Yadkin Valley Wine Festival - 2003
The Tribune News Articles
The Inaugural Yadkin Valley Wine Festival was held on Saturday, May 17, 2003 at the Elkin Municipal Park in Elkin, North Carolina. The Festival, sponsored by the Elkin/Jonesville Chamber of Commerce, was attended by 4,500 people. Ten wineries and vineyards participated in the second annual event. The following articles, published in the Elkin/Jonesville Tribune on Monday May 19, 2003, are reprinted with permission of the publisher.
"Festival Pours Out Second Year"
by Ben Silvester, Staff Reporter
The Tribune
Article ©2003 by The Tribune, reprinted with permission
Despite a steady drizzle all day, the second annual Yadkin
Valley Wine Festival was an overall success Saturday, according to festival
officials.
The event, which was sponsored by the Elkin Jonesville
Chamber of Commerce, drew close to last year's crowd of 4,500, said committee
chairman Rebel Good. "Given the weather, we were thrilled with the
turnout," Good said Sunday. "To have the same turnout as last
year with such conditions is a testament to the community's interest and the
interest in general of the festival."
Clad in a poncho and waterproof boots, festival patrons
enjoyed the products of eight Yadkin Valley wineries and vineyards, shopped at
various merchant booths and enjoyed the sounds of jazz and rhythm and blues from
11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Elkin Municipal Park.
The event is intended to showcase the wines and growers of
Surry, Yadkin, Wilkes, parts of Stokes, Forsyth, Davidson and Davie counties,
which form the Yadkin Valley appellation.
The appellation, which was approved last year, allows
vineyards in the region to bottle their wines under a label saying it was
produced in the Yadkin Valley. Elkin is at the geographic center of the
Yadkin Valley region.
Chrissy Branch, special events coordinator for the chamber,
was hoping for a turnout of about 7,000 people this year, but concurred with
Good's feelings concerning the weather and noted those in attendance had
positive comments about the wineries, vendors and overall outcome of the
festival. "We just want to thank the community, our committee and our
committee chair, Rebel Good, for all the hard work they've done," she said.
Frank Sells, president of Surry Community College, whose
enology and viticulture programs are a driving force behind the region's wine
development, was very pleased with the festival. "I think this adds
recognition to the fact this region can grow quality wine grapes and produce
quality wine," he said.
Being the geographic center of the Yadkin Valley appellation,
the Town of Elkin takes to heart the opportunity to host the festival.
"I think the exposure has been wonderful the second time around," said
Town Manager Eddie Smith. "We are able to showcase Elkin as being the
wine epicenter of the Yadkin Valley. We appreciate the opportunity to host
the festival and all of the surrounding wineries."
While patrons from as far away as Illinois, Maryland and
Georgia enjoyed tasting the large variety of locally produced wines, they were
able to shop vendors who had set up booths and listen to mellow jazz and rhythm
and blues.
One vendor, Cathy Folger with the Surry Gift Shoppe, said
sales were good throughout the festival. "I think a lot of people
came out despite the weather and I think a lot of people had a good time,"
she said.
As the day moved on and the entertainment changed from the
jazz of Cle Thompson to the rhythm and blues of Maurice Williams and The
Zodiacs, more and more festival goers dismissed the misty weather and danced
until the closing minutes of the event.
"I really like the music and the area and the activities
they have for kids," said 11 year old McCallie Jones of Charlotte.
Her brother, 10 year old Davis, also had his favorite part of
the festival. "I really liked the balloon lady," he said.
Davis and McCallie Jones' mother Cathy and her boyfriend Bob
French drove from Charlotte to Elkin to partake in the festival.
"We're both wine drinkers and we like wine," said French.
"We are surprised at how good the wine is here."
A grape stomping contest, Gary Maxey's appearance as Bacchus,
the Greek god of wine, face-painting and balloon animals were other attractions
at the festival.
New additions to this year's wine festival were Friday
night's wine auction and gala by the Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Foundation
and the Foothills Arts Council's Wine Down, which followed the festival
Saturday.
