While visiting a friend last weekend, I had the opportunity to visit two North Carolina wineries.

One of the wineries — Raffaldini Vineyards — was already familiar to me. The other, Piccione Vineyards, was not. Both wineries are located in Ronda, North Carolina, which is north of Statesville off Interstate 77 near Jonesville.

About seven or so years ago I had visited Raffaldini. The wines were well made, and the setting was beautiful. This visit, however, was different. The wines I tasted at Raffaldini Saturday — most of which are made with estate fruit — were much more focused and sophisticated than those I tasted years ago. During my brief visit in the tasting room, I was expertly guided through the tasting menu of eight wines by Darrell, a member of the Raffaldini team.

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Source: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/