Nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, New River Winery is the first commercial winery in Ashe Couand nty.  The winery is in Lansing, N.C., near the headwaters of the New River, one of the oldest rivers in North America.  This area is home to black bear and beaver, great blue herons and grouse, brook trout, eastern swallowtails fireflies, and an abundance of native plants and wildflowers.   Once called “The Lost Province”, the county still reflects, in many ways, the heritage and culture of the Appalachian Mountains.  With respect to both the region’s natural resources and its heritage, New River Winery has attempted to capture and reflect the essence and unique characteristics of the region in its wines and corporate philosophy.

History

New River Winery was founded in 2005 as a cooperative venture of wine lovers with a common tie to Ashe County and the Blue Ridge High Country. The mission of the winery is to produce and sell high quality wines and have a great time doing it.  The winery opened in a small, temporary facility in downtown Lansing in July 2006 while renovations for a new production facility were taking place on the grounds of the historic old Lansing School.  The temporary space was too small for a tasting room, so in August 2006, a tasting outlet was opened to the public at Bohemia Gallery in downtown West Jefferson.  Our flagship wines, Bohemia Red and Bohemia White, were introduced followed by the introduction of our signature wine, Back Porch Blueberry.  New River Winery now has many new wines in production including local varietals: Seyval Blanc and Baco Noir.

In the winery’s first year, response and demand exceeded expectations creating a production problem.  The temporary space was only 500 square feet and barely large enough for three people to work in.  Despite cramped quarters, the winery was able to produce 1,000 gallons of wine.  In August 2007 the winery moved to its new facility on the grounds of the old Lansing School offering triple the space and room to grow and realize the long term vision.   We opened our current production space and outdoor patio bar in 2008 offering tours of the production facility as well as the Old Lansing School.  Future plans include a gift shop and tasting room in the school building and perhaps a restaurant and further expansion of the production facilities.  For now, the grounds of the old Lansing School are perfect for picnics with friends and family, live music by local artists, or a lazy afternoon in the shade.

Vision

The winery’s founders envisioned a winery which would produce and sell high quality wines made from grapes and fruit grown locally in Ashe County supporting both agricultural and tourism interests. It is the intent of the winery to embrace a sense of shared community by bringing a viable new  industry to this rural community, educating and sharing our knowledge of grape growing and wine production with local farmers, and making our unique contribution to High Country tourism and the local economy.

Viticulture

While grapes have been grown in North Carolina for centuries, harvesting grapes for winemaking in the High Country is a relatively recent phenomenon.  The greatest challenge to our grape growers is the harsh winter and short growing season that is characteristic of this region.  Higher elevations require a different choice of varietals than those found in the middle or eastern part of this state.  The French-American hybrids such as Seyval Blanc, Marechal Foch, Baco Noir, Cayuga and Landot are cold hardy and best suited for the High Country climate.  They tend to be more flavorful and fruitier than vinifera wines and because they lack tannins, they’re meant to be drunk at a young age. We also recommend the interesting fruit wines from local blueberries, wild blackberries, and mountain cider apples.

Our Local Growers

Owl Feather Farm – Owl Feather Farm is a certified organic vineyard.  Amanda Gentry and Paulette Lawrence, committed to biodynamic agriculture, are demonstrating to a doubting viticulture community that it is possible to successfully produce wine grapes of high quality using organic practices. They provide Baco Noir, Seyval Blanc, and Cayuga for New River Winery.

Sexton Christmas Tree Farms – Our primary source of local steep slope, cold climate grapes is a vineyard owed by Sexton Christmas Tree Farms located just off of Route 88 east in Laurel Springs.  Christmas tree growers, Greg and Robin Sexton, have modeled the capacity to diversify in a community where Christmas trees dominate.  Greg and Robin grow Baco Noir, Seyval Blanc, and Niagara grapes.

Old Orchard Creek Farm – Walter Clark and Johnny Burleson provide Blueberries for our Back Porch Blueberry wine. Their well known pick-your-own blueberry patch, Old Orchard Farm, is the home of the annual blueberry festival and many cultural and private events in the little horse creek community.