"We're hoping this will carry on every year," said
Tammy Coley of the Foothills Arts Council.
The Wine Down, offered food, drinks, a 50/50 raffle, dancing
and a quiet atmosphere for festival goers to cap off the evening.
Both events went well, according to officials, and are hoped
to take place again next year.
"They enhanced the entire experience and we look forward
to continuing the expand the festival with associated events," Good said.
While most wineries echoed their enjoyment and the valuable
exposure they gained from the festival, one which poured for the first time this
year found the variety of people interesting. "What surprises me is
where the people are from, Indiana, Virginia, Kentucky," said Frank Hobson,
owner of RagApple Lassie Vineyards in Boonville.
Ed Shelton, co-owner of Shelton Vineyards in Dobson, said it
was nice to see new people and those he had served at last year's event.
One concern of Shelton's was the fact dry counties in the appellation should
reconsider their alcohol stance to help make the industry more profitable.
"I think that some of the surrounding counties have got to be able to serve
wine in their restaurants," he said.
The owner of RayLen Vineyards in Mocksville, Joe Neely
thought the festival was well organized. "This greatly improves
awareness of all the wineries," Neely said.
It was not just the winery owners who enjoyed the event,
festival goers seemed to enjoy many aspects of the festival.
"This Elkin festival, it rocks," said Bonny Renner
of Charlotte, as she danced to the sounds of Maurice Williams and The Zodiacs.
"This is the most culture Elkin sees all year,"
said Andrea Speck of Elkin.
As someone who frequents wine festivals, Terry Powell of
Winston-Salem felt Yadkin Valley's [festival] compared favorably to the other
she has attended. "I came here because it has the Yadkin Valley
wines. I think it's neat that we have our own appellation," she said.
The wineries and many patrons said they will return for next
year's event which promises to be a larger attraction. "Next year the
festival we know will be bigger for two reasons," Good said.
"Number one, the publicity and the word of our event is spreading rapidly
and continues to draw from other areas. Secondly, next year we will have
13 pouring wineries and vineyards compared to eight this year."
"Visitors Came To Sample Fruits of
Yadkin Valley"
by Carrie Sidener, Staff Reporter
The Tribune
Article ©2003 by The Tribune, reprinted with permission
People traveled from far and wide to taste the best that
the Yadkin Valley Appellation has to offer.
The second annual Yadkin Valley Wine Festival attracted
visitors from across seven states - Virginia, Maryland, South Carolina, Georgia,
Indiana, Illinois and all across North Carolina.
Christina Heighton, of Baltimore, MD, said she was in North
Carolina for work and decided to stay throughout the weekend for the
Festival. "We thought it was interesting so we stayed," she
said. "This is great. I have never had a North Carolina wine
before ... Each one is different. I had no idea that there were this
many. You still think of North Carolina as tobacco and textiles."
Springfield, VA, resident Maxine March said she attended the
wine festival last year after coming to visit her brother. "We had so
much fun that we decided to come back," she said. "It is
wonderful. We are already looking forward to coming back next year.
Richmond, VA, resident Kathy Lowe said she came to the
festival because of her mother. "I asked my mom if she would rather
me come visit on Mother's Day or the Wine Festival," she said.
"my mother said the Wine Festival so here I am. This is really
great. I am seeing a lot of people that I haven't seen in a long time and
it is relaxing to be outside despite the weather."
Arthur and Mary Smith, also of Richmond, VA, said he heard
about the festival through his son and decided to travel down to Elkin to check
it out. "This is the second year we have been and we will be back
next year." Mary Smith said, "We are really enjoying it in spite
of the weather. The atmosphere is so pleasant."
Neil Dalmas, of Durham, came to Elkin with his wine club,
Grow Park Wine Group. He said the group was looking on the internet for a
wine festival to attend. "Our neighborhood group read about it and
decided to come visit," he said. "There was a very nice
turnout. It was worth the drive. I hope we can come again next
year." The wine club members were staying the night at a local hotel
before heading back to Durham.
