It’s so much fun to visit local Carolina wineries. Last night we went to visit Gregory Vineyards with Anna’s brother and his wife, and had a great time doing a little tasting there. They have a beautiful vineyard / farm with rolling hills and a pond that makes for a very relaxing outing. Now we just need to visit three more local vineyards to complete our ‘wine trail’ expedition in the next six months! Of course, we came back with several bottles of wine and muscadine juice…
The muscadine is native to North Carolina, and is so tasty … it has a thicker skin and is more tart around the edges so not as many people prefer it for eating, but the seed actually has one of the highest antioxidant properties – that’s a big score for healthy foodies like us :) Their muscadine juice and slushies were also amazing!
Lane Gregory (the owner) has an interesting story, and one that is not common for young people these days. At 14 years old, he raised his first tobacco crop and bought his first farm, and has had a variety of agricultural and retail endeavors since then. It was fun to hear about all his adventures. “You have to carve our your own niche”, he stated. “No one ever succeeded by taking handouts from others, you have to work hard.” His motto seems to have paid off, and is a lesson of encouragement for others who are just getting started in their own businesses or career paths.
Word hard. Don’t get discouraged. Instead of following what everyone else is doing, create your own path. Don’t expect someone else to make it easier for you. If overnight success were the norm, everyone would be doing it. Blaze your own trail.
And, a few photos of the vineyard from last night, via Instagram .. :) Happy Wednesday!
