The Norton Wine Travelers's Wine Journal
| Wineries Visited: 227Journal Entries:  232Photos Uploaded:  0 |  |
| About: Former military pilot and retired educator enjoying life with rhododendrons, magnolias, travels, and Norton wine explorations. We suggest expanding your knowledge of Norton wines by reading The Wild Vine by Todd Kliman. | ||
Favorite States
| State | Your Reviews | Wineries in State | Percent | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Wineries | 2 | 3 | 66% |  |
| Missouri Wineries | 48 | 106 | 45% |  |
| Arkansas Wineries | 6 | 15 | 40% |  |
| Georgia Wineries | 14 | 44 | 31% |  |
| Alabama Wineries | 4 | 16 | 25% |  |
| West Virginia Wineries | 2 | 8 | 25% | |
| North Carolina Wineries | 19 | 90 | 21% |  |
| Tennessee Wineries | 10 | 48 | 20% |  |
| Virginia Wineries | 49 | 242 | 20% | |
| Rhode Island Wineries | 1 | 5 | 20% | |
| Kentucky Wineries | 11 | 62 | 17% |  |
| South Carolina Wineries | 2 | 17 | 11% |  |
| New Hampshire Wineries | 2 | 17 | 11% | |
| Kansas Wineries | 2 | 28 | 7% |  |
| Massachusetts Wineries | 2 | 34 | 5% |  |
| New Mexico Wineries | 2 | 45 | 4% |  |
| Maryland Wineries | 2 | 46 | 4% | |
| Texas Wineries | 4 | 132 | 3% |  |
| Idaho Wineries | 1 | 35 | 2% |  |
| Pennsylvania Wineries | 4 | 142 | 2% | |
| Oklahoma Wineries | 1 | 37 | 2% | |
| New Jersey Wineries | 1 | 46 | 2% | |
| Iowa Wineries | 1 | 67 | 1% |  |
| Illinois Wineries | 1 | 83 | 1% | |
| California Wineries | 15 | 1637 | 1% | |
| New York Wineries | 1 | 250 | 1% | |
Latest Winery Visits
Noboleis Vineyards (added Feb 01, 2018)
Nehalem Bay Wine Company (added Jan 26, 2018)
Crown Valley Winery (added Jan 07, 2018)
12 Spies Vineyards (added Jan 07, 2018)
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Latest Wine Journal Entries
Calaboose Cellars (written May 27, 2018)
Wine: 
Winery: Ambiance:
In the tiny mountain town of Andrews, NC you’ll find a tiny little street with an even tinier little winery with an itsy-bitsy beer & wine tasting room, ~ Calaboose Cellars. They must be known for their brews & vines because strangely there is ample parking. The ‘menu’ lists a full page of beers (Andrews Brewing Company), a half page of three sweet wines (which includes a $40 Sparkling Niagara) and a half page of three estate dry wines: Norton ($20), a knock-your-socks-off dry, yet tropical scented Seyval ($18) and an easy to drink Chambourcin ($18). The bad news was that the Norton was sold out. We got to taste the Chambourcin, but this will not be bottled and available for a few more days. We left with the delightful Seyval. To be honest, we would not return to most North Carolina wineries, but in this case, we’ll have to make arrangements for the three+ hour drive necessary to enjoy this setting again in the very near future.
Linville Falls Winery (written May 27, 2018)
Wine: 
Winery: Ambiance:
A sincere effort is being made to introduce serious wines in the harsh 3,200' climates of western North Carolina’s mountains. The vineyards were planted in 2001 along steep hillsides and a visitor’s tasting room was opened in 2013. Interestingly, Marquette, Noiret, Marechal Foch, Petit Verdot, Seyval Blanc and Riesling grapes have
adapted to this unique setting. It will be interesting to follow the development of this winery in the years to come.
Banner Elk Winery (written May 27, 2018)
Wine: Winery: Ambiance:
Here’s the scoop, ~ you can’t find this place by GPS, forget maps (the locals steal the road signs) and the marked signs are regulated by a strange concept of North Carolina DOT laws (all distances are to the winery, not to the turn off roads which of course can’t be followed because the signs were stolen years ago). On a positive note, ~ serious wines are being produced at 4200’ in a very harsh setting. Though grapes are also used from other NC sources for their Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec blends, Banner Elk Winery produces quite successfully estate Seyval Blanc ($25) and Marechal Foch ($29) wines. A unique clean, minerally taste in the Seyval Blanc and a very smooth ‘quiet’ Marechal Foch expression found usually in only our most northern states or as far north as Canada. Throw in some extra time to find this location and enjoy the setting of this sincere effort to produce serious wines in an area dotted with Southern ski slopes. Kudos are in order for their generous 15% military discount. Thank you.
Thistle Meadow Winery (written May 27, 2018)
Wine: Winery: Ambiance:
24 dry wines, 16 sweet wines, 2 dessert wines and 2 cooking wines (Devil’s Potion jalapenos, Dracula’s Demise garlic). As it turns out, not a single vine can be found at this location and ALL of their grapes/juices are ‘imported from wherever’ (the vintner’s words). When I asked where the Viognier originated from, he did not have a clue. Are you starting to suspect this winery? Admittedly, it was a curiosity that they produced wine examples from such grapes as Pinot Blanc, Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Viogneir, Gewurztraminer, Johannesberg Riesling, Gamay grapes, Pinot Noir, Sicily’s Nero D’Avola, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo, a Chateauneuf-du-Pape blend of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre & Cinsault (with a touch of oak and elderberries), Montepulciano, Argentinian Malbec, old vine Zinfandel, an Italian Stud which they say gets confused with liquid Viagra, a Cab Sauv, Carmenere and the unique taste of an Italian Amarone. I’m not going to go through the list of sweet grapes used on page two of their menu. So why go here? 1) ~ they are semi-close to the Blue Ridge Parkway 2) ~ you need wine making supplies. 3) ~ curiosity got the best of you. In spite of an amazing diverse offering, we were not able to find wines here with typical expected character. Their cutely named labels do not indicate what wines are in the bottle (better mark before leaving the winery).
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