Festive Spirits of the Season
From the Vine and Orchard to You By Steve York
W
inter is back, and so are those tasty High Country seasonal wines. Specialty blends, classic fruit favorites, and of course those extra celebratory fortified wines and ciders are on tap, artfully labeled and ready to light up seasonal gifting and joyful gatherings. From Watauga Lake Winery in nearby Tennessee, to Grandfather Mountain Vineyard & Winery in Foscoe, NC, to Banner Elk Winery and Villa just outside Banner Elk, all the way down highway 221 to Linville Falls Winery & Christmas Tree Farm, our High Country A.V.A. (American Viticultural Area) wineries have become the home of preferred wines and the cheerful destinations for seasonal visitors. So, let’s hit the High Country Wine Trail and check out what’s awaiting wine lovers this year… Starting first at historic Watauga Lake Winery & pastoral Villa Nove Vineyards in equally historic Butler, Tennessee, Linda and Wayne Gay are recommending their Beary Apple, a
fortified dessert wine with bright notes of vanilla cream and ripe apple character. Also there’s Beary Black, a portstyle with bold flavors and aromas of chocolate, plum and ripe blackberries. Finally, they suggest their Duncan Hollow, another port-style wine with bold fig, chocolate and cinnamon flavors. All have a little extra “kick” to warm up your winter. Back on Watauga County turf, Nicole Tatum of Grandfather Vineyard & Winery is boasting about their raspberry cider, a dry and sweet, lightly carbonated treat full of apples and raspberries. Next on the list is the Chardonel, a semi-sweet hybrid Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc grape wine with vanilla, banana flambe’, yellow apples, honeysuckle and cream soda. Another fun choice is their Sparkling River White crafted from locally grown Vidal Blanc grapes with pineapple, honeydew melon and mango—the first of their carbonated sweet wines. And, lastly comes their classic Black & Blue. A blend of Appalachian blueber-
ries and blackberries makes this sweet, ruby red wine a perfect pairing with charcuterie boards and buttery desserts. Just up the road in Avery County is Banner Elk Winery and Villa, on Deer Run off Hwy 194 just outside of downtown Banner Elk. General Manager Pattie Greene started off her list with their Banner Elk White Reserve. It’s a semidry made from Columbard and Seyval Blanc grapes creating a mellow blend of fragrances courtesy of its sweet pear and golden apple highlights. Her next selection is their High Country Rosé. It’s an estate-grown semi-dry rosé blending red Steuben and golden Muscat grapes with notes of fresh strawberry, peach and white cranberry; it makes a great pairing with your seasonal turkey meal. For a bold twist, it’s their rare and decadent French-American hybrid Marechal Foch. This unusual grape is the result of successfully grafted currents and red berries onto a grape vine to produce a red
cheers! Continued on next page
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