Jones von Drehle Vineyards & Winery

Location & Atmosphere:  Jones von Drehle is located about 20 minutes northwest of Elkin, NC and I-77. While the winery is located on a beautiful piece of property with the Blue Ridge Mountains as a backdrop, what is most remarkable is that they produce some of the most consistently excellent wines in North Carolina. Chuck Jones, the very personable owner of the winery, will take you on a great tour, if he is around. We have seen Chuck not only at the winery, but also at the Great Grapes wine festival in Charlotte, where he personally (along with his staff) tirelessly pours wine all day.

 
The Wines:  Many NC wineries create wonderful red wines, but struggle with the whites. Not here. JVD’s barrel Chardonnay is a very balanced wine, with a nice light oak. The steel Chardonnay is also wonderful, as is the Viognier. Their reds are also excellent, including Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, and Tempranillo. Their Steel & Stone Blend, which is 65% Petit Verdot and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon, is outstanding. The Rock & Rail red blend is very good. For retail outlets such as Total Wine, they produce lesser grade wines, labeled under the “Old Railroad” brand.

 
Tastings & Tours:  Tastings cost $12 to try 6 of their standard wines; the reserve tasting is $16 for 6 of the reserve wines. This is a little on the steep side for tastings.

 
Events/ Shopping/ Other Amenities:  This is the one area this winery is a bit lacking. During our last visit, in late Summer, 2018, they were building a large pavilion for entertainment and weddings, so we hope this will lead to more music and events, which may earn Jones von Drehle a five-star rating. The current calendar of events on their website is not kept current, but their Facebook page has constant entries. They also need to add more winery items for purchase.

 
Value:  Priced between $20 and $34 per bottle, the wines of Jones von Drehle are excellent in quality, but particularly some of their reserve wines going for more than $30 per bottle are getting a bit pricey.

 
Rating:  All of Jones von Drehle’s wines are made from grapes grown on the 30 planted acres on the property, so they are truly “estate” wines. And they are some of the very best wines from North Carolina. These wines are a bit on the pricey side, and although they are of excellent quality, we hope they do not gain a reputation for lack of real value. We also hope that the new pavilion under construction will mean more entertainment and events. We rate JVD as a great four-star winery, but hope to come back soon and rate it at five-stars, and are confident with their great wines, this is a real possibility.