Hey gang...
With North Carolina wineries now approaching the 130 plus or minus mark, there's always a new place to visit. And let's face it, once you get into the groove of visiting various wineries across the state, it can become addicting. And you soon begin tagging "favorites" that you tend to visit again and again throughout the year.
My wife Jane and I have now visited over 76 wineries/vineyards throughout the state - with our favorites (so far) being located in the Yadkin Valley and foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We obviously have our preferences, but it's always a pleasant surprise when you discover a new winery - in particular, one that stands out as being almost resort-like. Please read on.
To celebrate our 39th wedding anniversary a several weeks ago, my wife suggested we just get out of the house and head west for a few days - doing it all spur-of-the-moment (we live just south of Raleigh in Fuquay Varina, NC). We realized that all of the Autumn colors were long gone, but nevertheless, we were itchin' to see something new. So after doing some research, we accidentally stumbled upon information about a new, smaller winery known as Roaring River Vineyards located in Trap Hill, NC. If you're familiar with Jones von Drehle vineyards in Thurmond, NC (another fantastic place by the way), then finding Roaring River Vineyards will be quite easy as it's around 10 miles west of there.
When we arrived, we were greeted by one of two "adopted" winery dogs - this one being named "Festus." Festus is a very outgoing dog that believes he has to greet everyone, while the other (more older) dog, Rusty, just had a laid-back disposition.
The first thing you'll notice about this location is that it's more than a winery. In fact, as wineries go, this is a fairly small one. What it does include are a variety of cabins and rooms laid out almost as if the location is a small village. All buildings sit right next to the Roaring River (which is really a larger creek in size). The entire environment has a very warm, almost European feel with rolling hills, mountains in the back drop, and a pristine mountain trout stream running parallel to the winery. I can only imagine how gorgeous this place would look in the Spring and Fall.
After giving the "greeter" dogs their due, we entered the winery building which is also the location for "Chez Josephine" which is a small Bistro, where you can either eat indoors, or on the verandah outside looking over the river. It's very quaint to say the least and the atmosphere is such that all you want to do is to sit outside (weather permitting of course) with a glass of wine and listen to the rapids of the stream. The best way to describe all of this is to say that you get a "nice, warm" vibe when you enter this place. The interior layout is a cross between a European (Alpine) and contemporary decor.
It wasn't long before we met Thomas and Josephine Silvey, the owners. What a delight it was to meet them. Josephine originally hails from France and she had German parents as noted by a German banner hanging down from one of the walls. She was very friendly and outgoing. Tom was a real hoot and we did a wine tasting with him, which made it all the more personal.
OK - now for the wines. As I mentioned, this is not what one would call a medium to large sized operation at all. It is a small winery that currently produces perhaps 500 or less cases a year. Because they are still a smaller operation, they provide their wine requirements to the folks over at Elkin Creek vineyards in Elkin, NC. There the wines get blended and bottled and returned to Roaring River. And folks, I've got to say, both my wife and I found the Roaring River wines to be superb. Currently (at the time of this writing) they had 6 wines (see their website for listing). We loved all of them and wound up purchasing two cases of all of their wines. The wine bottle designs feature an artists rendition of a mountain trout be reeled in (after all, the Roaring River has a healthy trout population).
Both Tom and Josephine (since it was a very quiet Friday when we arrived) gave us a tour of all of the rooms, event spaces, and other structures of this very "village-like" layout. Everything was tastefully done and you can see Josephine's influence in all of this. All we know is that we most definitely plan on returning soon to spend a weekend or so in one of the rooms. I've uploaded quite a few high definition photos to give you an idea as to how everything looks. Keep in mind we arrived during the first week in December (2017) so the Christmas decorations were up.
So this locale is a real gem and once folks discover this place, we're sure it will become a favorite destination place for many folks.
Look for the uploaded photos I'm submitting.
Ben Herrmann
Master Gunnery Sergeant, US Marine Corps (Retired)
Fuquay Varina, NC. read more