Page 34 - Wilkes County NCG 2023

SPOTLIGHT ON PICCIONE VINEYARDS
Imagine serenity and fresh breezes with
views of the Brushy and Blue Ridge Mountains
while you sip dry-style wines from Italian and
French varietals. Piccione Vineyards is a
boutique vineyard and winery in Swan Creek,
just north of Charlotte.
Founded in 2010 and opened to visitors with
the tasting room in 2015, Piccione Vineyards
continues to bring their family’s Sicilian roots to
the heart of North Carolina’s wine country. In
vino salute!
“We genuinely believe that great wine starts
in the vineyard and we want every guest to
GROWN & RAISED learn about our story and why we take so much
pride in how far we have come in a few short
years,” said Hailey Klepcyk, director of Tasting
in Wilkes Room Operations.
A new era is coming with the opening of

La Collina this summer. The 7,000 square-
The county’s agricultural economy is foot center will house the expanded tasting
booming – and you can taste it all. room, event hall, wine library, courtyard, and
barrel room. An expanded space means
By Lydia Cobb various rooms can be rented exclusively for
W elcome to Wilkes County, where weddings, corporate events, and intimate
dinners. Throughout the year, guests can
more than one in five jobs is
enroll in events that include aroma and tasting
agriculture related. Wineries,
breweries, and distilleries dot the
grape vines.
landscape. Farmers tend to beef cattle, chicken, workshops to learning how to take care of
dairy cows, and freshwater fish. Chefs choose
locally raised herbs, vegetables, and fruits.
According to Wilkes Cooperative Extension,
Wilkes County ranks seventh in the state
overall, with an agricultural impact last year of
$551 million dollars, making up 36 percent of
the county’s GDP. Among North Carolina’s 100 counties,
Wilkes County is blanketed by nearly Wilkes County ranks in production:
1,200 farms with an average size of 100 acres. • 2nd for poultry broilers (meat)
Incredibly, four of these farms are Bicentennial • 3rd for beef cattle
Family Farms, where families have maintained • 4th in all cattle and milk cows
harvests through 200 years and generations • 6th in hay
of farmers, and 23 Century Farm families • 10th in poultry layers (eggs)
are celebrated for 100 years of continuous Source: North Carolina Department of Agriculture
agricultural heritage. and Consumer Services
WINE AND WILKES
More than 50 wineries are within an Visit Piccione Vineyards
hour’s drive of Wilkes County. The terroir, • Open Wednesday to Monday (closed
French for the natural environment where Tuesday): 12-6 p.m. (Last Call 5:30 p.m.)
wines are produced, defines the contributing • Recent Awards:
types of soils, topography, and climate which - Vino di Lusso “Best Sparkling” – North
give each regional wine its own flavor and Carolina Fine Wines Competition 2022
characteristic taste. Download the Visit NC Farms App and get ready - 2021 Reserve Barrel Chardonnay and 2019
The eastern side of the county is part of the to experience agritourism – the social dimension Vino di Lusso “Gold Medals” – San
Yadkin Valley Viticultural Area (AVA), a seven- of agriculture. When you meet and learn from Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition
county region in northwestern North Carolina. the people growing, raising, and crafting
Two vineyards, Raffaldini and Piccione, are part delicious foods and drinks, you are more likely 2364 Cedar Forest Rd.
of the Swan Creek AVA, a region known for its to advocate for locally harvested foods. Ronda, NC 28670
mineral-rich soil. (336) 571-1024 | piccionevineyards.com

30 Grown & Raised in Wilkes Wilkes Chamber of Commerce