Mark's Birthday Weekend

We decided to go back to the Yadkin Valley for one day/evening (this is where we went in January for a long weekend) to celebrate Mark's birthday.

We left home around 10 on Saturday and, after a pit stop over at brother Jon's to check up on their cat Raz (who came out for food, must have been because Mark was with me as she'd been ignoring me up to that point), we were on the road!

All told, it takes just about 2 hours to get to the start of the wineries (at least coming from that direction). We'd planned on stopping for a late breakfast/early lunch but didn't really see much that sounded good. We finally decided to eat at a Cracker Barrel. Hey, not my favorite but you can usually find something worth chowing on. Forget it! The place, at 11:15, was overflowing with people waiting for a table. 45 minute wait; no way! What IS it about this place, anyway?

So, instead, we went through a nearby Wendy's drive-thru (it seems we only eat fast food when on road trips) which meant we got to our first winery RagApple Lassie, a lot sooner than we'd thought we would.

We signed up for their wine club back in January. All told, they have really nice wines. We did a full tasting (over 15 wines; good thing they were not pouring huge tastes). Most of them we'd tried before but there were several new vintages and a new dessert-y wine called ZinSational Zen, which, although too sweet to drink a lot of, would be an excellent choice to serve with either a rich chocolate torte or a off-sweet hazelnut cake. After chatting with the folks who were also tasting (a trio of youngish women), we bought six bottles of wine and headed over to Raffaldini, about 30 minutes away.

We'd signed up for a tour with the wine maker at 2:45 (really, the impetus for our trip). We experienced a pleasant enough 45 minutes listening to him talk (no free wine samples, boo!) I always learn something. This time, it was that grapes produce better wine if they are cold when they are pressed. Apparently, the same goes for olives, hence why you typically will see "Cold Pressed" on nice bottles of olive oil.

After the tour, we went to the tasting room to pick up our wine shipment and do a tasting. The place was CRAMMED full of other tasters. Also, a wedding was about to start at 5:00 so there was some spill over with that. One of the women tasting with us was a dead-ringer for the actress who played Prissy in Gone with the Wind. I didn't feel like I could tell her that, though. They'd just released their Pino Vino II; not the best of their wines (they have a reserve Sangiovese and a Montepulciano that are both fantastic) but they'd had a recent contest regarding the label. People submitted pictures of their dog. I had seriously considered submitting Lucy but the day the winner was announced was the day The Kid graduated from high school and I knew we couldn't be there (assuming she would have won, which, given her total cuteness, she probably had an excellent chance). The dog on the new label looked like an English sheepdog.

Raffaldini routinely has some pretty decent sounding events, including fancy dinners with local and seasonal ingredients used to prepare the meal, all paired with four different wines. However, they never have any of this going on when we are there. We noticed the next one is in early October; we may try to go to that one.

Anyway, after leaving Raffaldini with our wine shipment plus a few more bottles, we went in search of the B&B. I'd reserved the room about a month earlier; not the same B&B we stayed at in January (although that one was certainly nice); rather, one a bit closer to both Raffaldini and the restaurant we planned on going to for dinner.

First, for whatever reason, Yahoo's directions were wacky this time. They had us going through someone's field to get to the main road from the winery! So, it took us a while to find the B&B, even though it is not as though Elkin, NC is a huge place!

Home Coming B&B was touted as a "Christian B&B". Frankly, that did give me some pause at first. But, we decided to chance it. What do I mean by that? Mainly, we don't like religion, any religion, thrust in our faces. I was wondering if attending church might be required before they'd feed us Sunday morning (just kidding). In the end, we figured we'd give it a try and now I'm really glad that we did as it was a perfectly delightful place, even though there were bibles all over the place and gospel music playing in the background as we ate breakfast. Their only request was that no alcohol be consumed in any of the public areas. No problem. The room was large and clean; complete with a vanity area and a good sized bathroom with a nice sunken garden tub (which we took of advantage to consume a bottle of wine out of the public eye; wink-wink).

Anyway, after checking into the B&B, we decided to try and move our dinner RSVP up since we were about 2 hours ahead of schedule. This we were successful in doing and headed off to Twenty One and Main for a excellent dining experience. Read my review on TripAdvisor here.

Mr. B at Twenty One and Main

After a huge breakfast Sunday morning (which we were able to pre-order the night before), we were on the road home by 10 or so. On our way back to Durham, we stopped at The Kid's college (Guilford) and drove around so we could get a visual. Very, very quaint; a small campus with several brick buildings and beautiful crepe myrtle trees in full summer bloom. We didn't contact her, figuring she'd be busy bonding with her new dorm roommate (turns out she wished we had told her we were there; she would have liked to see us; oh well).