Grape and Needle Farm – Ben and Darlene Massey have provided the wild blackberries for Sweet Briar Blackberry. Wild blackberries grow vigorously along the branches on their farm on Big Helton Creek.  Picking wild blackberries requires patience, protective armor against the not so sweet briars, and careful avoidance of yellow jackets and groundhog holes. But it is sooo worth it!

Big Horse Creek Farm – Located in the remote high ridge overlooking Big Horse Creek, Ron and Suzanne Joyner offer the premier source for antique and heirloom apples. They are committed to the preservation of old Appalachian Mountain apple varieties. Their collection of cider apples are the inspiration for Forbidden and our plans in the future for hard cider.

About Our Labels

When we recall our “growing up” years we often think back to stories about school. Our school was where we made friends, won championships, plotted mischievous pranks, and struggled to figure out who we would be when we grew up. Where we went to school is a big part of who we are. The schools of Ashe County trigger many fond memories for local residents and for those who grew up here.  Ashe County Schools have a great reputation for education and for personal caring about the children and families of the county.

At New River Winery we honor the schools of Ashe County by choosing several for our fanciful wine names. Many of these schools are now abandoned – in some cases the building s no longer even exist – but the memories live on in the history and stories of Ashe County. ___________________________________________________________________

Lansing School White – Our most popular sweet wine is named in honor of our wineries home at the old Lansing School. Built in 1938 it served the county’s children grades 1-12 until the new high school was built at the base of Mt. Jefferson.  Lansing school remained open to the lower grades until the mid 90’s.

Elkland Dry White –EDW is named for the Elkland School in Todd. Haskell McGuire, an original shareholder and key executive of NRW, has many fond memories of growing up in Todd. The old Elkland School along the South Fork of the New River played a key role in those years.  EDW is Haskell favorite so it is fittingly named for his school.

Nathan’s Creek White – The Nathan’s Creek community off US 221 North is home to Amanda Gentry and Paulette Lawrence, founding shareholders and key members of the executive team. The Nathan’s Creek School lends its name to our sweet version of wine from the Niagara grape that grow vigorously in the county’s cold steep slope climate.

Old School White – Our dry version of wine from the local Niagara grape was intended to be called Healing Springs White for the Healing Springs School.  The US Tax and Trade Bureau which approves all wine labels raised concerns that the Healing Springs name might lead customers to expect the wine to have healing powers. In spite of our best effort to seek approval we finally had to compromise and call the wine Old School White. The graphic on the label, however, is an authentic representation of the Healing Springs School.

Label Art

At New River Winery we also are all about promoting the marvels of Ashe County. A large part of what is wonderful about the area is the creative people who live and work here. We are proud to share the work of some of our local artists on our wine labels.

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Stephen Shoemaker is well known around these parts as a painter and sculptor. Many know him best for his water colors of the historical trains that traveled along the Virginia Creeper train line. We are proud to display his back porch rocker on our signature Back Porch Blueberry wine. Visit Stephen and marvel at his works at his studio in West Jefferson.

Janet Dowling Brashear has a unique style of black and white linoleum block print with a clean contemporary interpretation that is perfect for our Hellbender label. She also gets photo credit for the Lansing School, Sweet Briar Blackberry, and Big Laurel Blush labels.

Bernie  Rosage’s “Snowy Blue Ridge” elegantly captures the serenity of a snowy winter afternoon. We found this painting on the internet and were delighted to learn that it had been painted near a family home in Fleetwood.  Bernie was so gracious to allow us to use a rendition of this work on our Winter Blush label.

Laura McGuire, a graphic designer from Charlotte with family ties to the County, created the Bohemia White label. Laura’s style highlights the Bohemia storefront quickly becoming a new landmark for the younger set in West Jefferson seeking a more urban environment.

Welcome

If you are looking for a new and different wine experience, breathtaking views, and an escape from the city lights where the pace of life is slow and measured only by wonderful experiences, then we welcome you to New River Winery and Ashe County, N.C.