A BIG thanks to Amy for this wonderful review of her visit to Chatham Hill. It is our sincere hope that each of our customers have an equally positive and enjoyable experience when they visit our winery!
I had the privilege of watching one of my best friends get married this weekend up in Raleigh, North Carolina. I met her in high school and she has made a huge impact on my life, so it was no chore to take off of work, drive three hours, and watch her marry the man of her dreams. It was a lovely wedding in itself, but I also had a bonus adventure on the way home.
As I was driving home to Charlotte on I40, I drove by my favorite sort of street sign:
As a personal rule, whenever I’m driving on the highway and I see one of these grape signs, and I have more than $10 in my pocket, I drop what I’m doing and take the detour. The first time I got adventurous and followed one, I discovered that these grape signs are telling you that there is a vineyard or a winery nearby—and you don’t need directions to get there. If you take the suggested exit, there will be grape signs at every turn telling you exactly how to get to the winery you’re looking for. Wine tastings are usually between $5-$10 (at least the ones I’ve experienced so far in North Carolina), they are an exciting way to expand your palate, they only take about 15-30 minutes, and usually you get to keep your tasting glass as a souvenir. Unless you are pressed for time, why WOULDN’T you stop for some wine? (For those of you concerned about drinking & driving, there are always spittoons present at a wine tasting and it is perfectly acceptable to spit—you don’t have to drink it to taste it!) Seriously, next time you’ve got a long drive ahead of you, keep your eyes peeled for a grape sign—they’re more common than you’d expect, and they certainly take the monotony out of the drive.
Anyway, so I found one, and I followed it.
I had a hard time actually locating the winery at first, because a grape sign was telling me to turn into some sort of business park. I thought, “That can’t be right,” and kept on driving, and there were no more grape signs to be seen. I turned around, thinking that coming from the other direction the signs would be more clear, but nope— the grape sign was still telling me to turn into a business park. I thought again, “This can’t be right,” but I turned in anyway, and much to my surprise, the winery really was in the business park. From the outside it might have looked like any other office building, except for the fact that it had bistro tables outside where some ladies were chatting, and a vibrant little sign on the sidewalk announcing Wine Club Pick-up & upcoming events.
Inside, the urban winery has made excellent use of their space. There are more tables inside where friends and family can sit and order some cheese and a glass of wine, and there is also wi-fi available. Clearly, Chatham Hill Winery has put a lot of energy into creating a great atmosphere, and they want you to hang out and enjoy it. The main room led straight into their beautiful barrel room, which visually warmed up the space and made me forget for a second that I was in a business park. The tasting counter is in the forefront of the main room, and I was greeted immediately. As I realized I was still in my bridesmaid’s dress, I explained that I was on my way back to Charlotte from a wedding & was interested in a tasting and a tour.
She led me to the back room of the winery where the tour had just started, and I got to see their huge stainless steel vats, barrels, filters, and bottling equipment. I learned all sorts of things— for instance, it only takes about two and a half days for grapes to arrive by truck to North Carolina from California (I thought that was impressive), and the reason why Pinot Noir grapes don’t grow so well in North Carolina is because our growing season is shorter than that of more ideal locations like the West Coast, and Pinot Noir grapes need that extra time to develop. Our guide, Nancy, was eager to answer our questions, and after the tour was over, she led us back to the counter in the main room for a tasting.
The tasting was $10, and I could get $2 off of the tasting if I bought a bottle of wine. I always buy at least one bottle (a gratitude bottle) from every winery I visit, so this wasn’t a necessary incentive, but I appreciated it. :)
Nancy poured us nine wines: Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cab Franc, Cab Sauv, Syrah, rosé, peach wine, and Rubio—a semi-sweet blend of Carignan & Ruby Cab. I won’t bore you with a million tasting notes, but these are the most memorable bits:
- Their Pinot Grigio was like biting into a pineapple.
- Their Chardonnay sat in second-year French oak for 8 months. I was overwhelmed with a LOT of vanilla on the nose, so I expected to taste a whole lot of oak, but the oak was actually under control and complimented rather than overpowered the fruit.
- Their rosé was interesting because it was a little stinky— I got mildew on the nose, and melon on the finish. I don’t even know how that happened.
- I had never had a Cabernet Franc before, but theirs was really full. It had a full bouquet, it was hearty and earthy with black fruit flavors, and it had probably the longest finish out of all of their wines.
I ended up buying a bottle of their award-winning Cab Franc for my mom, because she prefers dryer, earthier flavors rather than super-sweet fruit flavors, and I wasn’t sure she’d had a Cab Franc before. I also wanted to do something nice for my mom because she is awesome, and she sacrifices so much for me that I could never even begin to repay. If you haven’t done anything nice out of gratitude for your mom lately, why not? She brought you life.
After paying for my wine & the tasting, I stuck around for a little bit and chatted with Nancy. She has had a lot of experience in wine— she started out working for a winery in California, and she has had nine years of experience at Chatham Hill Winery. I told her I was only 22 and had a lot to learn about wine, and she was so excited to answer my questions and help me learn. I loved picking her brain, and before I left she shook my hand, learned my name, and invited me back again. As I left, one of the other ladies who worked there held the door for me on my way out.
Needless to say, my adventure at Chatham Hill Winery was the best part of the drive home. Despite the fact that they were a little confusing to find, they knocked it out of the park with excellent customer service and an inviting atmosphere. Their prices were great, their wines were tasty, and I will definitely return again next time I’m in the Raleigh/Chapel Hill area!
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