Today we mixed some leftover Chardonnay and Zinfandel Blush with simple syrup and fruit to make a North Carolina sangria. It was a great mix of flavors and a perfect suggestion for unfinished bottles of wine.

North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Old North State Bare Bones Chardonnay is unoaked with some butter, sour apple, popcorn and earthiness on the nose. The wine falls flat in the mouth. There is some green apple and lemon on the front, but with a hollow middle and a clunky finish that is sour and bitter. The body of the wine is too thin for our tastes. We have had better North Carolina Chardonnays. Wine provided by the winery for our review.

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $10

Availability: From the winery and in stores across NC

About Bare Bones Chardonnay (from the winery)
Bare Bones Chardonnay is a bright, crisp well balanced stainless steel aged wine made from Yadkin Valley grapes in a Pinot Grigio style. Bare Bones releases the true expression of the Chardonnay grape. Taste Chardonnay for the first time, Bare Bones is made to accompany Restless Soul on outings.

About Old North State Winery:
Old North State Winery started as a cooperative in 2002 and has since evolved into a winery owned by two families with one vision. Our vineyards were established on farms that have been in our families for generations. We hope you enjoy the culmination of our dreams, our devotion to our farmland, and our passion for our wines produced at Old North State Winery.

Most of our wines start out as luscious wine grapes grown on Yadkin Valley North Carolina family farms. We are the Old North State Winery, Inc. located in Mount Airy, in the headwaters of the Yadkin Valley AVA. Wine, beer and fine foods are our passion and our legacy.

Locate Old North State Winery:

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North Carolina Wine TV Review
The Iron Gate Country Blooming white table wine has grapefruit on the nose, along with some notes of grass, green vegetables and granny smith apple. It reminds us of Sauvignon Blanc. The grapefruit comes through in the flavor, and some straw. The wine itself is a bit flabby and could use more acidity to brighten up the wine, although it a thick white wine. There is some good minerality, but it is definitely missing something at the front. This white wine would be good with a roast turkey.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $12

Availability: Directly from the winery and select wine shops.

About Iron Gate Vineyards Country Blooming (from the winery):
100% Riesling – Grapefruit, pear and gooseberry flavors balance its bright acidity. A versatile wine for food especially nice with seafood, its distinctive flavor also stands out against neutral food like turkey.

About Iron Gate Vineyards (from the VisitNCWine):
Historically known for producing brighleaf tobacco grown on small family farms, we are continuing this tradition of farming the land. Locally owned and operated. Enjoy the pier and white sandy beach down at the pond. Visit Turtle Island for a relaxing picnic. Have a glass of wine and a picnic lunch on the lower patio, under the pergolas in the courtyard. The tasting room gift shop features items by local artists and crafts people. Specialty labels for weddings, anniversaries, and birthdays available. Winegrapes grown in the vineyards are: Merlot, Cabernet Savignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonay, Chambourcin, Brightleaf White, Pack House Red, Flue Fire, Iron Gate Blackberry, Iron Gate Green Apple.

Locate Iron Gate Vineyards:

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North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Old North State Riesling brings traditional riesling smells of honey and apple, but there is also some old candy and clay on the nose. This dry wine is viscous and has good acidity. There are lemon, honey and green apple flavors in this German-style Riesling with some minerality on the finish. This wine is different from other North Carolina rieslings and would be good all year round, not just in the summer time. And again, this episode was shot well before it got so hot the past couple of days. Wine provided by the winery for our review.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $12

Availability: From the winery and in select stores across NC

About Riesling (from the winery)
A perfect balance of acidity and sweetness that produces many floral characteristics making the bouquet of our Riesling wonderfully complicated.

About Old North State Winery:
Old North State Winery started as a cooperative in 2002 and has since evolved into a winery owned by two families with one vision. Our vineyards were established on farms that have been in our families for generations. We hope you enjoy the culmination of our dreams, our devotion to our farmland, and our passion for our wines produced at Old North State Winery.

Most of our wines start out as luscious wine grapes grown on Yadkin Valley North Carolina family farms. We are the Old North State Winery, Inc. located in Mount Airy, in the headwaters of the Yadkin Valley AVA. Wine, beer and fine foods are our passion and our legacy.

Locate Old North State Winery:

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Today we pair the Sanders Ridge 2007 Viognier with Chinese food to try to bring out some of the fruit flavors in this wine. It was bitter and not very delicious to us, but we want to see how the salt, fat and spice of the food affects the taste of the wine. Watch to see how it goes.

North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Sanders Ridge 2007 Viognier has a very tropical nose with pineapple, limestone, peach, dried apricot, banana, and even some vinyl couch. The initial approach to this wine is very bitter, and the vinyl couch, or plastic taste, is predominant, rather than any of the traditional Viognier tropical flavors. The body is good, but the wine is off-balance. This is a wine that just got away from them. Sanders Ridge has some great wines, but this is not one of them. (Wine provided by the winery for review)

Rating: 1.5 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $16

Availability: Directly from the winery

About Sanders Ridge 2007 Viognier (from the winery)
Crisp and citrusy, hinting of melons and pineapple. Well balanced with a spicy and lightly floral finish.

About Sanders Ridge Winery (from the winery):
In the late 90’s, after 40 straight tobacco crops along with corn, soybeans, cattle, and timber, it was becoming ever clearer to Neil that the conventional farming of his day would not offer his 2 sons and daughter and their families – the livelihood that it had afforded him. With the realization that he was going to probably be “it” (the last Shore to farm this special place), he started researching alternative cash crops and implementing a more forward thinking farm plan which he hopes will sustain the land and all of the natural resources it supports (including his children and grand children!) for years to come…

Between 1999 and 2001, he laid the groundwork and established the vineyard for the Sanders Ridge Vineyard and Winery. (View photo diary). In December 2005, he began producing USDA certified organic vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers at the Farm at Sanders Ridge and in June of 2009 he opened the Winery and The Big Woods Restaurant – in a rustic and towering post and beam structure built from lumber and stone he harvested right off the farm.

