Above, Neil (on tractor) along with Sergio and his
crew, are hard at work setting posts and trellises
The Vineyard and
the Winery
In the Beginning...
Above, Neil (on tractor)
along with Sergio and his
crew, are hard at work setting posts and trellises
In 2000, along with
several
other pioneer spirited farmers in the Yadkin Valley Wine Appellation, Neil
Shore, owner and fifth generation farmer - transitioned 10 acres into grapes.
He planted 7 grape varieties - Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot,
Chardonnay, Viognier, Muscat Canelli, Chambersin, and Syrah, and this
spring (2006) he added five additional acres in muscadines.
At left is a view of the progress from the top of the ridge
Neil named the vineyard Sanders Ridge, after Sanders Shore, his
great grandfather (and son of John Benjamin), and in 2002 he
harvested his first crop of grapes. Our past harvests have
been sold to several newly established Yadkin Valley wineries,
however, in 2007, we plan to hold on to our harvests for our
first vintage to be bottled under the Sanders Ridge label - and
sold at the
Sanders Ridge Winery (Spring of 2008)
Son Joseph next to one of the white pines
selected for harvest
Work on the winery began last year, when Neil selectively
harvested timber from the farm, and dug out a six acre lake!
With the help of his sons and a portable saw mill, Neil
cut and stored all of the post and beam material needed for the
timber frame construction.
Portable
saw mill and operator VERY hard at work...
Neil with a couple of freshly milled beams
The Winery! (well, sort of...)
For now, you'll need to use your imagination to visualize
the post and beam winery, atrium and porch. As soon as
we can pull it out of Neil's head and onto paper - we'll
share it with you!
With the material
snuggly stored, it should be cured and ready for construction
in about a year
(well sort of... It took us about 3 years
to actually build!)
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