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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On today’s special New Year’s Day episode of Food Friday, affectionately called the Hangover Edition, we pair leftover wine from yesterday, Shelton Vineyards 2005 Family Reserve Chardonnay with leftover food from our New Year’s Eve sandwich tray. We ate a roast beef sandwich on a croissant to see how the buttery, flaky bread changed the rich, bold, buttery nature of the Chardonnay.

North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Shelton Vineyards 2005 Family Reserve Chardonnay is luxury in a bottle. If you like crisp, unoaked white wines, then this is not the wine for you. Though if you like bold, thick, and rich white wines then this is a great non-sparkling option to drink to ring in the new year. The nose is full of dense apple and toasted coconut. In the mouth this wine is big, and while it is balanced, it still shows some of it 14.5% alcohol on the finish. If you love buttery, rich Chardonnay, then this is the wine for you.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $35

Availability: Directly from the winery and select wine shops.

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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How often do you get to see to guys eat lemons wedges and drink North Carolina wine? Well not very often and probably because with lemon wedges many funny faces ensue. For today’s Food Friday episode we wanted to see how a wide range of light meats and seafood with lemon flavors would go with the Cellar 4201 Stainless Chardonnay. The best way to do this was to see how the wine went with lemon on its own. Watch today’s show to see if this experiment worked.

North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Cellar 4201 2008 Stainless Chardonnay is a great North Carolina white wine. The fact that it never spent anytime in oak, makes this wine focused and crisp. On the nose this North Carolina wine is much more tropical than most Chardonnay’s produced. In the mouth the tropical fruit flavors carry over with a rich mouth-feel and body. Overall this is a North Carolina white wine worth seeking out.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $17

Availability: Directly from the winery

Interview with Donna, owner of Cellar 4201


About Cellar 4201 2008 Stainless Chardonnay:
Produced in 100% stainless steel, this Chardonnay is bright, crisp, minerally and exudes beautiful apple, pear and citrus flavors. Enjoy with cheese plates, pasta and seafood. Drink now.

About Cellar 4201:
Owners and Vintners, Greg Hutchins and Donna Carlyle Hutchins, established the vineyard in the spring of 2003—planting one acre of Chardonnay and one acre of Merlot. The next year, three additional acres were added, including Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese and more Chardonnay.

With the focus at Cellar 4201 being on producing quality fruit through extensive pruning, we plan to remain a limited-case producton vineyard with the majority of sales of our hand-crafted wines occuring in the tasting room. This will allow people to come visit, see the gorgeous vineyards and enjoy some wonderfully unique wines. We think that personal touch carries over into our wines.

After traveling to Italy, Donna developed a passion for Sangiovese. While admitting it is difficult to grow, it is currently our signature wine.

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When many people think about sparkling wine they instantly think of parties, not food. However the truth is that sparkling wine can be a great match when paired with the right food. For this Food Friday we tried the Shelton Vineyards Blanc de Blanc with a fresh cut gala apple and the pairing was great! We have never had a Food Friday where the wine impacted the flavor of the food is such a clear and refreshing way. Watch today’s episode to learn more!

North Carolina Wine TV:
We were excited to try our first North Carolina sparkling wine and the 2005 Shelton Vineyards Blanc De Blanc did not disappoint. This sparkler was crisp, dry and nutty. If you are looking for a little sweetness in a sparkling wine, then this is not the one for you. However, if you are looking for a great bottle to start off a meal or go well with fruit and cheese than this North Carolina wine is a solid choice. The wine smells of yeast and citrus and in the mouth tastes like almond, lemons and apple. Though slightly expensive at $25 this is still of wine well worth trying.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $25

Availability: Directly from the winery and select wine shops.

About Shelton Vineyards 2005 Blanc De Blanc (from the winery)
This is our first release of our Sparkling wine. Always made 100% from Chardonnay, our Blanc de Blanc has delicate citrus characteristics. Our Brut Blanc De Blanc is no exception. We sent our early-harvested Chardonnay, grown here on the estate, to our friends at The Biltmore Estate Winery in Ashville to carry out the secondary fermentation. The final product has a light, crisp and refreshing beginning with delicious lemon-citrus notes as a finish. Perfect for those special occasions or just because! We hope you enjoy it.

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.

Shelton Vineyards Blanc de Blanc on 12seconds.tv

Locate Shelton Vineyards:

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North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Childress Trio is not only a very well made wine, but gains interest and complexity from its blend of Chardonnay, Viognier, and Pinot Gris. The nose battles back and forth with apple and pear working to punch through the tropical scents of pineapple and melon. Equally complex on the mouth feel, this wine shows great body. It has good initial acidity, but could have been improved by a little bit more. Tropical flavors as well as apricots dominate the palate. This is a wine well worth trying for its complexity and flavor profile.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $15

Availability: Directly from the winery and in limited distribution at restaurants in the area.

About Childress Vineyards 2008 Trio (from the winery):
White wine blend comprised of 48% Chardonnay, 37% Viognier, 15% Pinot Gris. Originally crafted from the three surviving grape varieties following the Easter freeze of 2007, this blend is named for the legendary
No. 3 car owned by Richard Childress.

About Childress Vineyards (from the winery)
Our 35,000-square-foot facility at Childress Vineyards is poised to become a destination for visitors and North Carolinians alike. Designed by Winston-Salem, NC architect Kyle Troxell, the stone and stucco building, with its ornate terra cotta roof is inspired by the Italian Renaissance architecture of rural Tuscany. The winery’s opulent interiors are the creation of Wolf Design Group in Atlanta, GA.

Childress Vineyards 2008 Trio on 12seconds.tv

Locate Childress Vineyards:

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Note: Black Wolf Vineyards is currently closed though their wine is available in many stores.

North Carolina Wine TV Review:
Black Wolf Vineyards 2005 Chardonnay suffers from two key flaws. The first is that it has aged too long and has lost some of its fruit, the second is that it has a large amount of oak present that overrides much of the crispness of this wine. However the nose is very nice with lots of lemon, apple and toasted coconut. It also has a nice mouth feel with nice bits of lemons when it first hits your tongue, however, from there the wine falls apart into a brief and oaky finish that really lacks the acidity it needs to be a solid effort.

Price: $10

Availability: Winery is closed but can be found at Total Wine and other NC wine stores.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Black Wolf Vineyards 2005 Chardonnay on 12seconds.tv

Locate Black Wolf Vineyards:

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