Winston-Salem Wine Festival 2008 Extravaganza: Where to find the most bang for your tasting buck in the Triad

Itching to fill your summers with wine-tastings and lawn parties? Do you live for souvenir glasses and shagging to the likes of Chairmen of the Board? Then you’re lucky you’re livin’ in the Triad, with easy access to the Yadkin Valley Wine Trail.

Let’s give you a quick rundown of the wine festivals coming up locally this summer (some may have passed, but I’ll share a link that may help you set up your calendar for next summer’s must-haves):

• Historic Downtown North Wilkesboro holds the Shine to Wine Festival each May. Their website may leave a little to be desired, but you won’t want to miss their street party. You can get tickets for $15-20.
• Next up, the Annual Yadkin Wine Valley Festival is held the 3rd Saturday of May at the Elkin Municipal Park in Surry County. Ticket prices are $16-20 with a $5 parking fee that is donated to the Elkin Volunteer Rescue Squad. Great music for you and plenty of activities for the kids.
• The wine festival you’ve probably heard the most about is the Annual North Carolina Wine Festival, typically held in June, that will be happening this year on May 31st from 12:00 noon to 6:30pm at Tanglewood Park in Clemmons. $20-25 a pop to get in, but well worth the fee, and free parking!
• The River House Winefest on the New will be held on Saturday, June 19th from 1:00 to 5:00pm. Difficult to find information about this festival and tickets are a whopping $50!
• And last, but not least, (and certainly not the end of the line in terms of wine festivals to be found in the area) is the Yadkin Valley Grape Festival held annually in October in Downtown Yadkinville. This year’s festival is Saturday, October 18th from 11:00am to 5:00pm and tickets are $15-20.

New to wine tastings? Worried you’ll be guzzling away while your neighbor is “Swirl, Sniff, Sip”-ing? A wine festival is a great place for you to start. You’ll be able to follow the crowd, copy your neighbor (or the kind folks behind the booth) and take stock of the many types of wines from the many vineyards in the area. Narrow down a few of your favorites and then hit the vineyard directly!

And if this summer’s lineup doesn’t quite fit into your weekend calendar, don’t fret! Pick any vineyard in the area (maybe you pick the closest to your house, maybe you choose the one with the coolest name. If I was selecting based on name, I’d pop right over to RagApple Lassie Vineyards) and check them out! Most local vineyards have extended summer hours, and if they’re smart (read: worth your while) they will also offer their wine by the glass and by the bottle, and may even have a nice lawn or courtyard where you can kick back with friends and family.

My favorite vineyard of all-time is Hanover Park Vineyard in Yadkinville, NC. I have been to several vineyards in the area (ask me and I’ll give you a full report) and never quite felt at ease or truly welcomed. From the moment I stepped into Hanover Park, Amy Helton (who owns the vineyard with her husband Michael) made my friends and me feel at home. She answered all of our questions (from the very silly to the accidentally technical), gave us suggestions about what meals each wine would pair nicely with and shared several funny stories about how the vineyard came to be the place it is today. We bought a few bottles of wine after our tasting and settled onto the rocking chairs on the front porch. A perfect afternoon. Our fourth or fifth trip back, nearly a year after our first visit, Amy welcomed us inside warmly and actually remembered us from our group! While you’re there you’ll want to be sure to pick up some of their Courtney Red: a treat on its own, and killer as sangria (add any fruit you like, I dare you!).

Cheers!

[image: Buy tickets to the 8th Annual NC Wine Festival at Tanglewood Park]