The Single Life: Childress Vineyards

A tasting room! My eyes lit up at the very sound of a wine tasting. For the last few months I have been dying to go to a winery, bring a picnic basket filled with some great treats and rest. Not that superficial kind of rest, but truly rest. Attempt to become in tune with nature, clear my thoughts, and I guess really ponder my path. A winery; what a great way to start traveling this new path of awareness.

So, I visited a small town right outside of Davidson County, North Carolina a few weeks ago. This weekend was planned to be a girl’s weekend trip to visit a friend who had recently moved there from Philadelphia. Our weekend had been laid out for us. A winery, massage, food, fun, friends, food, sleep, laughter, food and all of those other great things that make a weekend visiting a friend worthwhile.

Thursday morning it had begun, we started driving at about 7 am and arrived in Lexington, NC about eight and a half hours later. We were greeted with hugs and love, fresh air and open landscapes. Our weekend was just beginning and we were prepared to lack sleep if necessary to enjoy our time together. The first stop on our weekend of fun (besides eating at this great paper plate, pulled pork with homemade slaw, fried fish, having spot) was to make a stop at the Childress Vineyards. My weekend dream of resting at a winery was being made manifest. Yes! I was winning. But, there was only one problem. My lack of sleep and change of routine had triggered this incredible migraine that I just could not get rid of. But, who comes all of the way to a winery to stay indoors. So, I braved the pain, jumped in the car and took a drive to one of Wine Enthusiasts magazine Top 25 Tasting Rooms in America.

I fell asleep in the car on the ride there, but once we arrived on the grounds my squinting eyes pierced by the sun open wide to the wonderful vineyards. Of, course at this time of year there are no grapes growing on the vines, yet the perfectly manicured acres were enough to take my breath away. After the car was parked, we had all gotten out to this beautiful stone building housed by large glass windows and multiple archways. Of course, as any young women would do, we had our very own photo shoot, mind you we did so with multiple cameras and poses. It was finally time to open up the large wooden doors that sat at the gateway into this wonderfully kept building. We were inside.

Greeted with smiles, we were directed to where we would first partake in our wine tasting. “Right this way ma’am,” we were guided by the most pleasant of southern accents. Our crystal glasses were lined across the bar and we were off. Our taste buds danced at the sip of the Signature Cabernet Sauvignon, Reserve Merlot 09, the Starbound, and the list can go on. Tasting wine, drinking water, eating crackers, our day had begun wonderfully and continued well into the early evening as we sat, talked and ate at the Childress Bistro. My meal was an amazing Shrimp and Grits combination which consisted of ‘sautéed jumbo shrimp, andouille sausage (had to hold the sausage for dietary purposes), caramelized onions, sweet peppers served over creamy polenta (or what we all call them, grits.) I matched this meal with a tasty side house salad and topped the meal off with a slice of beautifully whipped almond cheesecake. What a meal?!

Our day at the vineyards ended with a 20 minute tour of the grounds and a brief history on how wine is actually made. The day was better than imagined.  Although not my initial vision of my winery weekend, a day spent with friends and laughs (minus the whole day long migraine) was well worth the drive.

Fun Fact: When drinking wine out of a glass, be sure to pour it, swirl it in your cup, smell it and then sip. The swirling of the wine releases the aromas and makes the drinking experience more pleasurable.