So I’m wholeheartedly a Pacific Northwest girl.
Football (when I watch and there’s no lockout) – Seattle Seahawks.
Baseball – Seattle Mariners.
Basketball (when I watch and there’s no lockout) – Portland Trailblazers.
Shopping choices – the more local the business, the better!!
Ninety-five percent of the time I’m like this with my wine, as well. With good reason. I mean, I live nearly smack dab on the border of the states ranked #3 and #4 in wine production.
…but you can’t just live on the “Big 4” wines alone, in my mind. Every once in a while, you have to hit one of the Other 46!! So when I had the means to splurge and purchase some wines from North Carolina, I did.
Now, I didn’t just pick a vineyard out of the phone book…err…Google search (does anyone look stuff up in the phone book anymore???). Oh no. Remember back in one of my “Napa Trip” posts where I said I’m a fan of things that have four wheels, engines and go like hell, so I had to go to Mario Andretti’s Winery? Well, it just happens to be that the owner of my favorite NASCAR drivers car has a little “side” project, aside from the day-to-day operations of his championship-caliber race team.
This “side” project? A winery.
In 2003, Richard Childress decided to capitalize on the budding wine industry in North Carolina and open his own winery. Why North Carolina? In a press release in 2003, Richard said, “Before prohibition, North Carolina was one of the top grape-growing states in the nation.” At the time, North Carolina was #12 in the US for wine production.
In 2003, the construction began on Childress Vineyards 25,000 sq. ft. facility in Lexington, NC. 14 months later, the facility opened to the public and the first wines were released. Now, Childress Vineyards has a full portfolio of wines, ranging from traditional varietals (Riesling, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, etc.) to regional specialties.
The Muscadine is one of those regional specialties.
So, what about the wine, you ask?
Sweet, sweet, sweet. Like a cherry or berry topping over cheesecake sweet. From the start to the end, this wine is sweet. It does give you a hint of a citrus zest tang just before you swallow, which makes it go down very nicely. Another description is that it’s like liquid candy.
The sweetness is not a bad thing. Nope. Not at all. In fact, of all the sweet wines I’ve had, I LOVED this one. It was sweet, but it didn’t take your taste buds and attack them with a lingering, syrupy sweetness.
And honestly, this isn’t a typical summer bbq Rosé. Oh no. This is the “kids are in bed, dog has shut up, I’m gonna go out on the back porch and savor the summer evening” kind of Rosé. I seriously made a glass of this last for an hour because I was savoring it so much. And as it warmed up, it became that much more delectable!!
The blueberry is loverly as well, if you get a chance to try it. I drink the Muscadine regularly. My grandparents are NC/SC natives.. I grew up watching them make muscadine wine. I’m sure the memories enhance every sip, but I do so love it.