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By Kelly Melang

Nestled just outside of Winston-Salem is the Yadkin Valley, North Carolina’s Wine Country.  John Byrd of Yadkin Valley Wine Tours is amazed at the quality of wine North Carolina produces. This prompted him to start Yadkin Valley Wine Tours over 6 years ago.

“I went and toured the Napa Valley on vacation and really enjoyed visiting the wineries and tasting wines.  When I came back to North Carolina, I was in a wine shop talking with a friend about how we have the same thing RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD!  It was this conversation that started Yadkin Valley Wine Tours.”

Yadkin Valley Wine Tours makes it easy and fun to get to know the little gems we have sitting outside our back door.  By limo, by bus, or even by covered wagon, tourists get to visit four different wineries.  Activities include wine tastings, tours of the wineries and some of the vineyards, education on how grapes are grown, and information on everything that goes into that perfect glass of red or white.

“We start at 10:00 am with a mini ‘Wine Tasting 101’ helping our guests get acquainted with tasting a glass of wine.  I teach them the basics of seeing and swirling the wine.  As to whether they spit or swallow?  We leave that up to the tasters! After the introduction, they’re ready to go visit our wineries.  The tour includes lunch and, with us driving, our guests can enjoy that glass of wine and not worry; they can sit with their friends in our buses or covered wagon and enjoy great conversation while we take care of the rest.”

Covered wagon?  “Yes, we started that last year.  It’s basically a big hayride through the vineyards – what a great way to celebrate spring!  Sit with the sun warming your face while you enjoy a glass of wine, feeling like a kid again on a hay ride.  We’ve run several of these hayrides and our guests love them.  We’ve toured the wine country by horseback, by balloon. We’ll try anything once!” says Byrd with a smile.

What does a customer bring to a Yadkin Valley Wine Tour?  “An open mind, that’s it.  We’ve had people that previously formulated an opinion on North Carolina wine and are pleasantly surprised after our tours.  We’ve had people that swear they’ll only drink red, or only drink white.  We always tell them to try everything; you’ll never know what you like until you try it.  One gentleman on our tour didn’t want to try anything different until his wife made him try a Shadow Springs Dark Shadow – Red  Wine with a hint of dark chocolate.  He loved it!  Most people on our tours come back with 1-2 bottles of wine, and with over 1,400 people visiting Yadkin Valley over the season, that’s a great boost to the local economy.  When we started, there were 16 wineries in the valley, this year there are 30,” finishes Byrd.

Why not explore the wine country of our own backyard?  Take a taste of a light, crisp white or a dark, fruity red or even a red with a hint of dark chocolate?  Take a day with your friends by bus, by limo, or by hayride and see what great wines North Carolina has to offer! Call Yadkin Valley Wine Tours at 336-428-2204 or visit their website at www.yadkinvalleywinetours.com.