The tiny town of Monroe, NC is close to Charlotte and has three wineries. Somehow, we have overlooked this rural hamlet, but a cool and sunny Sunday in late November sounded like the perfect time to visit.
Winter when the vines are bare is not the most scenic time to visit wineries, but with all the grapes in bottles, the sippin’ is good.
The owner of Treehouse Vineyards, Phil Nordan, took time to give Karen a little history about the place. His family has grown grapes on this farm for 50 years, before deciding in 2004 to plant an actual vineyard and go pro. They grow the North Carolina native grapes called Muscadine. The wines from these grapes are sweet and pack the most healthy amount of colloidal of any grape variety. Muscadine wine is “Good for You!”
Phil was a huge treehouse fan and built many as a kid. His idea to build adult tree houses and rent them out was a huge success. He said the three namesake tree houses stay rented over 90% of the time.
Nearby Kefi Vineyards and Winery was formerly a turkey farm that closed when Tyson came to town. The place was rundown and nobody wanted to buy it until a Greek dreamer came along.
The owner, Vasiliki Collins is an anesthesiologist with Greek parents and a passion for wine making. She cleaned up the place, grafted Greek grape varieties on her vines and went about making some excellent vintages. She also is fun to talk to while she serves your taste samples.
Wine making and the Kefi name are natural partners. Kefi may well be the only vintner making Greek wines in the US. Almost all Greek wines are made at home or in shops in small batches for personal consumption and not sold commercially. Don’t fret, Vasiliki will stock you up, if you develop a taste for it.
We’ll have to go back to Monroe to visit that third winery we didn’t make on this adventure. The first two were so unique and fun, I’m sure it will be worth the trip. Happy Thanksgiving. Cheers!