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| - During a trip up to the Charlotte area, stopped into Rocky River Vineyards. Enjoyed a Tasting, a Wine Slushy, and a bottle of Chambourcin in the gorgeous environment.
Quality
Since grapes are unable to grow in the South Florida climate, it requires trips to other states to visit wineries that don't just use an assortment of tropical fruits. And while North Carolina may not be the capital of wine production, they do have their own varieties of grapes and a few wineries where you can check them out. On a recent visit to the Charlotte area, we made a detour out to Rocky River Vineyards. We experienced a Tasting of ten wines and slushies including two made with Carlos Muscadine and Noble Muscadine grapes grown on site. And while I found the vast majority of wines a little sweet for my taste, it was still a fun experience. We also selected a bottle of our favorite their Chambourcin and enjoyed it on an outdoor patio. The full bodied red wine was solid, though a lighter wine may have been more appropriate for the warm day. We also decided to get a small glass of the Blackberry Pomegranate Wine Slushy, which was the popular choice among other guests of the winery. The slushy was the highlight of the visit for me.
Quantity
The Tasting was very fair and provided a good sampling of ten different wines. Depending on your mood they also have a Wine Slushy that will meet your expectations no matter what size you want, just beware of a brain freeze.
Value
Knowing that we were going to visit I did a little research and purchased a Groupon ahead of time, which came with two tastings, two glasses to bring home, and a bottle for just $17. At nearly half the normal price it is a great deal. However, the normal prices are not bad either in case you want to splurge on some extras.
Ambiance
Rocky River Vineyards is located east of Charlotte in an area called Midland. It is off the beaten path and caused great confusion for our Uber drivers. To enter you follow a stone path that takes you up a hill and through some trees. At the top you are met with a gorgeous site, rows and rows of grapes decorating rolling hills. A small house is located on the property and contains the store and bar where you conduct the tasting. It is air conditioned, providing some relief on a warm day. They have a little patio outside the house and then a large covered deck with open walls overlooking the grapes. We selected a table in this area to enjoy our wine before walking down to the grapes. This area is clearly set up for large events like weddings, with a bar, tables, and lots of seating. My only issue was the large number of bugs and flies on the humid day. I would advise bringing some bug spray if you plan to hang out for a longer period of time.
Crowd
There was a good crowd of people visiting the winery. Some mentioned that they were doing a tour of wineries in the area, others admitted they were in the mood for wine slushies, and a few appeared to be checking out the venue for a possible event. The one common bond however was everyone had a Groupon. It is a beautiful location and though I was not crazy about the wine, it is a great escape for a romantic afternoon.
Service
There were two ladies working at the bar during our visit. They provided a very informative tasting and were extremely knowledgable about the wine grown in the area. North Carolina is not usually an area I think of when talking about wines, so the detailed descriptions were very helpful.
Parking
During our visit we relied on car service companies, and that was a challenge at Rocky River Vineyards. There were not a lot of cars in the area, so the prices really mounted for this ride. If you are driving, things are much simpler as they have a private parking lot.
Extra
Rocky River Vineyards may not have wowed with its wines, but I did not really expect it to. It did however provide a wonderful tasting experience with some lovely staff in a beautiful setting. Absolutely worthy of a visit, just keep your wine snob attitudes behind.
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