At my last
winery stop, Raintree Cellars, I picked up a brochure for the Catawba ValleyWine Trail (www.catawbavalleywines.com).
This wine trail consists of 5 wineries located on a 30 mile stretch near
interstate 40, between the foothills of the Blue Ridge and the South Mountains.
As you could imagine, marketing for these small, often family owned wineries,
is probably not in their budget.
Cleverly, these 5 winery owners teamed together to help each other
promote their unique NC winemaking establishments. Unknowingly, I had already conquered the
first two stops (Waldensian Heritage & Raintree Cellars). I found it natural to continue my journey
along this trail to my third stop.
My husband
and I decided to take a trip to Carolina Mist Winery on a rainy Saturday
afternoon, the choice was either cleaning or visiting a winery so I chose the
lesser of the two evils (ha ha). Before we left home I did a little research online, I found a list of
Carolina Mist’s wines and saw ones that I was hoping to try during my
visit. The Kiawah Sunset Red had me
craving for a trip to the coast and the description of the Bohicket
Dunes White, a chardonnay flavored with peach, had my mouth watering!
I also found
the street address (to GPS) on their website and double checked their hours by
calling. We made our way into the
charming town of Lenoir but the address online was incorrect (not good). So we walked into the Crow’s Nest Antique
Store that shared the address listed on the winery’s website. A couple inside told us they recently moved a
block over and were helpful enough to guide us in the right direction.
Everyone in
the quaint downtown was most kind. I
happened to stop into Abigail’s Gifts, off Main Street, to make sure we were
going in the correct direction. The
owner, Cynthia was precious. She stepped
out of her shop and pointed exactly where to go. She even gave me pointers on visiting the
local distillery and brewery, all located in the town center. So, if you’re looking for directions,
attraction advice, or a unique gift, while in downtown Lenoir, NC, stop in at
Abigail’s Gifts.
With the help
of Cynthia, we made it to 118 South West Main Street, the NEW location of CarolinaMist Winery, right beside a substance abuse counseling service (great
placement, I was laughing all the way into the shop). The outer appearance was nice, with the two
bright red Adirondack chairs and white trimmed hexagon shaped window, but the
inside was magnificent! The walls were a
sunny yellow and the décor was a mix of eclectic, trendy, and artistic. When you first walk in there is an adorable
seating area with couches and a seasonal window display. Walking into the actual wine bar area, they
had white lights lining the molding, stylish artwork on every wall, and a
groovy jazz melody playing. I was ready
to dance! And their wine gift section
had something for everyone.
Justin, the
barista, fit perfectly with the scheme and he met us as we approached the bar. He was a real sweet guy with plenty of
knowledge about wine and the history of Carolina Mist. He told us, like many of the wineries I’ve visited;
Edward & Carolyn Campbell started their venture by producing wine in their
home for personal consumption. In 2010,
their wine making business was taken to a new level with the opening of
Carolina Mist. He continued by telling
us that Edward makes all but 3 wines in the building off Main Street. The Holly Hill, Kiawah Sunset Red, and
Laissez Les Bon Temps Rouler are their driest reds and require aging in wooden barrels,
which they don’t have on site.
After hearing
a little about each of the wines we both decided to try a few of them. We did a sampling of 6 of their sweet wines
and 1 of their dry. The dry was the
Kiawah Sunset Red, a Cabernet Sauvignon.
It was earthy and bold without being grotesque. I could really see me sipping this while
watching a sunset on the porch of a Kiawah beach cottage this summer.
We continued
our samplings with 5 sweet reds and 2 sweet whites. All were scrumptious with their various
blends of fruits but my favorite was the Bohicket Dunes, white chardonnay. It was light, crisp, and had a slight
sweetness of peach, absolutely delicious!
Of course, I had to purchase a bottle to take home with us. But I would have liked to have bought them
all. It was a time consuming decision to
choose just one.
We left that
day very satisfied and eager to come back.
Justin told us that the decorations are ever changing so we will
definitely be back to see what they come up with for the holidays to come. And unlike some wineries that carry the same
selection continuously, Carolina Mist constantly
changes their selections based on the best ingredients available and to offer
the favorites that their patrons prefer.
That alone is a reason to become a frequent visitor.
Their wine pricing is very reasonable,
the Kiawah Sunset Red was the most expensive I saw at $13.75 per bottle. The winery is open Tuesday through Thursday
1-6pm, Friday & Saturday 1-8pm.
Tastings are offered at a nominal fee of $3 for 7 wines or try them all
for $6. Carolina Mist is pet-friendly so
feel free to bring Fido too! They offer
shipping by request and you can find them at a handful of local festivals
around the area.
Visit Carolina
Mist online at: www.carolinamistwinery.com
If have you
visited this or another winery here in NC and would like to share your story,
or offer suggestions for my next trip, please email it to natasha3911@aol.com.
