Mountain Spirits: Wine and Beer this week, Oct 19

October 25, 6:30 PM  The Purple Onion, 16 Main Street in Saluda NC.  A Rhone wine tasting with seven wine selections from the northern and southern Rhone valley will be offered along with foods typical of the region's cuisine but featuring ingredients from some of our favorite local farms. The wines to be tasting are not only exceptionally good values but pair easily with a variety of foods which makes them a great choice for the approaching holiday season. The price for the tasting is $45 and includes a taste of seven wines and several hors d'oeuvres and small plates chosen to pair well with the wines. Reservations can be made by calling the Purple Onion at 828-749-1179, Visa and Mastercard accepted. Call early, seating is limited.

October 21,  5 Pm - 7 PM Hops and Vines, 797 Haywood Rd, Ste 100 in Asheville NC.   Stoudt's Brewing Company   On a brief hiatus from Hops & Vines, Stoudt's beer is now back in stock and fresher than ever. Come rediscover theses well crafted, balanced beers out of Adamstown PA.   October 22, 3 PM - 6 PM Free Wine Tasting:  Italian Influenced California Wine, Brutocao, Il Cuore - Il Cuore Rosso Classico 2007, Brutocao Chardonnay 2009, Brutocao Zinfandel 2007.

Oct 21, 4 PM - 7 PM at Table Wine, 1550 Hendersonville Road, Suite 102, AAA Travel Center in Asheville NC. Friday Winedown -  Explore highly rated wines that are available at great prices - that means most of the wines are $15 or less, a a couple higher priced wines. 8 wines and light palate cleansers - $5 per person...........Free for Grape Nuts.  October 26, 7 PM - 9 PM - All California Wine Dinner.A great batch of wines from up and coming family owned and operated wineries, the all ready mentioned beef stew and corn chowder, arugula salad and bread. Several spaces left. $30 per person, $24 for Grape Nuts.

October 22, 3 PM - 8 PM at Appalachian Vintner, 2-B Huntsman Place in Asheville NC -  Mike Tiano, managing partner at the Haw River Wine Man. Mike, along with owner Jim Stock import some of the greatest Italian wines we’ve ever tasted. Because the Haw River Wine Man works directly with these small growers their pricing structure is just about absurd, amazing values from every corner of the Italian peninsula.

October 22 , 11 AM -  5 PM at Falderal Winery, 131 3rd Ave, Hendersonville NC.  Claddagh Inn Wine Tasting -  A free tasting held at the historic Claddagh Inn in Hendersonville including some of the newest varietals.

Oct 22, 7-10 PM at The Classic Wineseller, 30 church Street, Waynesville NC. Saturfay Night Special - Marshall Ballow performs live on the bandstand or inside if the weather turns cold. You'll want to see this local favorite. Oct 26 from 5:30- to 7:30, WOW - Wine on Wednesday:  5 wines plus hors d'oeurves. $8.00

October 22  at 1-4 PM  Asheville Wine Market, 65 Biltmore Ave, Asheville NC.  An informative tasting of four outstanding, and very affordable, French wine selections. The extremely versatile selection of red and white grape varieties, to include Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc will make for a very complex tasting

October 21, 6 PM - 8 PM, at Divine Wine, 1011 Tunnel Road East Asheville NC . Friday Wine Tastings - complimentary tastes of special wines and beer, along with an assortment of hors d’oeuvres. Each week we celebrate with a different theme and a few surprises.


October 21, 4 PM - 7 PM LaBouteille, 10 N Trade St, Suite A Tyon NC - Complimentary Wine Tastings every Friday. The last Saturday of each month 3-5 pm is a 10 beers for $10 beer tasting. Bring a dish of food to share.

October 22  RagApple Lassie, 3724 Ragapple Lassie Lane Boonville NC -   Bill Mann and his magic saxophones will be back for your tasting and listening pleasure, PLUS RagApple Lassie is offering an October Tailgate Special on its Rockford Red and Boonville Blanc wines. Buy ten bottles and get two bottles free. Hurry - sale ends October 31st but cases can be mixed! Tailgate Special prices for RagApple Lassie Wine Club members only, is an extra 5% discount.

October 22,  2 PM - 5 PM  The Wine Guy, 555 Merimon Ave and 1200 Hendersonville Rd., Asheville NC. FREE Saturday tastings are a great way to sample new favorites in a casual setting. Every week we sample 4 to 6 new wines. Light hors d’ oeuvres will be served and all wines poured will be specially priced.