Neil’s goal has always been to make Sanders Ridge a place where folks can laugh, relax, and experience the farm and the special places within it. He and his family invite you to visit the Winery and The Big Woods Restaurant for a taste of a simpler time and place. And, if you are so inclined, to wander…

Locate Sanders Ridge Winery:

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Today we taste the Grove Winery Eno River White, with grapes grown in northern Durham County, in the Triangle’s only commercial vineyard. It is field blended from nine different grapes. The earthy nose is dominated by mud and straw, mushroom, with a touch of kiwi after extra swirling. The finish is short, but focused on this dry wine, which is made in the style of other Grove wines we have tried. There is a strong earthy flavor with a bit of apple, tropical fruit tastes. It lacks acidity which makes the wine taste a bit flat. It could use some spicy food to prop up some of the flavors. This is well-made wine and worth a try if you are looking for a different kind of dry white wine. Something that is savory. Wine provided by the winery for review.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $13

Availability: Directly from the winery

About Grove Winery Eno River White (from the winery)
The only commercial wine grown in the Triangle. The grapes for Grove’s Eno River White comes from Jim Ward’s award winning Eno River Vineyards in northern Durham County. This wine is a true field blend, the 2008 vintage is made with nine varieties of grapes picked and fermented together. Varieties include: Melody, Taminga, Villard blanc, Symphony, Rkatsiteli and Petit Manseng. This dry, white wine is aged in stainless steel tanks and has a limited production of less than 70 cases. Nicely balanced and crisp, this wine is excellent with high butter-fat cheeses and rich deserts.

About Grove Winery (from the winery):
Grove Winery is located 7 miles northeast of the Greensboro city limits and about 20 minutes from downtown Greensboro. From award winning vineyards, first planted in 1993, exceptional wines are grown and crafted. The 44 acre Guilford County farm features a small, artisan winery and the estate vineyards which are located on sloping, mineral rich land in the Haw River Valley wine country. The estate vineyards feature wine grapes that thrive in this microclimate: Merlot, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, Cab Franc, Traminette and Tempranillo. We also own a mountain vineyard 65 miles north of the winery near Smith Mountain, VA where we grow grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon and Norton which benefit from cooler weather.

All grapes are hand harvested and used for a limited production of about 3000 cases of premium wine each year. A short drive from anywhere in the Triad or Triangle, our tasting room is located at the winery and is open year-round for tours, tastings, picnics and special events.

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North Carolina Wine TV Review:
Autumn Leaf Gold is a semi-dry wine from Old North State that combines Viognier and Pinot Gris with a ripe peach essence. The nose is primarily canned peaches with notes of honeysuckle and straw. This wine tastes like peaches, which fights with and covers the flavor of the grapes. It has a clunky finish with a bitter, artificial peach aftertaste. If you like peachey drinks, you might like this wine, however, we did not care for it.

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $10

Availability: From the winery and in stores across NC

About Autumn Gold White (from the winery)
A blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris and ripe peach essence will refresh with crisp, luxurious fruit flavors.

About Old North State Winery:
Old North State Winery started as a cooperative in 2002 and has since evolved into a winery owned by two families with one vision. Our vineyards were established on farms that have been in our families for generations. We hope you enjoy the culmination of our dreams, our devotion to our farmland, and our passion for our wines produced at Old North State Winery.

Most of our wines start out as luscious wine grapes grown on Yadkin Valley North Carolina family farms. We are the Old North State Winery, Inc. located in Mount Airy, in the headwaters of the Yadkin Valley AVA. Wine, beer and fine foods are our passion and our legacy.

Locate Old North State Winery:

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This light-colored Sauvignon Blanc from Shelton Vineyards has grapefruit, banana peel, freshly broken leaf and a touch of tropical on the nose. There is an initial grapefruit or citrus flavor in the mouth with strong vegetal flavors like asparagus and green beans in the mid-palate. This very crisp and very dry wine has a bitter finish with a sharp drop off, but has a good minerality with a river stone taste

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $14

Availability: Directly from the winery and select wine shops.

About Sauvignon Blanc (from the winery):
Our light, dry, crisp and refreshing Sauvignon Blanc has hints of grapefruit and ripe melon. This wine pairs beautifully with oysters, shrimp, or chicken or is great by itself on a hot summer day.

About Shelton Vineyards (from the winery)
On the estate, several varieties of grapes are grown. A few of those are Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec, Tannat, Petit Verdot, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Syrah, and Viognier. Virtually all vitis vinifera wine producing grapes are of European ancestry. Interestingly, all varieties of vitis vinifera grown at Shelton Vineyards–and throughout the world for that matter–utilize bud wood of European origin grafted onto Native American rootstocks to create a more disease resistant vine.

Shelton Vineyards’ belief is that fine wine begins in the vineyard. The location, in the heart of North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley, provides the ideal climate and soil conditions. Shelton Vineyards’ commitment to sustainable farming practices and hands-on attention enables the vineyard to produce the highest possible quality of grapes. The Shelton Vineyards’ wines are reflective of the terroir of the Yadkin Valley. Along with expert winemaking techniques, enhancing what our land has given us, Shelton Vineyards has produced many award-winning wines.

Locate Shelton Vineyards

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On today’s Food Friday episode we pair RayLen Pinot Grigio with Chinese take-out noodles. The wine was very smooth, but lacked a bit in flavor profile. We are hoping that the smoky flavor, combined with the fat and the salt changes this wine to bring out more flavors. Watch the episode to see how this pairing affects the wine.