So, a pleasant weekend for the B's! But, I didn't take many pictures. Here are a few of the B&B.

Nice king-sized bed. That sign on the table contained the "no drinking in public" request. Also, there were TONS of "No Smoking" signs. No cigars on the porch here.

Goodly sized room. That's an excellent bottle of Sangiovese Riserva there on the chest!

Vanity area; site of one of the three bibles found in the room.

Mark checks out the evacuation plan; I'm in the mirror (somewhat!)

Mrs. B

Wine Tasting Weekend The End

After our first morning's huge breakfast (this would be Saturday), we headed out for an afternoon of wine tasting. Armed with several pamphlets and maps, we figured hitting four would be about right. Seriously, if you do much more than this, every wine starts tasting the same plus your resilience/resistance goes down and you might end up taking home cases of crappy wine that tasted a lot better when you were two sheets to the wind!

Our first stop was Shelton Vineyards (where we'd had lunch the previous day). This, along with Childress, is buy far the largest, most commercial winery in the area. We were on a mission to pick up a particular bottle of wine for someone else; this is the primary reason we went. However, since we were there, we tasted! In addition to getting a bottle of the Malbec (that Mr. B had with his lunch the day before), we ended up with six bottles of their Cabernet Franc, which, as it happened, was also on sale. Yey for good wine sales!

After Shelton, we went to the Swan Creek wineries (a sub set of wineries in and around the Yadkin Valley). We had to visit Buck Shoals as we'd both really liked their meads (both tasted and bought at the NC Wine Festival in 2008). We were hoping to see Dana the wine maker (the guy that looked like Grandpa Jones in the show Petticoat Junction (if you don't know what I am referring too, you're too young)). Alas, he wasn't around but some of his newest concoctions were!

One great thing about Buck Shoals is they have over 10 things to taste; so, you're going to find something you like. We actually liked it all, but certainly some more than others. We ended up buying a dry red blend (probably Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chambourcin) as well as several bottles of their newest varietal, Chambourcin. We also bought another bottle of the Blueberry Mead (thoroughly enjoyed it before) plus a new blackberry wine with honey, aptly named Blackberry Cobbler. Finally, they have a port-style wine called Midnight Royal which was quite yummy. BTW, the Apple Mead we bought in '08 (and still have two bottles of) is worth over $75 now because they ran out of it and a lot of people want it! We paid, I think, $12!

After Buck Shoals, we headed over to Raffaldini, whose tasting room, as we were told by Hannah, did look quite a bit like an Italian villa.

We really enjoyed our tasting there; probably because the lady who took care of us, Kim, was extremely personable. Incidentally, they had a different way of doing tastings. Rather than everyone crowding around a long bar or counter (which is how every winery I've ever been to has done it), they had you wait for an opening at one of several mini stations (this sort of reminded me of waiting for a table at a restaurant). Each mini station could hold up to six people so the tastings were quite intimate. Anyway, the wines at Raffaldini were of the Italian style (yum). We decided to join their wine club (free to join; six bottles of wine shipped twice yearly). Since we joined the club and will get a shipment in February, we only bought two bottles of wine while there (and a glass of wine each to sip while looking at the various arts and crafts upstairs as they were having a festival there that day).

By this time, even though we'd only been to three wineries, we were starting to feel a bit as if we'd better take care not to start buying crap. So, we decided to head to the last winery of the trip, Flint Hill. This was quite a distance from where we were at and we barely made it in time for a tasting before they closed down the tasting bar (5:00 seems to be the usual time). All the wines were decent but we really wanted to taste their Chambourcin. We'd fallen in love with it at the festival in 2008. However, the one they were pouring, although nice, was definitely not the same one we'd tasted (and bought) a few years ago. We inquired about it; their 2005? Luckily, they still had a few cases of it stashed away and were willing to part with one. Yey!

After tasting, we had dinner their restaurant, Century Kitchen. Well, we had to sit in the bar since the tables were full all night (even the bar tables were full after 7:00). We each had MEAT. I had a fillet; Mark had a strip steak. Each were HUGE pieces and came with green vegetables and starch. We shared a bottle of their Cabernet Sauvignon. We'd been told their desserts were quite good, but, we were quite stuffed so passed. Although the food was tasty, I didn't think it was as well done as Harvest Grill over at Shelton (plus it was a lot more expensive).

Fully sated, we went back to the B&B. Hannah had left a plate of homemade brownies (so we got dessert, after all!)

Suffice it to say, we crashed early. No matter how you try to pace yourself, a day of wine tasting, drinking and eating does catch up with one!

We thoroughly enjoyed our weekend get-away and will likely return sometime this year. Maybe we can talk a friend or two into going along; my guess is the Spring/early summer would be a perfect time to wine taste and enjoy a picnic!

