Raffaldini Vineyards and Winery

What a beautiful last day of September we're having!  I've just come in from walking Himself, Mr. Duncan, and he was feeling his oats.  :)  The sky is so blue and the sunlight is clear and warm...and thank goodness for retractable leashes.  ;)  Duncan was able to dash all about, and I could walk at a (mostly) sensible pace without having to run to keep up with him.

Back on the very first day of this month, we visited a local winery called Raffaldini.  It was a gorgeous day, just like today, and we had a great time walking around snapping pictures and enjoying the amazing views there.  It was crowded that day, so obviously, a lot of other people had the same idea we did.  :)

Hal and I first visited this winery back in 2003 or 2004, and I thought it was pretty then.  I was even more impressed on this visit.  The building and surrounding gardens and walkways are beautiful, and the views are spectacular.

One of my favorite things about this visit was that the grapes were fully ripe and still on the vines.  Was that perfect timing or what?  We've visited many of our local wineries over the years, and usually in the fall, but we've always arrived too late to see the grapes on the vine.

Here's a view of the winery and tasting room from the side.

The Knockout Roses were all blooming that day.

The Raffaldini family's origins trace back to the 14th century in Mantua, in northern Italy.  The descendants of those early Raffaldinis planted their vineyards and built a winery in the Swan Creek area of the Yadkin Valley in North Carolina.

Isn't this a charming building; it has a real, Old World feel about it.

Hal and I didn't do a wine tasting; we just strolled around the grounds and went inside for awhile to cool off.  I enjoy a nice glass of wine now and then, but my favorite thing about visiting our local vineyards is the architecture of the buildings, the landscaping, and the mountain views.

The Yadkin Valley viticultural area was born out of a need to find a new crop.  Tobacco has been in decline here for many years now, and farmers needed to find a more profitable way to utilize their land. The mixture of clay and loam soils provide excellent drainage, and the area has long, warm growing seasons and mild winters.  A perfect combination for growing grapes for wine.  The Yadkin Valley now has its own wine appellation, as does the Swan Creek area, where Raffaldini is located.

Do you have local vineyards in your area?  This is not something I grew up with here.  The wine industry has really just taken off in the last 20 years or so, and North Carolina is currently home to over one hundred wineries -- some small and some not so small.

I hope you're having a beautiful day where you are today.  Thanks so much for visiting, and I hope you'll stop back by on Thursday for an Italian-themed tablescape and a giveaway.  Until then, have a great week!

I'm linking this post to next week's Mosaic Monday party, hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.

Denise