Take an Adventure in Vino
food, iredell county, legends of lake norman, malbec and rkatsiteli, mooresville, shoppes at the french quarter, vineyards in troutman,, winery,
It hasn’t replaced sweet tea – yet.
But an explosion of specialty shops and tasting events signals that fine wine has become the drink of choice for many in the Mooresville region.
“I have more than 80 wines on my menu, and most are offered by the glass,” says Donna Gibson, owner of the Legends of Lake Norman wine bar, which also offers pastries, a full lunch and an evening tapas menu. “People often will come in after work, order two or three tapas dishes and a bottle of wine to share.”
With live music on the weekends and a welcoming atmosphere, Legends has evolved into a casual home-away-from-home for many of her customers, says Gibson, who opened her business in 2007 near Interstate 77 at Exit 33. “I felt we needed a place in Mooresville where people could come – whether it was ladies’ night out or a husband and wife or just a group of friends – to talk and relax.”
Few things go better with wine than cheese, which inspired Maureen Roth to pair the two offerings at her store, Say Cheese! at the Grapevine.
“I sell cheese from all over the world,” Roth says. “It’s fresh cut off the wheel, so you can taste before you buy.”
Roth, a former pilot, sought help from family members as she prepared to enter her new profession.
“I’m third generation – I have aunts and a grandmother who had cheese shops, so growing up we always had great cheese platters,” Roth says.
Ready to go out on her own, Roth bought an existing wine store in the Shoppes at the French Quarter and added cheeses to the offerings. She now features regular wine and cheese tastings at her store.
“I help people with their pairings, so they get to see how English Stilton goes so great with port wine,” Roth says.
At Davesté Vineyards in Troutman, visitors can enjoy a taste of some locally made wines in an artfully rustic setting. The winery produced its first wines in 2006 and opened the tasting room in 2008.
“Currently we have eight varieties,” says Stevie Frye, tasting room and marketing manager.
The European-style wines include traditional favorites such as Merlot and Chardonnay, as well as some varieties less commonly seen in North Carolina, including Malbec and Rkatsiteli.
“We are the first winery in Iredell County and the Lake Norman area,” Frye says. “We feel with Charlotte being close by and Interstate 77 being a corridor from the south to the Yadkin Valley [wine region], we are in a prime location for people to stop by.”
The 1,500-square-foot tasting room, designed by owners Dave and Ester DeFehr, doubles as an art gallery with works by Ester DeFehr and other artists from the area.
Wine lovers in downtown Mooresville can find a myriad of choices in one location – 202 North Main Street Fine Wines.
“We’re in a circa-1900 hardware store that has been completely reconditioned,” says shop owner Graddie Lane. “We have unique, hard to find, small-production boutique and family winery products – in excess of 1,000 bottles.”
The shop transforms itself into a wine bar each Thursday, Friday and Saturday evening, specializing in flights of wines that help customers discern the nuances of flavors.
“I like to do similar but different wines,” Lane says. “For example, one flight may include a Pinot Grigio, an un-oaked Chardonnay from Australia and a California-oaked Chardonnay.”
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Story by Renee Elder
