Westbend Vineyards in the News:
• 2-6-2010
North Carolina Winegrowers Accociation Award
North Carolina Winegrowers Association presented Westbend Vineyard's owner Lillian Kroustalis the Member of Distinction Award On Saturday evening at the annual meeting held in greensboro. The award was given to her in recognition of her leadership and dedication to North Carolina's grape growing and wine industry.
• 11-11-2009
Meet the Winemaker: Mark Terry
Daniel Hoey of All About the Grape interviews winemaker Mark Terry of Westbend Vineyards regarding his use of Oak Barrels in the Sur Lie aging technique with Chardonnay during a barrel tasting
Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiuCGT5bm-Y
Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRkno8H91cs
Part 3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5-jgSsjQ-lI
On a return trip to the Yadkin Valley wine region in North Carolina I spent a delightful afternoon at Westbend Vineyards with owner Lillian Kroustalis and winemaker Mark Terry.
Prior to coming to Westbend, Mark had been in the wine industry in Long Island for 19 years. During the last few years of his tenure at one of the pioneers of the Long Island wine region, Mark developed a side career selling oak wine barrels.
“Anytime a winemaker says they’ve learned everything, you know they don’t know anything,” said Mark. “I had been a winemaker for a long time, but when I deepened my knowledge about barrels it enhanced my ability to create different flavor profiles.”
We had a Chardonnay barrel tasting, and Mark explained that he was aging the Chardonnay “sur lie”, which is a French term meaning “on the lees.”
The primary reasons for sur lie ageing are usually based on stylistic goals: to enhance the structure and mouthfeel of a wine, give it extra body, and to increase the complexity of the nose. Stirring the lees is called batonnage. Mark explained that different winemakers stir the lees more or less often depending
on their philosophy; he prefers stirring only monthly because, as he said “I like to let the wine sleep – I don’t like to touch it any more than I have to.” All About the Grape
• 9-11-2009
Mid-Atlantic Southeastern Wine Competition Winners Announced
Winston-Salem, N.C. - The Dixie Classic Fair, the second largest agricultural Fair in North Carolina and owned and operated by the City of Winston-Salem, N.C., has announced the 2009 Mid-Atlantic Southeastern Wine Competition winners. In the commercial competition, Gray Ghost Vineyard received top billing as Best in Show and Best Dessert Wine for its Adieu Late Harvest Vidal 2008. Best White Wine went to White Hall Vineyards for its Gewurztraminer 2008 and Best Red Wine was awarded to Westbend Vineyards' Vintner's Signature 2006. In the amateur competition, Best Amateur Wine went to Tom and Erin Christensen for their Shy Hare Syrah 2007.
"We had an exceptional group of commercial and amateur wineries turn out for the competition this year," said Jim Collins, Dixie Classic Fair Wine Superintendent. "Many new and unique blends were awarded for creativity and timeless distinction."
In the six-state, mid-Atlantic southeastern region, 47 commercial and 21 amateur wineries selected their best contenders to be judged during the competition which was held Aug. 21-22. From those wineries, a variety of 482 wines were entered - the largest number of wine entries in the history of the competition.
During each night at the 2009 Dixie Classic Fair, various wineries will feature their savory blends for wine tastings - including participants of the 2009 wine competition. For a list of all of winners, please visit the Dixie Classic Fair website.
The Fair currently has advance sale tickets available at the Joel Coliseum Box Office as well as more than 70 locations throughout the Winston-Salem area. Advance sale tickets will be sold until Oct. 1, 2009. For a complete list of purchasing locations, visit DCFair.com.
About Dixie Classic Fair
Celebrating its 127th year, the Dixie Classic Fair is the second largest agricultural Fair in North Carolina, with attendances averaging 325,000 visitors each year. Owned and operated by the City of Winston-Salem, after being donated to the City by the Winston-Salem Foundation in December 1969, the 10-day annual Fair features a world-class carnival with numerous rides and games, nationally known musical entertainment, delicious food and beverage, and exhibits for livestock, poultry, fine arts and crafts among many more. This year, the Dixie Classic Fair is from Oct. 2 - Oct. 11. For more information on the Dixie Classic Fair, please visit www.DCFair.com.
• 7-24-2009
Uncorked: North Carolina Wine of the Month
Wine: Westbend Vineyards 2008 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay.
Cost: $23.
Review: Westbend Vineyards continues to show how well chardonnay can do in North Carolina with its 2008 vintage of barrel-fermented chard. This is an oaky chard, but what's noteworthy is the quality of the oak. Not all oak barrels are alike, and winemaker Mark Terry's particular choice of French barrels plays a big role. This dry white starts with a toasty, almost nutty nose with hints of vanilla. The taste offers a bit of apple, but it is well integrated with the oaky, butterscotch flavors. This is a mouth-filling wine that's smooth and rich right through the finish. It is available at the winery.
