B7-11 layout.indd

boom nc.com 7.11
Discovering North Carolina
live large
20
Surry County’s Yadkin Valley
by Greg Petty | Photos by Greg and Barbara Petty
T
he Appalachian Mountain chain runs
from Newfoundland to Alabama and
is considered to be one of the oldest
mountain ranges in the world. The Piedmont begins with the Blue Ridge escarpment, with elevations dropping from the
mountain peaks to 1200 feet. This topography and climate is fit for a particular human
activity—the making of fine wines. The
retreat of the glaciers and the millions of
years of erosion has composed a symphony
The view from Pilot Mountain.
with the right mixture of minerals and soil
to make for great drainage, perfect for the
cultivation of vitis vinifera grape vines. Thus
the Yadkin Valley growers received the
American Viticultural Area designation as
a regional wine appellation in 2003.
Barbara and I recently traveled to this
land of splendor known as Surry County.
Our prime interest was to find out firsthand about the growing renown of the
wineries. As we neared our first stop, Stony
Knoll Vineyards, we noticed how much
the area reminded us of the Napa Valley of
California. The rolling hills and valleys are
verdant and beautiful. Van and Kathy Coe
are the proprietors of Stony Knoll which is
located just four miles from historic Rockford. The land has been in the hands of the
Coe family for 116 years, thus designated a
North Carolina Century Farm.
The two vineyards are in their 11th growing season and produce Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Syrah
and Merlot wines amongst others. The
French Chateau style building hosts the
wine tasting room and wedding facility
upstairs while all the winery work occurs
below in the naturally cooled basement.
After our wine sampling we took home
2009 Merlot and Chardonnay bottles.
Olde Mill Vineyards was our next destination where Jeff and Tara Brown greeted
us in the tasting room that was fashioned
out of the 1800’s farmhouse near an old
mill. These are folks that grow wine for the
pure love of it and as Tara told us, “Our
son Ethan just fell in love with the whole
process.” Turns out that Ethan started following his grandfather around helping
him with the vines when he was about 10
years old. He has graduated from the Viticulture and Enology program at Surry
Community College and is the winemaker
(of course with input from Mom & Dad)
for Olde Mill. Not only did we appreciate
the wine—walking away with 2007 Olde
Mill Red, 2009 Pinot Gris and 2007 Chambourcin bottles—we enjoyed the Brown’s
enthusiasm for the business of making
wine and supporting their son’s passion.
The area offers a variety of lodging
choices but I don’t think we could have
found a better place to stay than the
Rockford Inn Bed and Breakfast. Hosts
Hannah and Doug Holyfield made sure
we were comfortable in the Vineyard
Suite in the wonderful house dating back
to 1848. Hannah gave us a tour and the history of the home. Additional renovations
were made in 2003 and they opened the
B & B in 2004.
Need instruction on where to go, or
hints on what to see in the area? Just ask
“Hannah the Historian”—my nickname
for her. She has a love of Rockford, its history, and is involved in the Rockford Preservation Society. Rockford was the original
County seat when Surry and Yadkin were
still one county from 1789 to 1850. To find
out more about historic Rockford visit
verysurry.com/rockfordroad.
Charlie and Ed Shelton went from a loan
of $2,000 from their father in 1962 to growing
a successful homebuilding and commercial
construction businesses. In 2003 they sold
their business and returned to the valley
where they were born and raised. Their
next project became Shelton Vineyards and
the quest to produce world-class wines.
Shelton is the largest family-owned
estate vineyard and operation in North
Carolina. As you enter the gates from Twin
Oaks Road your eyes are treated to acres of
rolling vineyard and a large, beautiful Chateau. The Chateau contains an extensive
wine and gift shop as well as a large wine
tasting bar. Shelton currently grows ten different varieties of grapes including Malbec,
Merlot, Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The vineyard contains 136,000 vines spanning 145 miles! They have won over 300
Chickens keep the bugs away at Carolina
Heritage Vineyards.
awards including eight Best in Show. If you
would like to give a unique gift, check into
their Adopt-A-Barrel program by visiting
their website sheltonvineyards.com.
On the Shelton premises is the Harvest
Grill. Chef Paul serves up sophisticated
dishes in the intimate dining room overlooking the vines and the kitchen garden.
After a busy day, I opted for a substantial
meal of filet mignon and it was everything I
expected—tender, tasty and cooked to perfection. Barb had the sumptuous crab cakes.
Mount Airy is the largest city in the
county and is better known to many as the
home of Andy Griffith and the model for
the hit TV series The Andy Griffith Show.
Mount Airy hosts the Mount Airy Museum
of Regional History, The Andy Griffith
Museum, the Playhouse, the Siamese Twins
exhibit, the Old-Time Music Heritage Hall
and the Blackmon Amphitheatre Summer
Series. For more info and summer schedules
visit surryarts.org.
The Regional History Museum in
Mount Airy has three floors of exhibits providing an extensive picture of life past and
present in the area. We really enjoyed the
museum—every floor holds surprises. The
museum is located at 301 North Main Street,
336.786.4478, northcarolinamuseum.org.
We headed to a highly recommended
restaurant for lunch—Trio at 247 City
Hall Street in Mount Airy’s Main Oak
The Depot Restaurant at Cody Creek.
Historic Rockford, North Carolina.
we met winemakers Ken Gulaian and
Kari Heerdt. They fell in love with North
Carolina but Kari’s career took them to
San Francisco where they became enamored with the wines of Napa and Sonoma.
