North Carolina Wine TV Review
The Biltmore Reserve 2008 Pinot Noir is made in North Carolina from Russian River, California grapes. It has a classic Pinot Noir nose of strawberry and cherry, and it also has a hint of pipe tobacco. This wine is very tannic, bone dry and very acidic. It definitely needs food to improve it. It tastes of strawberry, cocoa, coffee and oak. Although it is well-made and well balanced, it does seem to be over-oaked. This is a young wine that could do with some time in a cellar. Wine provided by the winery for our review.

Price: $25
Availability: Directly from the Winery and select wine shops

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

About Biltmore Reserve 2008 Pinot Noir (from the winery):
This Pinot Noir thrived in the cool climate of California’s Russian River Valley, resulting in a complex expressive wine with an elegant, almost delicate mouth-feel. Strawberry, raspberry, vanilla, and well-integrated oak aromas give way to supple fruit flavors.

About Biltmore Estate (from the winery):
The most visited winery in the United States isn’t located in Napa Valley. It’s at Biltmore in the mountains of North Carolina, where approximately 1 million visitors stop by to sample award-winning estate wines each year. The first vineyards at Biltmore were established in 1971 in an area below Biltmore House. French-American hybrids were planted initially, with vinifera plantings following in a few years. Inspired after several years of experimenting, William A.V. Cecil, then president and owner of Biltmore, decided that a winery was the natural outcome of ongoing research and a logical extension of his grandfather’s intention that the estate be self-supporting.

North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Stony Knoll 2005 Cabernet Franc is a bottle of wine we bought on clearance, so we didn’t know what to expect. Kipp is initially overwhelmed with the smell of buttered popcorn, and Jeff describes it as old nothing. This wine has very little flavor and no fruit. It is as if you added sour flavor to a glass of water and put in a drop of diet cranberry juice for color. We cannot recommend this wine. We also talk about how to know if a wine should be put away or enjoyed now.

Rating: 0 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: Winery: $15 Clearance: $5.99

Availability: From the Winery and Select Wine Shops

About Stony Knoll 2005 Cabernet Franc (from the winery):
A medium-bodied dry wine with 10 percent Cabernet Sauvignon. Aged 18 months in new Hungarian oak and neutral French oak barrels. Has a velvety smooth finish that tastes great with all meats and vegetables.

About Stony Knoll Vineyards (from the winery):
Stony Knoll Vineyard’s first harvest took place in the fall of 2002. We have planted Cabernet Savignon, Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay and Syrah and they are currently available for purchase. You may purchase our wines from this website, local vendors, restaurants and at our winery. Private tastings are also offered by appointment and the facility can be reserved for special events.

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North Carolina Wine TV Review:
Carolina Heritage Chamborcin-Cynthinana is a blend of vinifera and muscadine grapes, both grown in the Yadkin Valley. There is some red fruit and cinnamon on the nose of this light to medium body wine, but no strongly pronounced smells. The wine starts with a bit of sweetness and fruit that transitions to oak, but the end of finish is very harsh. The harsh finish takes this average wine to something that is not very good.

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

Price: $10

Availability: From the winery and select wine stores

About Chambourcin-Cynthiana (from the winery):
Dry red wine made from a blend of Chambourcin (French-American hybrid) and Cynthiana/Norton (native American) grapes. Both varieties grow well in the Yadkin Valley and, when blended, produce a rich red dry wine with a fruity, nutty taste. Wonderful with red meats, cheeses and dark chocolates.

About Carolina Heritage Vineyard (from the winery):
Carolina Heritage Vineyard & Winery is the first USDA-Certified Organic Vineyard & Winery in NC. The self-contained operation includes 9.5 acres of vineyard, a fully-functioning estate winery and tasting room.

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North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Buck Shoals Rocco Red looks like a medium-bodied wine with coffee grounds, cherry, black pepper, crisp green vegetables on the nose. The label doesn’t tell what kinds of grapes this red table wine is made from, and our initial guess from the nose is that it is a combination of Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is very dry and complex with strong black pepper flavors that lead us to believe it has Syrah in the mix too. This is an old world style wine that is made to go with food.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $10

Availability: From the winery and select wine stores

About Rocco Red Table Wine (from the winery):
A combination of Chambourcin and Italian varieties. Ripe Cherry and slight acidity makes this a light style table wine.

About Buck Shoals Vineyard (from the winery):
Buck Shoals Vineyard was started as a vision of Terry and Joanne Crater. They began enjoying and collecting fine wines about 20 years ago.Terry particularly enjoyed the Italian wines with a special love of Amarone. This love of wines coupled with ownership of fine Yadkin County tobacco soil was the start of a vision which culminated in the creation of Buck Shoals Vineyards. The first planting of five and one half acres of nine grape varieties was done in April 2003, and as of 2006, the vineyard track now covers approximately 13 acres. Buck Shoals has room to grow, and another 32 acres is allocated for future expansion.

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North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Banner Elk 2008 Marechal Foch is dark red in color with sawdust, herbs, blackberry, forest on the nose. This is a big, dry wine that really tastes like the land on which the grapes were grown. This wine has a dry fruit or sour cherry or blackberry flavor on the finish, which is not where you expect the fruit to be. There is also some cocoa, with a sharp oak flavor that is a little different that traditional French oak. A winter wine that would pair with rich and hearty food. Put it away for 5-7 years before drinking.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $22.95

Availability: From the winery

About 2008 Marechal Foch (from the winery):
A single varietal Cabernet Hybrid developed for a Cabernet to grow at high altitudes and withstand cold winters. It is fruity, jammy and considered to be a “grapey” wine. It is very food friendly, but pairs exceptionally well with red-sauced pasta dishes.

