Location & Atmosphere: Childress Vineyards is located in Lexington, near High Point, NC, off of I-85. The beautiful stonework and iron gate entrance tells you that the details of this winery have been well thought out. Starting with the rolling green vineyards, the road climbs to the large stone villa, which feels like the classic wineries of Napa and Sonoma. But this is the brainchild of Richard Childress, NASCAR race driver, who is a native of California. Childress hoped to duplicate the California winery feel in the Yadkin Valley of North Carolina, right near the Piedmont Triad of Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem. He successfully mimicked the California feel, with a distinctly North Carolina flavor.
The Wines: Childress classifies their wines as House Wines ($10 per bottle); Varietals ($12 to $19); Reserve Wines ($25 to $40) and Signature Wines ($40 to $60). The House Wines are fair, but some of the Varietals are good to very good (such as the basic Cabernet). The Reserve Wines run very good to excellent, and the Reserve Cabernet was outstanding, although some of the Reserve and Signature Wines were a bit disappointing, given the hefty price tag.
Tastings & Tours: The free tours of the property take you through the grounds and visit the barrel rooms and stainless steel tanks used in the winemaking. All of the grapes are grown and fermented on the premises. We suspect that is why many of their wines are blends, and even their Cabernet Sauvignon is only 75% CS, with other reds blended in. The Cellar Select tasting is $12 per person, but includes a number of sweet wines. For $3 more, go for the better Barrel Select tasting, which includes only dry vintages.
Shopping & Other Amenities: You can go shopping for all kinds of neat items, in addition to their great wines. There are also a tremendous number of concerts and events going on at the property throughout the year.
In the main villa is their excellent Bistro, with a great elevated view of the river and vineyard below. The menu, though somewhat limited, contained entrees of beef fillet, fresh scallops and salmon, along with wraps, sandwiches, and sizeable salads. The $19 fillet and the scallops were outstanding, in addition to paying retail, not higher restaurant, prices for the wines. Be sure to make a reservation. Our only complaint is that the Bistro is only open on very limited days, even though it was reasonably crowded when we were there. We suggest that the Bistro could be open more regularly, which would probably remain steadily busy. There is also a Holiday Inn Express basically at the entrance to the winery, so you can walk back to your hotel room if you have had too many glasses of wine at the Bistro or one of their events.
Value: The basic wines were inexpensive and okay, but as the price increased, the quality increased proportionately into the reserve category. Some of the mid-range wines were good values, but we found some of the reserve wines, like the Reserve Cabernet at $33, and the higher priced signature wines (up to $60), a bit pricey for the quality.
Rating: Childress has all the amenities of a great winery- rolling hills and an elevated view of the river below; a top quality Bistro; an expansive shopping experience; a large villa with large barrel cellars; and a reasonably priced hotel at the entrance. It is obvious that Richard Childress has put serious thought and money into this property, and created a five star winery, and a five star experience.
Contact: Childress Vineyards
1000 Childress Vineyard Rd.
Lexington, NC 27295
(336) 236-9463
http://www.childressvineyards.com/