The Norton Wine Traveler's Wine Journal
| Wineries Visited: 232Journal Entries:  233Photos Uploaded:  0 |  |
| About: Former military pilot and retired educator enjoying life with rhododendrons, magnolias, travels, and Norton wine explorations. Recommended reading of Norton wines is Todd Kliman's The Wild Vine. | ||
Favorite States
| State | Your Reviews | Wineries in State | Percent | Progress |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Wineries | 2 | 3 | 66% |  |
| Missouri Wineries | 48 | 106 | 45% |  |
| Arkansas Wineries | 6 | 17 | 35% |  |
| 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 | 63 | 17% |  |
| South Carolina Wineries | 3 | 21 | 14% |  |
| New Hampshire Wineries | 2 | 17 | 11% |  |
| Kansas Wineries | 2 | 28 | 7% |  |
| Massachusetts Wineries | 2 | 34 | 5% |  |
| New Mexico Wineries | 2 | 44 | 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
Wellborn Winery (added Jul 05, 2018)
Thistle Meadow Winery (added May 29, 2018)
Linville Falls Winery (added May 29, 2018)
Banner Elk Winery (added May 29, 2018)
View all winery visits...
Latest Wine Journal Entries
Wellborn Winery (written Jul 05, 2018)
Wine: 
Winery: 
Ambiance:
The winery's grand opening day for our visit. Crowded small, yet adequate 'downstairs' tasting room with covered seating available outside overlooking the woodland vineyard. Their estate grapes are supplemented by a larger vineyard up-the-road in Tigerville, SC. Most of the grape and fruit wines tend to be semi-dry or sweet to accommodate anticipated local tastes. To be admired is their venture into locally grown American hybrid grapes; as, Lenoir (Jacquez or Black Spanish), Chambourcin, Chardonel, Seyval Blanc, Traminette, Leon Millot, Marechal Foch plus Vitis rotundifolia 'Tara', 'Carlos' and 'Farrer'. A few of the small batch fruit blend offerings are infused with 'oak staves'. To be noted were two off-dry wines that caught us surprisingly intrigued with their first offerings, ~ Seyval Blanc/Traminette 'Woodsy White' without the typical astringent Traminette taste and a unique South Carolina Lenoir 'Deep Purple'. Go out of your way to find the Beninati's (Wellborn English translation) new attraction near Hwy 11's Cherokee Trail.
Three Sisters Vineyards (written Jul 02, 2018)
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Winery: 
Ambiance:
Norton Wine Review: Our personalized visit included a barrel tasting of a Norton to come in a year or so (a big thanks for the comparison). A sincere enthusiasm was shared with all customers who made the effort to find Three Sisters Vineyards' beautiful setting near Dahlonega, GA. With a bit of time in the bottle, this Norton will stand up to Virginia’s better Norton examples and will be an interesting contrast to some of the finer Missouri Norton wines. Of the three close by Norton wineries in Dahlonega, GA, ~ this is by far #1. I highly recommend putting this Norton down for at least four-to-five years. We opened a nine year old 3 Sisters' Norton recently, ~ stunning!
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.
View all wine journal entries...