Margie Stanley, of Fancy Gap, VA, said she heard about the
festival and decided to see what it was all about. "We have started
making our own wine and have just planted 32 vines in the ground," she
said. "This is kind of a hobby of ours ... It is great to see all the
different wineries."
Carol and Henry Puckett, of Lake Norman, said the trip up to
Elkin was definitely worth their drive. "We are having a great
time," Carol Puckett said. " had no idea that there were this
many wineries in North Carolina. This is really neat."
Henry Puckett said, "Our friends saw an advertisement in a brochure.
This was absolutely worth our drive."
N.C. Senator John Garwood, of Wilkesboro, made an appearance
at the wine festival. He felt it was important to support the burgeoning
industry. "I think this is a very classy affair that tends to draw
people locally as well as from out of state," he said. "I am
enjoying the festival. Had the weather been better, there wouldn't have
been walking room through here. This is a new industry that is giving some
life to the area and a prospect for the future."
Raleigh resident Jenny Gunther said she decided to come to
the festival after traveling to Boonville to visit family. "They had
given us a bottle of wine from the Yadkin Valley and it was really good,"
she said. "So I decided to come. It will really help the area
grow with tourism and development. I will [definitely] be back next
year."
Susan Harris, of Franklinton, said she was invited to the
wine festival by friends that live in the area. "It is nice to have
the local wines," she said. "It gives a flavor to Elkin."
Greensboro resident Linda McCracken said she and her husband
Gary have been planning to come to the festival for months. "We
usually try to go to a wine festival at least once a month," she
said. "We are having fun in spite of the weather. We have been
very much looking forward to this."
Casey Younts, of Climax, said, "We knew it was going to
rain and we came anyway."
"As The Wine Festival Ages,
Participation, Enjoyment Grows"
Viewpoints by Rebel Good, Editor
The Tribune
Article ©2003 by The Tribune, reprinted with permission
That Saturday's second annual Yadkin Valley Wine Festival
was able to draw about what the first one did despite a steady mist-to-drizzle
is another indication of the growing interest in this area's most exciting
economic opportunity.
In what could most charitably be described as barely marginal
weather conditions --- in addition to the damp the temperature never got above
58º --- the lines formed in front of the wine booths and vendors and remained
constant to the end.
As the event's chairman I have to own up that when the
precipitation started shortly after I got the the park at 7 a.m. my gut-level
expectation was that we might have 500 people show up. The final tally
easily exceeded 4,000.
And it wasn't by any means just locals. There were wine
lovers from across the state and half the country.
It was heartening to learn from some who had traveled so far
that the work about the Yadkin Valley and our festival had spread rapidly in the
past year, and that it was universally positive.
In a way, it's scary to think what kind of crowd we might
have had with a little cooperation from the weather. And with two solid
festivals under our belt we just might be at the tipping point --- or is that
the tippling point? --- when it comes to next year's.
The second festival had one more pouring vineyard then the
first. But next year we will probably grow from eight to at least 13.
That, coupled with the media buzz we're getting --- there
were reporters from several major newspapers at the festival --- means planning
for next year's festival must concentrate on managing a crowd of at least double
what we've had at the first two.
In addition to the vineyards, who reported that the crowd
"was in a buying mood," one vendor in particular had folks lined up
throughout the festival.
A cheese vendor out of New York, igourmet.com, had 11
interesting --- sometimes strange --- and delicious offerings. They were
charging $2 to sample them, and people were waiting a quarter hour and more for
the chance.
My wife Evie came away with same Extra Aged Farmer Gouda and
some Stilton with Mango and Ginger, two cheeses that I don't think you'll find
at Food Lion.
A Rebelation: The addition of the gala fund raiser
Friday evening for the Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Wine
Down party by the Foothills Arts Council Saturday enhanced the festival.
Both were well-attended and proved to be significant moneymakers for their
sponsors.
In the future these and other associated events will help
turn the festival into a multi-day event that will boost its drawing power,
making Elkin an attractive destination for tourists looking to visit the Yadkin
Valley wine country.
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