{"id":380,"date":"2022-06-17T01:35:31","date_gmt":"2022-06-17T01:35:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/meganacrossamerica.com\/?p=380"},"modified":"2022-06-17T01:35:35","modified_gmt":"2022-06-17T01:35:35","slug":"an-afternoon-in-yadkin-valley-wine-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/meganacrossamerica.com\/?p=380","title":{"rendered":"An Afternoon in Yadkin Valley Wine Country"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

During my time in North Carolina, I was able to spend a great afternoon touring the wineries of Yadkin Valley. Located about 2 hours from the Triangle of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, the Yadkin Valley Wine Country<\/a> has several local wineries that offer great wine, a calm atmosphere, and amazing views of the Blue Ridge mountains. My friend, Deirdre, and I were able to stop at three of these beautiful wineries and spent a relaxing afternoon sipping local wines and taking in the scenery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yadkin Valley has a few different wine trails <\/a>you can choose from. Deirdre and I followed the Swan Creek<\/a> wine trail due to its proximity to the Triangle and we were able to visit three on this trail: Laurel Gray Vineyards<\/a>, Raffaldini Vineyards<\/a>, and Piccione Vineyards<\/a>. Each winery was so different yet they all offered beautiful views and good wines, and we loved the afternoon we spent on this trail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

#1: Laurel Gray Vineyards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Deirdre and I on the porch at Laurel Gray Vineyards<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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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!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Fingerlakes grapes wine at Laurel Gray Vineyards<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

#2: Raffaldini Vineyards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The Raffaldini estate<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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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!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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The view from the deck at Raffaldini Vineyards<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

#3: Piccione Vineyards<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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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 fros\u00e9 (frozen ros\u00e9) 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Final Thoughts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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My glass of rose with the stunning view at Piccione Vineyards<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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I hope you enjoyed this post and found it helpful in planning your trip to North Carolina! If you loved this blog, feel free to leave me a comment below and share with your friends!

Don\u2019t forget to connect with me on Instagram for my latest travel updates! @MeganAcrossAmeric<\/em>a<\/p>\n\n\n\n