Talking about NC wine was not originally on the docket for this month. I had an entirely different piece ready to go, but feel no remorse for completely scrapping it in lieu of today's topic. A timely pop-up event from an industry friend reminded me of how critical it is to use our creative platforms to uplift, support, and in this case, save others.
It has become far too easy to be idle when damn near cataclysmic events occur around us. Sometimes the shock of it all can keep us frozen in our own bodies, our own thoughts, and act as a barrier to our true emotions regarding a situation. My mind travels back to 2011 when I lived through one of the largest earthquake & tsunami combos that Japan (maybe the world) had ever seen. An entire region had been decimated, lives lost, historic temples erased from history and the nuclear fallout caused even more damage in months following. While my family & many others on the military base only had to deal with the shortage of running water and electricity for a week, others just 10 miles away were under water or worse. That idle nature I mentioned earlier was not the response here to this catastrophe. The military bases sprang into action with rescue efforts, bringing supplies to those in need, and providing refuge for those who escaped. The quick actions reaffirmed to me that human kindness was all but lost. When we want to band together to do good & perpetuate good, no Goliath stands a chance.
Kara Daly of wineisconfusing displayed a masterclass of a pivot that echoes that idea. She took what was a simple pop-up tasting highlighting the wines in our collective backyard in North Carolina, and used her platform to raise funds for our neighbors in Appalachia who had been decimated by Hurricane Helene. Her call to action reminded me of the empathy I witnessed over a decade ago. Just because destruction hadn't touched her doorstep, it did not mean she had to omit herself from the solution. We can use our voice & our platforms, no matter how small they may seem, to make change. Good is not simply something we are; good is something we do.
With all that said, I'd like to leave you all on a happier note filled with the usual poetic wine talk AND ways that we can support our friends in western NC communities.
The Bohemian Wine Bar acted as the perfect, open-air backdrop to yesterday's tasting. Each guest was given a numbered note card that denoted a different flight of three wines to blind taste. While the grape & producer were unknown, the focus was for guests to guess the region more than the varietal. The average consumer might marvel at guessing a grape correctly, but the wine professional has to use more tools in their arsenal to unpack a specific region that the wine comes from when blind tasting. Kara strategically chose some peculiar, nerdy wines that showcased the future of NC wine as it stands today.
My flight was comprised Euda Wine's Pet-Nat of Traminette, Pleb Winery's 'Foundy' Rose & Erik Martella's No.6 Seed Contact Muscadine. Each screamed new world on the nose, so I immediately assumed we were somewhere in that part of the winemaking world. Each had a nuance to them though that could easily sway that train of thought. Traminette (a hybrid varietal) is one I've had many sparkling wines from. This one was wonderfully citrus forward, possessed the tiniest yet most persistent bubbles, and floral finish that reminded me of sparkling wine you commonly find in Limoux (a warmer, southern region in France attributed with the birthplace of bubbles). The pink juice was equal parts strawberry yogurt (anybody remember the squeezable Danimals?) and zesty orange peel. I detected a little more residual sugar here, but this was by no means a 'sweet' wine. Rather, it was a solid gateway for a sweet drinker into more dry styles. Erik Martella's take on muscadine was downright quirky. Kara kept mentioning "AutoZone" in her descriptors for the white wine. It was as accurate as the sky is blue! The nose was vaguely reminiscent of the petrol aroma one can pick up off of Riesling but leaned a little more into that sweet gasoline scent you can attribute the garage of any mechanic. The wine fully displayed that muscadine could make drier styles if it wanted to.
Again, the whole tasting was essentially blind, and while the region should have been obvious, I've become so conditioned to wine professionals underplaying the potential of NC wine. So much so, that even though I knew Kara was working at NC wineries and uprooted her life here in Charlotte to be closer to NC vineyards, I kept that as my last option when guessing regions. I was obviously pleased to know she was still dedicated to preaching the gospel of this region. I got to experience some new producers because of her & for that I'm thankful!
KEY HIGHLIGHTS OF NORTH CAROLINA
(3) NC Subregions | The Mountains - The Piedmont - The Coastal Plains |
7 AVAs | Upper Hiwasse Highlands Apalachain High Country - Crest of the Blue Ridge - Yadkin Valley - Swan Creek - Haw River Valley - Tryon Foothills (NEW) |
Key Grapes | Petite Manseng - Chambourcin - Muscadine - Catawba - Chardonel - Traminette - Vidal Blanc - Seyval Blanc - Albarino - Tannat - Marechal Foch - Caberent Franc - Petit Verdot |
Producers | Euda Wines - Jones Von Drehle - Dover Vineyards - Addison Farms - Defi Wine - Pleb Winery - Erik Martella Wines - Elizabeth Higley - Sanctuary Vineyards - Raffaldini Vineyards - Piccione |
RESOURCES TO SUPPORT WESTERN N.C. COMMUNITIES
There are two shelters available at Asheville–Buncombe Technical Community College:
General Population Shelter: A-B Tech Conference Center, 16 Fernihurst Drive, Asheville, NC 28801 (Please use Victoria Road Entrance). No pets allowed
Medical Emergency Shelter for individuals dependent on medical equipment requiring power:10 Genevieve Circle, Asheville, NC 28801
Communications: Wi-Fi Locations
Duke Energy is working to restore power across Buncombe County. Cell service is also down throughout much of the county, with no known restoration timeline. Active Wi-Fi locations include:
Buncombe County Health Department: 40 Cox Ave, Weaverville, NC
Citizen Vinyl: 14 O’Henry Ave, Asheville, NC
DoubleTree Hilton Downtown: 199 Haywood St., Asheville
Asheville Shelter, Ferguson Building: 340 Victoria Road, Asheville
Stay safe out there. Be kind to one another. Do what you can with the platform you have & we'll get through this one together no matter how long the road to restoration may be.
Cheers,
The Certified Wino
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