Daveste Vinyards

Daveste Vineyards (pronounced: dah vess TAY) opened the 1000 case winery in the fall of 2006 and produces several traditional dry red and white french varietals including Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Viognier, Malbec and a Meritage blend.

The tasting room, which overlooks the vineyard, is a 1,500 square-foot rustic timber-frame style which opened in September 2008. Today July 29, 2009 was our first visit since we attended the Statesville Chamber of Commerce ribbon cutting ceremony last year.

The setting is in a 52-acre rural locale featuring rolling hills, a pond with a waterfall, hiking trails and (of course) fields of grapevines.

The vineyard hosts various events such as the upcoming Wine Dinner January 28, 2010. Please check the “Upcoming Events” link on their website www.daveste.com.

Driving from The Kerr House B&B, Daveste Vineyards is about 15-20 minutes away.

Shadow Springs Vineyard – Hamptonville, NC

Shadow Springs Vineyard

Shadow Springs Vineyard is a fairly new vineyard in the Swan Creek region of the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina. The owners, Chuck and Jamey Johnson, opened the vineyard for visitors in July 2008 with a beautiful 5000 square foot tasting room suitable for parties and business meetings.

We visited on a nice sunny Wednesday about a week or so ago and had a very nice lunch with a glass of wine that was about an equal mix of the “Strawberry Shortcake” and “Dark Shadow” wines that are offered at the vineyard. While we are not usually fond of the sweeter wines, we both like strawberries and chocolate and the combination really was delicious (we bought 3 bottles of each). You cannot purchase lunch items at Shadow Springs but you are welcome to bring your own. We were able to pick up very nice sandwiches and some chips at the Amish-run Shiloh General Store just minutes away from the vineyard.

Besides the wine choices currently being offered at the vineyard, two more will be offered in the fall: Chambourcin and Meritage (a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot and Merlot). More information about the vineyard can be found on their web site www.shadowspringsvineyard.com. I asked a question about the small white bags that were seen hanging at the end of some of the grapevine rows and was told that they contained bars of Irish Spring soap which apparently keeps the deer away from the grapes, go figure!

Shadow Springs Vineyard is located in the Swan Creek region of Yadkin Valley and is about 31 miles (38 minute drive) from the Kerr House B&B in Statesville, NC. The Swan Creek region now has 5 wineries within about a 5 mile area which makes it perfect for a self-guided wine tour. We will be adding more posts in the (hopefully) near future with information on the other wineries in this area.