Who is in?

Mrs. B

Wine Tasting Weekend Part Two: The Rockford Inn

As previously mentioned, I booked our suite for the weekend at The Rockford Inn back in November. We were originally considering staying at a cabin near Flint Hill Vineyards/Century Kitchen (recommended by the Chef at Century Kitchen; vineyard and restaurant to be discussed later). However, although it was lovely, it was a) way too large for just the two of us and b) was more like a timeshare, meaning, no food was provided but a full kitchen was. As we really wanted to try at least two restaurants while there, this just didn't make sense. So, I started checking out B&Bs and decide this one looked to be about the nicest (plus fairly reasonable, although it seems to me that B&Bs have some agreement amongst themselves about what rates to charge for what sort of room, fulls vs. continental breakfast, etc.)

First off, I really liked the fact that I could look at each of the three available rooms on-line (pictures), check availability, and make a reservation. Within minutes of so doing, I had a confirmation email. A few days before we were set to check in, I sent an email inquiring as to whether the rooms had mini-refrigerators. I thus entered into a several email conversation with Hannah, one of the owners, who told me there were not fridges in the rooms BUT we were more than welcome to use the fridge in the kitchen; plus, she would have complimentary sodas, water and "snacks" available as well. I asked her about the two restaurants we were considering; she told us we couldn't go wrong with either and also suggested a few others in the area (along with detailed directions from the inn to each). Finally, she sent instructions on how to get to the inn from various starting points.

We arrived at the inn around 4:45. It was just starting to get dark; many of the lights were turned on inside so it was very inviting. When we walked in the door, there was a note from Hannah to call her cell and she'd come right over (she and her husband Doug live next door). While waiting for Hannah, we found our room, The Vineyard Suite, which was located upstairs (running the entire length of the 2nd floor). We discovered a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and two glasses waiting for us in our room (from Stony Knoll, where we had just been tasting a half hour previously!)

Hannah arrived and gave us the run-down, which was quite simple. No one else had booked that weekend so we had the house to ourselves. True to her word, there were sodas and water in the fridge in the kitchen; plus, a huge bowl of nuts, another of dark chocolate kisses and a covered tray of yummy looking cookies on the side board in the kitchen. She asked us what time we wanted to eat (we agreed on 9:00 am Saturday and 8:30 am Sunday), told us a bit more about a few more restaurants, and left us to our own devices.

As it turned out, we were so stuffed from our late lunch that we elected to just hang out in the house/our room that evening. We went outside to smoke a cigar on the back porch (no smoking, of course, inside). It was delightful; cool but clear and almost completely quiet save a lone dog barking off in the far distance. We enjoyed our wine and each other's company.

The next morning we headed downstairs (a very steep set of stairs, I might add)

for breakfast. We were a bit early so it wasn't quite ready. No matter; we had a cup of coffee in the kitchen (complete with a roaring fire) and talked to Doug and Hannah. Doug provided quite a bit of background/history of the inn; built in 1848, always been in his family, his aunt had owned it, they bought it when she died and turned it into a B&B. They bought land next door and built a house there. While we were talking, their dog Floppy (a terrier mutt) came to the door; stone deaf, as it turned out, but very cute. They rescued Floppy 12 years earlier when his former owners left town in the middle of the night and left poor Floppy behind. My heart broke a bit when Hannah talked about Floppy waiting outside on his porch for two weeks, waiting for them to come back for him. Of course, they never did and Floppy went on to have a much better life with Hannah and Doug. As an aside, I'd place Hannah and Doug somewhere in their fifties; they have two children, 27 and 24.

Breakfast our first morning included fruit with yogurt, an egg and bacon casserole, bacon and sausage, cheese grits and biscuits. There was enough food there for a full house so, suffice it to say, we did not leave the table hungry and, in fact, did not eat again that day until roughly 6:00 pm. While we were eating, Hannah brought us a few brochures about some of the (very many) wineries in the area and also information regarding other activities going on that day. Of course, we already knew we were going to go to a few wineries, so, we appreciated her recommendation on which ones we may like.

We had a great day tasting (more on that in the next entry) and returned to the inn around 7:30 or so that evening. Fairly well exhausted, we did not do too much that evening.

The next morning, Sunday, we woke to rain splattering on the tin roof and the aroma of fresh coffee and bacon wafting up from the kitchen. I was sort of sorry we couldn't simply go get coffee and laze around in bed awhile listening to that rain, but, we'd said we'd be down at 8:30 so they could get done in time enough to go to church (BTW, there are an inordinate number of churches in the area; we couldn't figure out where that many people came from to fill up the congregations!)

