An Afternoon in Yadkin Valley Wine Country

Our first stop of the day was Laurel Gray Vineyards, a small winery located on a farm that has been in the family for 10 generations. Deirdre and I shared a flight of whites and reds, each with a distinctly unique flavor. One had notes of chocolate and coffee; another was a blueberry red; the third was their “Christmas” wine and definitely tasted like it should be enjoyed around the holidays; and the white wine, our favorite, was made with sweet grapes from the Fingerlakes region of New York. We were able to enjoy our flight on their covered deck that overlooked a small pond, fountain, and vineyards. I recommend checking out Laurel Gray for its homey feel with a great variety of wine!

The next winery on the trail was Raffaldini Vineyards. Raffaldini is an elegant estate that feels like it was taken straight out of the Italian countryside. Sitting high on a hill with gorgeous views of the Blue Ridge mountains, this winery felt a bit more upscale than the cozy feel at Laurel Gray. An important note about this winery is they only serve red wines and none of them are sweet, which limited my options to a chilled glass of their semi-sweet red which was actually pretty refreshing. If you like red wines and gorgeous views, this is the winery for you!

Our final vineyard of the day was Piccione Vineyards. Piccione felt like a happy medium between the grand estate of Raffaldini and the homey feel of Laurel Gray in that the winery itself was housed in a tiny building that felt very personal, but the views were beautiful and the landscaping around the winery was gorgeous. Piccaldini let us sample some wines before we committed to a glass and there were several sweet and semi-sweet white wines that Deirdre and I enjoyed. Because it was pretty hot out and it was our last winery, I got a glass of the frosé (frozen rosé) to cool off and it was delicious! The great wine with the gorgeous scenery at Piccione was a great way to end our afternoon of wine touring.

Final Thoughts

I really enjoyed our relaxing afternoon in the Yadkin Valley Wine Country. The wine and beautiful views made the drive from the Triangle worth it. If I find myself in North Carolina again I would definitely explore a different wine trail in the Yadkin Valley! I highly recommend touring the Yadkin Valley Wine Country if you find yourself in this region of North Carolina.