The Silver Coast Winery
Silver Coast Winery, home to Coastal North Carolina's premier producer of premium wines is located on Barbeque Road (former location of Sim’s Barbeque). It is just 15 minutes inland from the beach. The vineyard and winery are set on 40 acres surrounded by thick woods. The grounds are beautiful. Silver Coast is the only winery in southern Brunswick County. The owners, John and Mary Azzato and their staff are always on hand to invite guests to take a 20 minute tour of the facility including the vineyard and the beautiful keg room.
The keg room is the perfect place for a wedding. At the end of the room there is a huge sculpture with a waterfall and rock pool. It is a truly unique piece. The wine tasting room is open daily and you may sample some of the wines that have been winning awards in competitions all over the country. There is also a shop where visitors can purchase wines and other items to give as gifts or take home for personal enjoyment. The winery is open Monday - Saturday from 11am to 6pm and on Sunday from noon to 5pm.
Dana Keeler is the winemaker at Silver Coast which opened in 2002. Even though the winery is quite young, many of its wines are already award winners. Silver Coast wines have faired extremely well in International Wine Competitions held throughout the US. In December of 2004, the winery had collected 48 medals. Silver Coast Wines include Barbera, Cabernet Savignon, Seyval Blanc, Merlot and Cape Fear Blood Wine, (Touriga) to name a few.
Silver Coast also produces a muscadine wine. The scuppernong is actually a muscadine grape that grows naturally in the piedmont and coastal plain of all the southeastern states. However, it is the first grape cultivated in the US. A French explorer who discovered the scuppernong in the Cape Fear River Valley recorded that the many vines that grew naturally in this place would “no doubt make excellent wines.” The scuppernong, by the way, is North Carolina’s state fruit.
Captains Phillip Amadas and Arthur Barlowe wrote in 1584, that "The coast of North Carolina was so full of grapes that the very beating and surge of the sea overflowed them. They covered every shrub and climbed the tops of high cedars. In the entire world, a similar abundance was not to be found. Their smell of sweetness filled the air as if they were in the midst of some delicate garden." They were writing about the scuppernong.
People loved the smell and plum-like flavor of "The Big White Grape" as they called it at first. Therefore, during the 17th and 18th centuries cuttings of what was called “the mother vine, were placed into production around a small town called Scuppernong in Washington County and along the Cape Fear River east of Fayetteville. The name Scuppernong comes from an Algonquin Indian name, "Ascopo" for the sweet bay tree. "Ascupernung" meaning place of the "Ascopo" appears on early maps of North Carolina as the name of a river in Washington County. That river runs in to the Albemarle Sound. By 1800 the spelling of the river had become Scuppernong.
Local artists design all of the labels for Silver Coast wines and each one is distinctive. The labels are truly works of art. The winery holds a contest whenever they are going to introduce a new wine. Works of many local artists are on display at the winery and the exhibits change so it is good to visit whenever you are in the Ocean Isle area. Some of those whose works are featured in the winery buildings are Thomas Hughes, Marie Kruckowski, and Pat Pittenger of Southport. Tino Ferro searches junkyards for unique metals to use in his metal sculptures which are on display. Justine Ferreri adds a whimsical flavor to the collection. If you are looking for an art piece or an unusual gift item, shopping at the winery is a perfect choice.
Did you know …
- In 1994, chemical testing confirmed resinated wine inside two jars that were dug out of an excavation site by a University of Pennsylvania archaeological team. They were found at the Neolithic site of Hajji Firuz Tepe, Iran, dating to ca. 5400 B.C. Now that is old!!!
- Romans used oil, probably olive oil, to float on top of the wine to “seal” the bottle.
- North Carolina ranks twelfth in wine production in the US.
- In 2004, North Carolina growers produced nearly 3.4 million dollars of grapes and winemakers produced nearly 30 million dollars worth of wine.
- Wine was important to Greek commerce and Greek doctors, including Hippocrates, and they were among the first to prescribe it.
- Texts from tombs in ancient Egypt prove that wine was in use there around 2700 to 2500 BC. Priests and royalty drank wine, while beer was drunk by the workers.
How to host your own wine tasting party
More than likely you brought home a few of the wonderful wines that you tasted at Silver Coast Winery. If you are excited about the new tastes you have discovered, perhaps you want to invite a few friends over to share the experience with. Decide what the theme of your wine tasting will be. You may want to select 6 bottles of the same variety wine in different price ranges to compare. Or perhaps you would like to rate 3 types of Chardonnay and 3 types of Cabernet. You may choose to make it an elegant event with fine linens and candles with crackers to cleanse the palate in between selections followed by a formal dinner. Or you may decide to host an informal gathering of friends.
Invite about 12 people over for your wine tasting party. That way if they bring a friend, you will still have about the right amount of wine. Each bottle of wine can be quite easily divided into small pours for between 12 and 16 people. You should have between 4 and 6 wines to compare and give ratings to.
Be sure to have on had plenty of wine glasses. If you are on a budget, get multi-purpose tulip shaped wine glasses. Choose ones that are 8 to 10 inches in height. The tulip shape feature enables the wine aroma to rise to the top of the glass. Choose wine glasses that are made of good thin clear glass, not decorative or colored. Anything but a clear glass takes away from appreciating the wine in the glass. Remember to always hand wash your glasses with hot water. Do not use soap. Soap leaves a residue on the glassware that interferes with the aroma of the wine.
There are specific red wine glasses and white wine glasses. Red wine glasses usually have a wider bowl shape, and white wine glasses usually have a narrower bowl shape. Champagne glasses have a very narrow opening. The narrow glass offers less surface space for the bubbles (carbon dioxide) to escape. This type of glass is called a flute.
Create a scoring sheet before the tasting. Keep it simple. Use a line for each wine labeled A-D and then create a rating of 1-5 with 5 representing “I think this wine is the very best.” A rating of 1 would mean “I don’t like this wine at all.” Tell you tasters they are to check for look, smell, taste and aftertaste (which in wine, is a good thing). The best wines look clear and brilliant. The best wines have intense aromas. The best wines have a complex flavor, and the best wines leave a flavorful aftertaste in your mouth that lingers.
Before your guests arrive, prepare some light snacks for your tasters. Crackers with a mild cheese are a good choice. Then disguise the wine bottles either by wrapping them or just putting them in a decorative wine bag that can be purchased at any gift store. If you decide to have each guest bring a bottle, then put each bottle in a plain bag out of sight of the guests. Have a place for each guest to sit comfortably. Be certain to have enough glasses on hand so a new one can be used for each wine. Pour about 2 ounces of wine in each glass. Tell your guests to keep the glasses positioned so they know which wine they are tasting. Call the wines A-D.
Teach your tasters what you learned during your wine tasting experience at the Silver Coast Winery. Begin with how to swirl the wine in the glass and hold the glass up to the light or against a white cloth to examine it. Discuss how to smell the bouquet of the wine and the importance of rolling a sip of wine over your tongue before swallowing. Remember to tell your tasters to exhale through their noses as they swallow so that they get the full effect of taste and smell together. If you are unsure, why not plan another visit to the winery and take notes this time. Their staff is always available to assist you.
Collect the scoring sheet and tally the scores. Return scoring sheets to each individual.
Announce the results with great fanfare. By the end of your wine tasting, it is a sure bet that one of your friends will be ready to host the next one.
For more information, visit Silver Coast Winery.
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