Life > October 18, 2007

By Meg Smith | Staff writer

College provides a natural atmosphere in which to develop a taste for beer. Wine, however, with its cult of sniffing and swirling and stringing together random descriptive adjectives (jam and leather, oak and licorice) may be more intimidating for the recently turned 21-year-old. Luckily, wine is the new hot North Carolina trend, with over 30 vineyards popping up in our own Yadkin Valley in the last 10 years. These days, Winston-Salem and its surrounding area offer dozens of educational tastings and tours guaranteed to speed you along on the road to wine snobbery.

6th and Vine

209 W. Sixth St.

Tuesday-Sunday: 11 a.m.-late

Sunday brunch: 11 a.m.- 3 p.m.

6th and Vine Wine Bar and Café, located in the heart of Winston-Salem’s Downtown Arts District, is a sophisticated yet laid-back haven for the wine lover. A long bar and snug couches dominate the front of the restaurant. Its eclectic, moderately priced to expensive menu is available in the back and in their outdoor seating area.

They serve over 40 wines by the glass and over 300 wines by the bottle, and for $12 you can taste any three wines on the menu. 6th and Vine’s calendar is full of fun themed events and specials, and live music is usually played in the bar around 10 p.m. Thursday through Saturday nights.

Total Wine

551 S. Stratford Rd.

Monday-Thursday: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

Friday-Saturday: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Sunday: 12 p.m.-7 p.m.

Stocked with over 8,000 varieties of wine, Total Wine will make even the most jaded connosseir’s head spin. But the best part? They have free tastings every Friday, from 4-7 p.m., and Saturday from 12-6 p.m. Go try up to seven wines, and grab a free copy of their amazing wine guide on your way out.

Camel City Cafe

401 W. Fourth St.

Tastings every third Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

Admission to the wine tasting at Camel City Cafe costs $20, and includes appetizers and a taste of at least 30 different wines of a particular theme.

The 4th Annual Yadkin Valley Grape Festival

Downtown Yadkinville

Oct. 20 from 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

The 4th Annual Yadkin Valley Grape Festival will include entertainment, arts and crafts, a chili cook-off and wines from 19 wineries. Admission is free, but tastings cost $15 prior to Saturday and $20 at the event.

Take 421 North, exit at Yadkinville, make a right and continue about a mile until you see the festival. Call (336) 679-2200 for additional information.

Located only 30 minutes from campus, each of these disparate vineyards provides a unique experience perfect for a Saturday or Sunday escape.

Westbend Vineyards

5394 Williams Rd. Lewisville, N.C.

Tastings – Tuesday-Saturday: 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Sunday: 12 p.m.-5 p.m.

Tours – Saturday: 12 p.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Sunday: 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m.

Down homey Westbend Vineyard is able to boast pioneer status as the oldest Yadkin Valley winery, opening in 1972 against advice from the North Carolina School of Agriculture.

A cluster of attractive grey prefab buildings and a terraced patio encompass the folksy store and tasting room.

“[Many other vineyards] are corporate; we’re a family here,” said our tasting guide. Choose five out of 18 wines to sample for $5.

Don’t miss the Vintner’s Signature, their most complex red wine, or the Yadkin Fumé, one of their best-sellers.

Our guide suggested steering clear of the pinot noir in North Carolina wineries – “The pinot noir is not a happy grape here,” he said.

Childress Vineyards

1000 Childress Vineyards Rd. Lexington, N.C.

Tastings – Monday-Saturday: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.

Sunday: 12 p.m.-6 p.m.

Tours – Every day at 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m.

Childress Vineyard, opened by NASCAR magnate Richard Childress just three years ago, is operated with consummate polish.

Its large stone and stucco facility and elegant tasting room, with stained rough-beamed high ceilings, mahogany shelves and fountains, is designed to evoke rural Tuscany.

Successful winemaker Mark Friszolowski has established the vineyard one of the best in the area – Childress recently won 29 awards at the 2007 N.C. State Fair, the most of any submitting vineyard.

The Classic Tasting ($10) includes samples of eight wines, the Reserve Tasting ($12) eight wines, and the Signature Tasting ($15) a whopping 9-10 wines.

Lunch is served in their Bistro Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and they host a Sunday Sangria Brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Flint Hill Vineyards

2133 Flint Hill Rd. East Bend, N.C.

Friday- Saturday: 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday: 1-5 pm.

The most intimate of the vineyards listed, Flint Hill is located in a beautiful yellow farm house owned by the family of the winery’s proprietors for over a century.

The Doubs began planting grapevines in 2002. They’ve recently opened a restaurant, Century Kitchen, that offers a limited gourmet dinner menu Thursday, Friday and Saturday. $4 wine tastings include eight wines.