Another Weekend Alone for the Pug

The People left me alone for almost the entire day this past Saturday. Buddy got to stay outside, but Woman said it was too hot for me, so I had to stay in the house. I bet Buddy was having a good time outside chasing squirrels and rolling in the grass. I was so bored! You would be surprised at how few squirrels I get to chase in the house. I have a squirrel toy, but it doesn't seem to want to play chase very often. Woman did arrange for Kari to come over and let me go potty around lunch time, but she didn't even stay and play with me, but tossed me right back into the house as soon as I was finished lifting my leg. She claimed she had a baby shower she needed to get to, but I don't know. She looked like she was lying.

While I was stuck indoors staring at an unchaseable toy squirrel for many hours, the People had a good old time gallivanting around Yadkin Valley. I'm not exactly sure what gallivanting is, but I imagine it looks a lot like skipping. I can't recall ever having gallivanted myself, but I do have a short memory. The People said it was really hot that day, so the one good thing is that while they were sweating their butts off, I was chilling at home with the a/c.

So what's Yadkin Valley you ask? Maybe this will clue you in.



Those are grapes. But, they're not the kind you pop into your mouth. They're the kind that turn into Chardonnay! It's wine on a vine people!

The People visited 5 wineries this past Saturday. They had tastings at 4 wineries and just lunch at the 5th. Yadkin Valley is about 2 hours from Asheville, and the wineries are all pretty close to each other. There isn't a lot of food in the area though, and if there is one thing the People want when they're out gallivanting on a hot day, it's good food. You would expect most of the wineries to have a cafe, but they don't. I think they're really missing out on some cash if you ask me.

The first stop was Buck Shoals. Woman said it was only 11am when they arrived and the place was just opening up. I guess not a lot of people chug wine at that time of day.



Woman really liked their apple and honey meads. These items aren't listed for sale on their website for some reason though. They did not get to try the Viognier, which disappointed Ian a bit.

Here is a shot of the vineyard at Buck Shoals. There was no special tour, but the People took a short stroll around the grounds on their own.



The People visited Laurel Gray next. The establishment is named after the son and daughter of the proprietors. Their daughter's middle name is Laurel and their son's middle name is Gray.



Laurel Gray had the most expensive wine, but it was Woman's favorite winery. They consider themselves a "boutique", and all their crops are tended manually and wines handcrafted. The wife part of the co-owners took the People for a little tour of the vineyard and shared some interesting facts about the land and the process of growing grapes and producing wine. Woman said it was fun, and she is envious of these people for getting to play in the dirt all day.

Here is a photo of some of the vines at Laurel Gray. These vines are about 7 years old.



Here is the patio area where you can have lunch. I guess you have to bring your own though, because there is no food for sale there!



Woman liked their Chardonnay and their dessert wine, which they call Nectar because it is so sweet.

The next stop was Raffaldini, which was the most high-scale winery on the list. These people really put a lot of effort into making the tasting room and scenery look like an authentic Italian winery.



Raffaldini had a small food selection, but it was very pricey and rather lacking in quality. They were trying to charge $10 for some cheddar cheese. It's sad that they don't offer good food or at least decently priced crappy food, because the patio area is gorgeous. The People would have liked to have lunched out on their patio, but they wanted some real food and kept rolling on to the next stop.



Here is a photo of the People on the patio in front of a lovely fountain.



A view of the vineyard with mountains in the background.



The People had lunch at Elkin Creek winery, but they did not stay for a wine tasting, because time was running short. These wineries are only open until 6pm and the People wanted to visit as many as possible!



Woman took this cool rooster photo at the winery. Chickens and roosters run loose here. If you have a chicken phobia, don't visit this winery.



The People said the food was really good. They both had paninis, but they can't remember exactly what was on them, and Woman feels like a fruitcake photographing food in restaurants, so there are no photos.

The last winery the People visited was Grassy Creek. There are no photos of this event though, because all the vines visible from the road were barren, and since there was a wedding reception setting up in front of the tasting room, there was no way to get a good photo of it.

The People are going back to Yadkin Valley on July 26th for the Herb Festival being held by 5 wineries. At the Herb Festival, each winery creates a dish seasoned with a particular herb and serves it with a glass of wine chosen to complement the dish. Each person receives a 4" potted herb from each winery. The cost is $20 per person. If anyone in the area wants to join the People, they would love to hang out - hint ... hint.



Speaking of People who live in North Carolina, like wine and just might like to attend Herb Festival, Woman received a package in the mail from Kristie. She was so excited to open it and find one of Kristie's sweet hand-made pixie sticks! Woman has planted the pixie stick with the mint, and it looks so cute. Gah. Did I just say that? I am getting old, and I think you nice people are rubbing off on me. I need to go watch some network tv to counteract all the niceness you people throw my way.



In other news, Jazzy is coming to stay with me again either today or tomorrow. This is pretty exciting. Here is a photo that shows what I think of all this excitement.



Buddy is still here too. I am hoping Jazzy and I can form an alliance against Buddy and give him a little what for. We might throw some how to in there just for fun.