Breakfast Sunday was truly delightful. In addition to fruit and yogurt, there was a Praline French toast casserole with raspberry sauce (she'd strained the seeds out) plus sides of bacon and sausage. We both ate more of this than we probably should have (but, again, we didn't end up eating again until dinner that evening).

We'd had our fill of wine tasting the previous day so elected to get cleaned up, load up the car, and head out. Although check out time was 11, we were assured we could take as long as we wanted. As it was, though, we were driving away by 10:15.

We really liked this inn and will more than likely return at some point, perhaps even with a few friends in tow to fill up the other two rooms.

Mrs. B

Wine Tasting Weekend Part One

I made an RSVP over two months ago for the B&B we went to this past weekend. I probably didn't need to since we were the only guests, but, hey, you never know and I wanted the larger room.

Yes, we returned yesterday from our (seems to be) annual "Getaway and Play Before The Hell That Must Be Paid" (Busy Season) weekend. Last year, we went to Edenton, NC; this year, we headed to Dobson, NC. Ever heard of the TV show "Dobson's Creek"? Yeah, THAT place. Pure coincidence, though as the reason we went is this general area houses well over 50 NC wineries, many of which we've already been acquainted with via the NC Wine Festival.

One of the guidelines for this annual get-away is it must be somewhere that won't take forever to get to as we can usually only stay two nights. It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get to the exit for the B&B (although it was another 20 or so miles away). No matter; as we traversed the back roads towards the B&B, we drove past a winery called RagApple Lassie. Since yours truly had to use the facilities, we stopped.

For whatever reason, I'd always thought RagApple Lassie only had the sweetie wines (must be the "Apple" in the name) so we'd never tried them at the festival. I'm sure glad nature called as we truly enjoyed our wine tasting experience there (and ended up both joining their wine club (free) and buying 13 bottles of wine). We purchased mostly dry wines (Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel and a high-end red blend) however, we did decide to buy a white blend called Kaleidescope Gold which can only be described as soft and floral; as well as a semi-sweet white that, when paired with a piece of white chocolate with coconut, tasted exactly like a pina colada (think warm summer days). In addition, we had to buy one bottle of a semi-sweet red that was excellent with bleu cheese (I'm already planning a wine tasting party; nutty bleu cheese rolls plus this wine; yum! Or, even a buffalo chicken wrap with bleu cheese dressing would work since the slight sweetness of the wine would off-set the spiciness quite nicely). Finally, we purchased their dessert wine which tasted like a honeyed orange blossom. Of course, dessert wines are meant to be sipped in SMALL cordial glasses, so, ones exposure to the sweetness is limited and is quite enjoyable in the correct circumstances.

Me outside of RagApple Lassie. Yes, I did buy the cap (below)

After leaving RagApple, we continued on towards the B&B. We found it, and, kept on going as we really wanted to eat a late lunch/early dinner at Harvest Grill at Shelton Vineyards (this restaurant had come highly recommended by my brother and his wife).

We barely made it in time as they stopped serving lunch at 3:00 and we wandered in about 2:40. They seated us in a very pleasant sun room with a fantastic view of (likely just one part of) the vineyard and a comfy fire roaring in a huge fire place near our table (the weather was chilly and overcast; only in the 40s). We were the only people in the entire place, which was fine by us! Mr. B had the Bison meatloaf with a glass of Malbec (the waitress ended up pouring him about a glass and a half because the bottle was almost empty and she didn't want to take an almost empty bottle back to the kitchen). I had cornmeal crusted crab cakes and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Both entrees came loaded with sides; the meatloaf with a healthy portion of egg noodles and spinach and the crab cakes with green beans and corn pudding. Oh, and the dipping sauce for the crab cakes was an interesting combination of tartar sauce and Texas Pete (a spicy sauce usually used on wings). We found the prices very reasonable and would definitely return to this restaurant.

After our lunch, we decided to hold on the tasting at Shelton and go on back to the B&B. However, along the way, we saw a sign for another winery called Stony Knoll Vineyards so decided what the heck and stopped there for a tasting. We were the only people there at first, which makes it nice as it's a lot easier to ask questions and get information when no one is in any sort of hurry. I believe the owner was the pourer, too! We liked his Viognier and a few of the dry reds the best. He then brought out a late harvest dessert wine that literally made my eyes pop when I tasted it; just like chocolate covered cherries. Needless to say, you only need a teeny bit of this (and, yes, I did have to get a bottle!)

As we left to travel on to the B&B, I told Mr. B it hadn't taken us very long at all to break the rule I'd attempted to establish en route from Durham; not to buy any wine until we'd finished tasting everywhere we cared to go to and THEN go back and buy some here, some there, etc. Yeah, right; it just doesn't work that way, folks!

Next up: The Rockford Inn B&B

Mrs. B