Saturday, April 5 was the grand opening of JoLo Winery and Vineyard, Pilot Mountain, NC. The owners, JW and Kristen Ray, have done a fabulous job in creating a food and wine experience in the Yadkin Valley. The vineyards, winery, tasting room and grounds are beautiful. The opening day festivities included a live band and fantastic food samples. We tasted the five wines currently available and although young wines, each had unique, enjoyable flavors. My favorite was the Crimson Creek, a chambourcin red wine. It is clear that the owners are approaching every aspect of this business in a first-class manner. This winery should be on your itinerary for your next trip to the Yadkin Valley.
It has been a year since I have posted to the South Carolina Wine Blog. However, I was provided with an advance copy of the latest novel by Steven Laine entitled Dragon Vine for my review. Mr. Laine writes novels with a wine focused theme and I reviewed Mr. Laine's previous novel Root Cause in 2019, which I greatly enjoyed. The synopsis of Dragon Vine is as follows: When his father dies in a wildfire, Carmine Cooper takes over the family winery in the middle of harvest, putting his dreams of becoming an architect on hold. He soon finds himself fighting with a vengeful neighbor, blackmailed by a local gang, harassed by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) authorities, and the target of an ATF (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives) investigation. Carmine’s only hope to solve his problems and finish his first solo vintage successfully rests in identifying an unknown grape variety his father grew and made into wine for a quarter century wit...
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