisco Wine School and Napa Valley Wine institute
Working at a wine store in the Bay Area
Working at a winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains
Friends
dork

My tongue
My nose
My curiosity
My dad

That said, I am still very young in my education. There are many wines I haven’t tasted and I know didley squat about the Bordeaux region except what to expect from left and right. This is mostly because I am an experiential learner and my wine education is not older than a good representative bottle of Bordeaux, nor do I have the budget. Same goes for Burgundy.
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When you see me sipping on a can from The Diamond Mountain district, that’s all husband funded.

Also, I have only caught a glimpse of the political environment surrounding wine…. It’s a big old sucky game of name dropping and full of men with vainglorious appetites… This part does not interest me at all. Can you believe that .suckling produced a YouTube video about the Alsatians not making food friendly wines? Whatever! He clearly has not tried the Munster and Dry Gewurzt pairing! Or, quiche Lorraine and Alsatian cremant... whatever!

Anyway, I am excited to read this book. I am listening to it on Audible; however, it’s quite detail oriented so it’s nice to have something to read as well.

05/05/2020

Two nights ago it was hot & balmy here in the Chapel Hill area. We had just returned from a steamy hike in the woods and all I wanted to drink was something easy & refreshing.
Usually, on such nights, I reach for an East Coast style IPA, or a glass of Rose, but sadly, those weren’t available. But there was this bottle of Portuguese Vinho Verde by Broadbent sitting in my fridge.
I actually bought this bottle for our new neighbors who were sort of coming over, but not really… They just plopped down chairs on the other side of our fence and. We plopped down ours and we had a happy hour

I knew they weren’t that into wine, so I wanted to bring something approachable, but different.

Unfortunately, they didn’t even want any…They insisted on our Happy hour being BYOB. So, I stashed it away and drank instead.
The first thing you need to know is that I only paid $7.99 at
The 2nd thing I’ll mention is that this wine satisfies more of an aperitif craving rather than a wine craving; perhaps an Elderflower and Prosecco Spritzer with a squeeze of lime that has been sitting in the glass for about an hour.

Once you think of it that way, it’s not bad. Definitely, a step up from “Doing the Dew”

I think that this wine, given that it is off-dry and has a great price point is a must have for backyard parties and get together. It’s definitely and “inclusive” option guaranteed to please several guests.
On the nose, I get: lime, lime zest, green apple, Honey dew and elderflower (Are all these green fruit impressions influenced by the green bottle and the hint of green in the wines pale straw color?) The palate confirms the nose… Only, I also get a creamy note on the finish that made me think of coconut.
DID YOU KNOW THAT VINHO VERDE IS NOT A GRAPE? It’s actually the name of Portugals largest wine region.

The Grapes in this wine are: , ,

wine

05/05/2020

Silly me, we broke out a bottle of wine from our Napa Stash last night and were so excited we forgot to take a snapshot of it.
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The bottle we opened was a 2015 bottle of Syrah from Mi Sueno and we received it in a wine club shipment. -
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Was it a special occasion? Yes… we are on this planet right here, right now, and still fully capable of lifting a case of wine. That is something special! -
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We discovered while celebrating our anniversary in Napa. The Meritage Resort and Spa where we stayed had a wine mall with half a dozen or so tasting rooms and wine bars.

We were instantly attracted to the Mi Sueno tasting room because I loved the name. It means “My Dream” in English. If you want to read a romantic, boot-strap wine story, go check out their website. -
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And their wine never fails to stir up the nostalgia of a perfect day spent with my soul mate.
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Alluring dark fruit aromas and sweet vanilla brings that day into perfect focus until suddenly we are in Napa, clinking glasses with new friends from all over the world and enjoying the festive sounds of an unmasked world.
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…Of course, it does not take long for that sharp focus to turn into warm fuzzies, and then we are waking up the next morning…
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And that’s what happened last night and why I forgot to take a photo of the glass.
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We did, however, take notes. This is what my husband and I do after opening a bottle… It’s a kind of romantic thing that analytical people do.
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Also, we drank it right away, but it took us a few hours — it’s quite extracted. It opened up best about two hours in.
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Here are some notes: - Color: Deep & Inky, Ruby with Garnet edges
- Sweetness: dry with some alcohol related perceived sweetness
- Body: Full, extracted
- Scent: creamed corn, vanilla, Raspberry sauce, blueberry
- Flavor: spicy (alcohol) Raspberry, baked forest fruit flavors: blackberry, huckleberry, and blueberry… Dust, and bacon, peppercorn
- Astringency: Tannins are high- will dry up the tip of your tongue and roof of mouth
- Alcohol: the bottle says 14.7, I think it’s over 15
- Acidity - medium
This is a great wine to open when you want the night to linger

05/03/2020

Tonight my husband and I opened up a bottle of Wine from North Carolina for to celebrate the advent to with
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Swipe 👉🏼 to see how you too can participate
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We chose a from , which we just bought on our trip to winery yesterday. Go to my latest posts and stories to see more.
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I chose The Tannat because I watched an interview with wine maker, Ethan Brown and it was one of his favorites.
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It actually paired well with the vegetarian black lentil Bolognese I made tonight, which surprised me because the tannins are big! However, I did enrich my bolognese with a lot of butter and olive oil and it is a higher acidic wine.
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I would recommend roasted or braised heavy meat or sausage dishes ... that kind of thing
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We both loved it!
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It had a deep magenta hue, purplish at the edges. BlackBerry, black cherry, vanilla, and licorice spice tea, and smoke in the nose.
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The fruit was confirmed on the palate along with baking chocolate, espresso, nutmeg, and green pepper.
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And a lingering finish.
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Also, we decanted it for two hours.
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We hope to return to again real soon to purchase some more Tannat for cellaring
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WHAT WINE FROM NORTH CAROLINA DID YOU DRINK TONIGHT?
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@ Hillsborough, North Carolina

Carolina Cru

09/17/2020

09/12/2020

09/01/2020

08/24/2020

08/21/2020

08/17/2020

06/05/2020

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05/03/2020

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