October 22,   12 PM - 5 PM at  Vino Vino Wine Market, 178 Weaverville Rd., Asheville NC. Every Saturday anytime between 12:00 and 5:00pm enjoy a sampling of wines from around the world. A 10% discount on each of the wines we are featuring.

Tasting Rooms:

Biltmore Winery, located on the Biltmore Estate, Asheville NC.  Daily tasting and tours with Estate admission. Special events and tastings throughout the year. Enter Biltmore's Wine Sweepstakes ( until Sept 30, 2011) - for a chance to win a prize pack of NC Biltmore wines and wine accessories worth $200*

Old North State Winery, 308 North Main Street, Mount Airy NC. Hours of operation are: Monday-Wednesday 11am-6pm, Thursday-Saturday 11am-9pm, and Sunday 12pm-6pm. Sample  wines and browse the gift shop featuring wine related and gourmet gift items.

RagApple Lassie, 3724 Ragapple Lassie Lane Boonville NC   Tours are "on demand" noon to six PM daily. Tastings are available noon to six PM daily and include up to 11 varieties of wine.

Calaboose Cellars, 565 Aquone Road, Andrews NC. Tasting room summer hours: Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays from Noon to 5:00. This week check out the "Warden's White".

Daily Tastings at Wedge Brewing Company, 125 B Roberts St. Asheville NC. Micro-brewery regular Tasting room hours: Monday - Thursday 4 PM - 10+ PM; Friday 3 PM - 10+ PM; Saturday and Sunday 2 PM - 10+ PM.

Daily Tastings at Greenman Brewery, 23 Buxton Ave., Asheville NC.  The tasting room is open seven days a week at 4 o'clock, or maybe earlier

NC fall Leaf Color Report: 10-19-11

October 19, 2011:  NC Fall Color in the High Country: Mid and lower elevations are peaking.Between Highway 421 and Grandfather, there are still great views of fall color from the frequent overlooks. Get a link forColor updates and information HERE

 Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Driving the Parkway from Maggie Valley into the Smokies should provide good views of the leaves. Views of the colors at lower elevations are still very good. Most leaves have fallen at the highest elevations. At mid elevations color is slightly past peak while at lower elevations there are beautifully colored trees are mixed with trees that are still green  Get a link for Park updates and information HERE.


In Asheville NC  peak color is beginning now with dogwoods, Virginia creeper, sourwoods and maples showing vibrant color, including a lot of trees that are yellow (magnolias, birches, hickories, striped maple).  This year there are plenty of bright reds mixed in with the yellows and oranges.

Highlands NC / Cashiers area - the upcoming week should be peak week with the colors “stunningly beautiful” right now.  The maples, especially red maple, are a vibrant red, and have never been as colorful as this year! They are highlighted by bright yellow buckeyes, birches, multi-colored sassafras, while sourwoods and sumacs accentuate those hues with their deep reds. Burning bush (Euonymus alatus) is providing vivid red accents in peoples’ yards and along roads.

In the Franklin NC area,  the hills are beginnning to turn with peak anticipated in the next two weeks. Green is now dotted with color and daily bursts of red and yellow are occurring.

Overall: Colors are progressing downslope, heading towards Wilkesboro, Morganton, Hendersonville and Brevard, Franklin, and Murphy. So if you’re planning drives in the next two weeks to see the colors, be aware that you’ll be seeing them from the overlooks of the Parkway, but not on the Parkway itself.

There is still plenty of availability in NC cabins and vacation rentals to enjoy  the beauty of the fal color in the mountains. CLICK HERE for a list.

NC Ghost Tours: Candle Light Ghost Tours in WIlkesboro

October 21 - 22   Candle Light Ghost Tours  An evening of tales, mystery and haunts. Learn about the ghosts that haunt the old buildings of downtown Wilkesboro. Visit a cemetery where Civil War Soldiers are buried, stand in the jail cell where Tom Dooley spent his last days and listen to the stories of the haunted Smithey Hotel. Tours start at 7:30pm.

Get details and a link for the Candle Light Ghost Tours and other Wilkesboro NC events, Lodging and visitor information.

NC Fall Leaf Season Event: Lake Eden Arts Festival (LEAF) this Weekend

October 20-23   Lake Eden Arts Festival ( LEAF) A weekend celebration of world folk arts: music concerts, dancing, handcrafts, healing arts, poetry, kidventures and workshops. Beautiful mountain camp setting with lakes and camping.

Get a link for the Lake Eden Arts Festival and other Black Mountain NC events, lodging and visitor information HERE.