About (from the winery):
Banner Elk Winery marks the genesis of the wine tradition in the High Country of North Carolina as the first commercial winery built in Avery and Watauga counties. In July 2006, the age-old winemaking tradition officially made its debut in a corner of the New World previously overlooked for the craft.

The creations of Vintner Dr. Richard Wolfe pay tribute to the rugged mountain landscape and capture the delicate nuance and character of the fruit. Processing locally grown grapes into excellent wines that reflect the unique characteristics of the Appalachian Mountains, Dr. Wolfe provides guidance and encouragement to local farmers planting vineyards with the new French-American and American varieties of grapes. This fruit is hearty enough to survive the harsh winters of the High Country.

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On a recent trip to the North Carolina mountains, we stopped by Banner Elk Winery, North Carolina’s only mountain winery, and chatted with Dick Wolfe, owner, winemaker and former Appalachian State University professor. We also visited North Carolina’s, and probably the east coast’s, highest elevation vineyard at 4900 feet. Banner Elk grows French and Italian hybrid grapes that have been successfully grown at higher elevations in Europe. We will be reviewing some of their wines in the upcoming months.

The title of this show is an experiment in elk. Since I could not bring NC barbecue to Boston for this episode, I brought a smoky, spicy alternative ready-made for travel: Elk Strips. Watch our reaction to the first time we tried elk, as well as how this pairing went.

North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Rock of Ages Cork & Pork sweet red wine was made to go with barbecue. The nose has cinnamon apples, cherry, thyme, rosemary and a bit of green stem smell. The taste is very sweet without much of a fruit flavor, with some funky bitterness. It tastes like a cranberry pixie stick that would go well with food, especially a spicy, vinegar barbecue. It is little off to us, but fans of sweet wine will like it, especially when served with food.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

Price: $9.50

Availability: From the winery and in stores across NC

About Rock of Ages Winery (from the winery):
The Rock of Ages Winery & Vineyard is located in North Carolina’s southern Person County on the Moore family estate where tobacco was grown for generations. Communion wine was also produced on this land by Ernest Moore for area churches in the early 1900s. Now, his grandson, Kevin Moore and his wife, Kimberly, are carrying on that tradition as they are…”blending the old into the new.” The first of the vineyard’s 26 acres were planted in 2003. Construction began on the winery facility in November, 2005 and the grand opening was in October, 2006.

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North Carolina Wine TV Review:
The Old North State Winery Autumn Leaf Rose smells like a semi-dry rose with notes of watermelon peel, strawberry jam and grapefruit. The wine starts like a good rose with watermelon, strawberry and grapefruit. The second half of the wine is bitter and unbalanced. This wine did not finish well.

Rating: 2 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 Leaf Rose (from the winery)
Made from Chambourcin grapes in a white wine style, its fresh fruit and floral aromas burst vividly before proceeding to rest beautifully on the palate. Perfect in hue and taste to fit between the heavy reds and lighter whites.

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: Today’s episode is the last one shot before Kipp left Raleigh, and we do something wacky. But don’t worry, we have lots more episodes coming as we drink our way through North Carolina’s wineries. We review a Duck-Rabbit beer made in North Carolina. And not just any beer, but Barleywine Ale, so at least it has wine in the name. It is a seasonal offering from Duck-Rabbit Brewery located in Farmville NC. This copper-colored beverage has vanilla custard, cinnamon, citrus, yeast, maltiness and stinky cheese. on the nose. We could taste the high alcohol content (11%), as well as citrus, malt and hops. This is a dry beer that would be great with food. Don’t plan on having too many of these as the alcohol may keep you in for the evening. And at the end of the show, we give a shout out to our friend @SchneiderMike and his show Belching Monkey.

Price: $2.79/bottle, $12/6 pack

Availability: Select beverage shops, however, this is a seasonal offering and is not always available.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

according to the North Carolina Wine Ratings Scale

About Duck-Rabbit Barleywine Ale (from Beer News):
The Duck-Rabbit Barleywine is the hoppiest of all the Duck-Rabbit brews. Loads of Amarillo hops give a piney, citrusy bitterness that’s supported by a toffee malt backbone. The ABV for this product is 11%.

About Duck-Rabbit Brewery (from the brewery):
Duck-Rabbit is a small packaging microbrewery located in Farmville, North Carolina. They sold their first beer in August of 2004. They specialize in beautiful, delicious, full flavored dark beers. “When we brew, we’re happy and we dance. During fermentation, we sing softly to the yeast. Please try our beer and enjoy a taste of contentment!”

Paul Philippon is the founder of The Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery. Years ago, before he became a professional brewer, he made his living teaching university philosophy. A version of the duck-rabbit diagram, which looks like a duck or a rabbit, depending on the viewer’s perspective, appeared in a philosophy book Paul admires (Philosophical Investigations by Ludwig Wittgenstein). He liked the idea of using a logo with ties to his former life.

Note that we were totally wrong about where this brewery is located. It is in Eastern North Carolina, nowhere near the Yadkin Valley.

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