Almost Missing Midnight
Based on our hotel’s location, we decided to focus on the Swan Creek AVA. Midnight Magdalena appeared to be out of our way, but their website touted their dry wines, so off we went.
Raising Authentic Wines
Swan Creek bills itself as the premier dry wine region of North Carolina. That’s certainly the focus at Midnight Magdalena, where 1,300 cases are produced annually. It’s also a great match for our palates.
The tasting room is designed to make you feel you are visiting a peaceful house in the countryside. That’s the feeling Green Dragon and I had as we drove up the driveway. There is a concrete patio and a large deck which provides outstanding views looking toward the Blue Ridge Mountains. Inside the tasting room is beautiful, bright and airy.
A Taste Of Swan Creek
We found the Riesling to be refreshing and tasty. The acidity is moderate. It’s a nice pick for seafood. It retails for $19. Traminette is a cross between Gewürztraminer and a French American hybrid grape. Like Gewürztraminer, the Traminette has a floral aroma and a bit of spiciness.
We next tasted a couple of rosé wines with Italian grapes sourced nearby. Midnight Magdalena is neighbor to Raffaldini Vineyards, which specializes in Italian grape varieties. The first was the 2015 Half Moon Rosé, which is done in the Provence style and is made with Montepulciano. This is a dry rosé that had a nice tickle of bubbles when poured. A lovely salmon color, it has great notes of strawberry is a great food-pairing wine.
The 2016 Magdalena Rosé is made with Sangiovese and is light copper in color. There is a bit of acidity and aroma notes of rose petals. Both rosé sell for $18.
Thirsty For Reds
It retails for $24 and we purchased a bottle. (It never made it home as we drank it that night in the hotel hot tub.) Merlot is done very well in Yadkin Valley, and so this bottle is recommended.
Our finale was Tapestry No. 1029. This is the only blend produced by Midnight Magdalena. You may be familiar with the more famous Tapestry blend from California – as a result, “1029” was added to the wine name. The winery was purchased on October 29.
Tapestry 1029 is a blend of 80% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc. We enjoyed it with double dark chocolate crisps with sea salt from Carronni’s Handcrafted Creations – a delicious exclamation point on our visit. Tapestry 1029 is Midnight Magdalena’s flagship wine and retails for $26.
Midnight Magdalena is a recommended stop on your next trip to North Carolina wine country. The wines are well crafted, the scenery beautiful and the hospitality welcoming. Just remember, the winery isn’t actually open at midnight!
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