Kanuga Center via Willow Road

Was it 20, 22, or 23 miles? As usual the electronic gadgets disagreed but the bottom line was we didn't get there by pressing the remote and switching to the Travel Channel. There is something very real about each surge of power from the pedal to the wheel and the wind in your face when you finally get that down hill reward. Heading out with nothing but a notion to do something we rode up hills and through neighborhoods and on roads I have only heard about; Champion Hills, Lake Osceola, and the beautiful Kanuga Conference Center. These two know and love Hendersonville in very special ways. Exploring the highways and byways, paths, trails, lakes and rivers together via foot, bike, motor cycle and 4 Runner. They know it with an instinct born through a history of experience together. They have a way of pursuing and consuming life with purpose, energy and enthusiasm as a daily quest for adventure and today they shared one with me.

Travels in Wine Tours

Overmountain Vineyards in Tryon NC

Hello and welcome to all of you who shared a magical day in the mountains as guests of Travels in Wine Tours. 

I am in the process of uploading the pictures and thinking of the appropriate words to describe and remember this wonderful and colorful occasion. To Bonita and George for inviting us, to Kimberlee and Derek for their informative, entertaining, gracious and personal presentations and to all of you who created the atmosphere of fun, frolic and friendship experienced throughout the day, we express our heartfelt appreciation.
For those of you fellow shutter bugs who took pictures, please email any that you would like to share along with your "Love Stories" to be posted in 1 Thousand Reasons 2 Love Hendersonville. 

Green Creek Winery in Columbus NC

Alvin Pack Green Creek Winery

The Wine Tour began at a very reasonable 11am, a respectable time to start meeting new people and also start tasting the premise of the tour. Our First Champagne toast was around 12pm, very respectable, in the Burnt Shirt Vineyards. This a fun, informal and earthy way to start the day. Grapes, after all, are a fruit crop and need to be planted tended and harvested before they can be fermented into the seemingly endless rows of selection on your grocers shelves. Our simple walk into the vineyard reminded us of that basic fact. Our tour then proceeded to three winery's who grow harvest and produce their own distinctive wines. Green Creek Winery's, Mr. Alvin Pack explained the process of producing the worlds first Red Chardonnay. We also enjoyed a selection of cheese, crackers and shrimp with an incredible Chardonnay Sauce also developed by the ingenious Mr. Pack. 
We then traveled to Overmountain Vineyards in Tryon, NC. Overmountian is in a word, majestic. This is your vision of the wine country. As you gaze out over the mountains and feel the soft crisp cool of the evening air, you could very well be in Modesto, Sonoma or Napa Valley... or Heaven.

The wine aged in stainless steel is crisp and clean whereas the liquids aged in oak are "oaky". Each has it's distinctive aura and taste and each is the pride of the vineyard. Oak barrels cost over $1000 dollars, hold 59 gallons of wine, produced from the yield of 1000 pounds of grapes (give or take). Think about that next time you pop a cork.

While our personal wine sommelier, Kimberlee tended bar, Tess discovered that she was old friends with the owner and host, Lita Lilly.

The day could not have been more perfect....

as the sun set into the mountains, the air cooled, the wine chilled, the open fire and hearts grew warmer.

Our last stop was Parker-Binns Vineyards in Mill Spring NC. As if hedonism had not already been quantified through the course of the day, at Parker-Binns we paired our wine with Dark Chocolate... (a moment of silence please). Owners Karen and Bob Binns made everyone feel right at home.

Owner Bob Binns

Owner Karen Binns

By this time in the evening everyone was feeling like old friends. I send my best wishes to the EMS couple who traveled here from Charleston, the chemical engineers who understood my Smart Strand carpet, the NJ couple, "Big Small World" who pioneered the Interactive White Board in the classrooms, the newlyweds from St. Augustine who gave us tips about Key West and the Gamecock fans from Laurens who shared our victory today; We hope you enjoyed your stay in Hendersonville and we hope you come again soon. And of course our thanks again to Kimberlee and Derek Travels in Wines Tours for a truly wonderful day.
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