When the chance came to come back to
North Carolina they jumped at it and to
try their hand at winemaking. Situated at
boom nc.com 7.11
21
live large
Emporium. Owner and Chef Chris
Wishart’s smartly modernist decorations
provide the ambiance, and his food is a
delight for your palate. Wishart sources
the best ingredients from around the state
and region to serve each guest a healthy
fresh cooked meal. I enjoyed the grilled
marinated chicken with black truffles macaroni and cheese. Delicioso!
Exercise was on tap by hiking Pilot
Mountain trails, and then we had some
time to rest up and enjoy the porch at
Rockford Inn. We were eagerly anticipating the evening’s event, a food and wine
pairing at one of the area’s finest restaurants, Twenty One and Main in Elkin.
General Manager Matthew Morrison,
wife Emily, and Chef Jeffrey Gibbs met
in Charleston where they were involved
in the restaurant business. After visiting
Elkin and the Yadkin Valley for vacation
and wine shopping, they fell in love with
the area. Lo and behold the building now
housing the restaurant became available
and these friends took the leap to go out on
their own to provide the area with a restaurant focused on fine food and the great
wines from the valley. Our verdict—they
have succeeded indeed!
We began with a salad of mixed greens,
pecans and marinated fruit with balsamic
vinaigrette. It was paired with a 2008 Grassy
Creek Pinot Gris. Barb selected the ribeye
with garlic demi paired with a 2007 Brushy
Mountain Red Bud Ridge and I feasted on
the maple pork loin with apple bourbon
reduction. It was perfectly matched with a
2006 Grassy Creek Cabernet Sauvignon.
Had enough wine yet? No sir. We were
on our way to Round Peak Vineyards where
boom nc.com 7.11
1300 feet, Round Peak grows nine French
and Italian varietals.
The outdoor patio is the site of regular picnics and sunset barbecues for locals
to enjoy fine wines and the ambience of
the vineyard. Picnic tables are also placed
amongst the vineyards.
Kari spent considerable time with us
discussing the grape varieties and fermentation process for each of the Round
live large
22
Life in 1800’s North Carolina is displayed at the
Regional History Museum in Mount Airy.
Peak and Skull Camp wines we sampled.
The award winning wines are delightfully
entitled Sublime, Anticipation, Euphoria,
Flirtation and our favorite—Confusion.
Each description somehow fits!
If you have a hankering for home
cooked food, head to The Depot at Cody
Creek. It is a popular spot throughout the
entire region to bring friends and family
for good food in a rustic décor of wood,
rock and water. The large menu includes
chicken, steaks, pork, seafood, salads and
homemade desserts. Owner Freddy Snow
has also made Cody Creek a popular spot
for weddings, large and small, featuring a
beautiful chapel and an outdoor gazebo.
The Snows are currently building a larger
facility to handle weddings for up to 400
guests. In short, very impressive.
Clyde and Pat Colwell knew that they
wanted a winery that produced organically raised and handpicked grapes. With
the help of Guinea hens and chickens
(voracious pest eaters) Carolina Heritage
Vineyard became the first USDA-Certified
Organic vineyard and winery in North
Carolina. On top of all that effort, they are
also the first in the state to be completely
powered by solar energy. How cool is that?
Stony Knoll Vineyards 336.374.5753
stonyknollvineyards.com
1143 Stony Knoll Road, Dobson, NC 27017
Olde Mill Vineyards 336.374.6533
oldemillvineyards.com
2742 Simpson Mill Road, Mount Airy, NC 27030
Rockford Inn Bed and Breakfast 336.374.6644
rockfordbedandbreakfast.com
4872 Rockford Road, Dobson, NC 27017
Shelton Vineyards 336.366.4724
Van Coe at Stony Knoll and Barbara sample wine
right out of the fermentation tanks.
Inside the tasting room made of native
NC pine, we sampled Traminette, Chambourcin (an American-French hybrid),
Cynthiana-Chambourcin blend and a
Carlos. Pat also served us a CynthianaChambourcin blend with water and a
frappe mix to make a thirst slacking wine
slushy. The tasting room is open regularly
to local musicians and artisans so make
plans for a visit.
We have found a place we will consider
to spend the “future years” of our lives postBoom! Magazine. Thank you Surry County
for opening our eyes to your treasures.
website sheltonvineyards.com
286 Cabernet Lane, Dobson, NC 27017
Twenty One and Main 336.835.6246
twentyoneandmain.com
102 East Main Street, Elkin, NC 28621
Round Peak Vineyards 336.352.5595
765 Round Peak Church Road, Mount Airy, NC 27030
roundpeak.com
The Depot 336.386.8222
7096 US 601, Dobson, NC 27017
codycreek.net
Carolina Heritage Vineyard & Winery 336.366.3301
carolinaheritagevineyards.com
170 Heritage Way, Elkin, NC 28621
From the
$250’s
Historic. Contemporary. Extraordinary.
Beautiful New Homes and Small Town Living.
The Village of Apex is a refreshing alternative in
Apex, NC real estate. Discover a warm, welcoming
collection of communities where your everyday
needs will be within walking distance of home.
“Winner of the Community of the Year in NC”
Rex Osborne & Associates: New Homes and Land
Representing Quality Builders and Developers for 20 yrs.
Contact us today for truly exceptional knowledge and real
estate experience.
Coldwell Banker Advantage
56 Hunter St. Apex, NC Suite 110
(919) 880-7516 • (919) 454-3530
From Raleigh take US 64 W. towards Apex. Turn left on Laura Duncan.
Turn right on Hunter. Just past Town Hall turn right on Ambergate
Station. Our model home is on the left.