The Yadkin Valley Wine Festival in Elkin is a stark departure from the image that one might associate with the term bacchanalia. There are no secret rites or acts of debauchery and both sexes are welcome; however, a costumed Bacchus may be seen strolling mirthfully among the festival’s attenders often accompanied by his lovely minions while strains of Carolina beach music echo in the background and bring the ambiance of sand, surf, and shagging to the farmland of Surry County.
My first experience at the festival a few years ago was pleasant; the format hasn’t changed in a couple of years, nor has the number of businesses present, which are affiliated with the wine industry, although the price of admission for wine tasters has risen 50% over the same period–the complimentary wine tasting glass is still the same, on the small side, actually. There was some improvement in menu choices offered by the food vendors, most notably the Snappy Lunch style pork chop sandwich–tasty! While the festival was well attended by both the wineries and aficionados of the fruit of the vine, to my taste, at least, the overall quality of the product being poured was not as good what I had sampled on my previous visit. Some wines offered by the wineries with which I was familiar and which, I thoroughly enjoyed were strangely absent–there were various excuses offered that could very well have been legitimate but they left a bad taste in my mouth!
I don’t mean to imply that all of the wines offered by the 23 Yadkin Valley wineries were not good. The quality of a few of the wines was clearly superior to their competition, while others seemed to be highly regarded in terms of price but quite frankly failed to deliver on taste. For my palate, Raffaldini’s entire selection of wines was by far the best of the lot, with two of its wines, Vermentino and Sangiovese, irresistibly delicious standouts that I gladly purchased. A very nice Chardonnay by Elkin Creek was a serendipitous find that almost eluded us as we nearly passed by the tasting tent without stopping as we were leaving; Elkin Creek’s Sangiovese was also quite good, although I thought it was a bit over priced.
Our excursion to the Yadkin Valley was all the more delightful as we were in the company of old friends with whom we have shared many adventures. Retiring to their house nestled along the Blue Ridge Parkway for an overnight stay was the perfect ending to our afternoon of wine tasting.