By Michael Hastings | Winston Salem Journal Food Editor
http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/jul/24/232005/uncorked/
• 6-21-2009
Westbend Vineyards Barrel Fermented Chardonnay Wins DOUBLE GOLD MEDAL at the International Eastern Wine Competition!
The flavor profiles found in this great wine are due in part to the unique French oak barrels used to ferment and age it. These artisan barrels are available to only one other winery in the country.
"We are very proud of this award, not only for Westbend but because it shows that North Carolina can produce high quality, nationally recognized wines."
Mark Terry, Winemaker
• 5-1-2009
In 1972, Westbend Vineyards Founder Jack Kroustalis made history by planting the Yadkin Valley's first vinifera grapevines. Jack, who had suspected that the region's loamy red clay soil would grow excellent European grape varieties, was delighted with the results and Westbend became a bonded winery in 1988. Today, the 100-acre Westbend estate devotes 60 of its fertile acres to growing the grapes that become its award-winning wines. "We are proud of our past," says Owner Lillian Kroustalis, "but we like to focus on today and the future. We're dedicated to producing some of the finest hand-harvested, handcrafted, ultra-premium boutique wines in America." Westbend is grateful to have the leadership of Winemaker/General Manager Mark Terry. His career began at Hargrave Vineyards, the pioneer winery on the North Fork of Long Island. Working with Mark is California native Randy Ramey as vineyard manager. Between the two of them they bring over 60 years of experience in the wine industry to Westbend and the Yadkin Valley. Westbend currently grows Chardonnay from Burgundian clones along with Riesling, Viognier, Vidal, Seyval, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Chambourcin, and is adding more acreage of Petite Verdot, Sauvignon Blanc, Orange Muscat, and Muscat Cannelli. With perfect grapes as the goal, they make it a practice to routinely thin the crop load each season increasing the quality and ripening factors of the grapes. "Our wines have never been better," Lillian smiles. "And we're delighted with the attention they're getting nationally." Lillian says they owe part of their national exposure to the Yadkin Valley Wine Store, located in North Carolina's Charlotte Douglas International Airport. Wine writers from the Wall Street Journal anonymously visited and wrote an article about Viognier from Westbend. Another such traveler was the wife of Joel Stein, a Time magazine reporter who recently conducted a tasting of one wine from each of the 50 states. She reported her discovery of Westbend Barrel Fermented Chardonnay back to her husband, who included the varietal as one of 12 he found to be excellent in the entire country. Westbend has won numerous gold and silver medals at prestigious competitions and received glowing praise from the press including Wine Spectator. Located just 15 minutes from Winston-Salem, Westbend Vineyards attracts visitors from all around the world. At the vineyard's entrance, visitors are greeted by acres of mature manicured rows of vines. The tasting room and hospitality center are surrounded by a lovely pavilion and patio, often used for winery events and private receptions. Guests are encouraged to sit, enjoy the wines, and sample a selection of cheeses. Across the street sits a historic farmhouse, which has been lovingly restored and is available for receptions, weddings, and corporate events. "The Yadkin Valley is a beautiful place to visit," Lillian says. "And Westbend is like a jewel you discover here." Considering the amount of attention the winery is getting, it promises to be jewel that shines for a very long time. What to Buy
'06 Vintner's Signature Full bodied, cedar, cassis, black cherry, spice chocolate, coffee $34.95 '06 Barrel Fermented Chardonnay Elegant, intense, spicy oak, toasty honey, butterscotch $19.95 '08 Riesling Honeysuckle floral, pineapple, tropical fruits, lemon/lime, green apple $16.95 Getting There
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"50 States" of Wine-
Time Magazine Praises Westbend Vineyards Barrel Fermented Chardonnay.
September 8, 2008 Time Magazine recently conducted a tasting of wine from all 50 states. Of the 50 wines tasted, 12 were found to be excellent. One of which was Barrel Fermented Chardonnay from Westbend. You can read the entire article on Time's website: http://www.time.com
"My lovely wife Cassandra had a layover at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, so she did a tasting at the airport's wine bar, which only serves glasses from local Yadkin Valley vineyards. She reported that they were good. She was right. This chardonnay has a lot of oak, but it's the pleasantly creamy kind — not the woodsy, oaky stuff that turns wine into syrup. Maybe this is what happens when things are barrel-fermented. This isn't at all sweet — they got the balance just right. It doesn't smell like much and it's simple with very little finish, but it's not watery, and there's some nice bright fruit. This wine also makes an argument all by itself for terroir, or at least weather, since it doesn't really taste like a French or California chardonnay."—by Joel Stein
Uncorked Wine of the Month, from the Winston-Salem Journal, July 25, 2008
Uncorked: North Carolina Wine of the Month
Wine: 2006 Westbend Vineyards Chardonnay
Cost: $15.
Review: Westbend Vineyards in Lewisville has received a lot of praise for its barrel-fermented chardonnay. But it also makes this chardonnay, which is nearly oak-free. The 2006 chardonnay has beguiling aromas of pineapple and apricot. In the mouth, those fruit flavors swirl around with touches of lemon and a hint of the spicy oak that comes from the 5 per-cent of barrel-fermented grapes. This wine is fruity without being overripe. Better still, it remains clean, fresh and bright through the lingering finish. Serve it with halibut, sea bass or other white-flesh fish, or with chicken. (For oak lovers, the 2006 vintage of barrel-fermented chardonnay is showing nicely, too.)
Alive Again: Vacant for years, historic house is restored as vineyard's centerpiece
Winston-Salem Journal Photo by David Rolfe
Featured in the Winston-Salem Journal July 29, 2008
LEWISVILLE
When Jack and Lillian Kroustalis needed an iconic image to put on their first Westbend wine labels more than 20 years ago, they looked across the road to an old farm house.
The house, which overlooks gently sloping farmland that backs up to the Yadkin River, reflected the couple's love of the Yadkin Valley.
"It is a symbol of where we are," said Lillian Kroustalis. "It goes along with where the vineyards are."
It also projects a pioneer image, which Kroustalis said fits in well with her late husband's trailblazing work as a Yadkin Valley grape grower.
The Kroustalises started Westbend Vineyards on 17 acres on Williams Road in 1972. Buoyed by their success, they started buying more land along the road, including a plot that included the empty farm house and a few outbuildings.
For many years, the house sat vacant. That's about to change. The house has been completely renovated and, in some places, restored to how it originally looked when it was built in 1850.
The house will soon serve as a gathering spot for special events at the vineyard as well as private events, such as bridal receptions and parties.
It still needs to meet some requirements in the Americans with Disabilities Act, but for the most part, the renovation is complete. Kroustalis said she hopes the house will be open by the fall.
Joel Benjamin Hauser built the house in 1850, according to a survey of historic homes in Forsyth County that was supervised by the N.C. State Historic Preservation Office.
Hauser was a farmer who eventually owned up to 600 acres in the area, and the house was built with massive heart-pine logs that were most likely harvested from trees on his property. In 1947, the house was sold to A.C. Stuart, a Winston-Salem businessman who used it as a summertime retreat for his family.
Kroustalis said she isn't sure how long the house had been empty when she and her husband bought it in the mid-1980s.
The original structure was little more than a few rooms with wide-planked heart-pine floors and a small fireplace. Later, a second floor with two bedrooms, a living room and a screened-in porch were added.
As the years passed and tastes changed, the logs were covered over. Weatherboarding covered them on the exterior and plaster and whitewash on the interior.
Those coverings protected the logs, said Buddy Glasscoe, who remodeled the house for Kroustalis. Glasscoe owns Timberwolf Designs in Winston-Salem.
Glasscoe has an interest in historic homes and renovated a similar cabin off Williams Road several years ago. Kroustalis was familiar with his restoration work and thought he could interpret her vision for the house.
"She has been in love with that old house for a long time," Glasscoe said. "What I did was a design that was an extension of her vision."
More than a year ago, Glasscoe started working on the house. He was pleasantly surprised to see how well it aged.
"It was in incredibly immaculate shape," Glasscoe said. "That house was preserved very well."
Water, the bane of many empty homes, was kept off the house thanks to a tin roof, he said. "A lot of times with uninhabited homes, it's kind of out of sight, out of mind. It starts leaking and someone doesn't pay attention to it. Water gets in and that's what destroys homes like this," Glasscoe said.
Glasscoe and his workers stripped the weatherboarding and plaster to expose the old logs. The wood floors were in good shape as well, and needed just two or three coats of finish to make them shine.
The addition, which was built around the 1940s, had a tacked-on look and was torn down. It was replaced with an open dining room with exposed beams and a kitchen that will be used for food preparation by caterers and not for cooking.
The dining room leads to an expansive porch that overlooks a vineyard of Seyval Blanc grapes and the rolling countryside.
Local touches abound throughout the house. The beams used in the addition came from an old livestock barn in Horneytown between Kernersville and High Point.
Glasscoe used local craftsmen to help with the renovations. Frank Naples, a blacksmith who lives down the road from the house, made long, curving handles for a set of custom-made doors with stained glass that was made by Salem Stained Glass in nearby East Bend.
Part of Glasscoe's challenge was to make sure that the 3,000 square feet he added did not overpower the front of the house.
"The old home is Westbend's signature," he said. "That was a very important part of it, for all of it to blend."
Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lo'donnell@wsjournal.com