Dennis Vineyards and Winery

The Basics:
Count: 3 of 98
City/Town: Albemarle
County: Stanly
Companion: Jonnell
Price:Varies (see below)

Stop #3 of the Albermarle Adventure was Dennis Vineyards and Winery! I had been waiting for this stop for months and finally made it! Dennis has two buildings: one is the actual winery/store and across the street is their "community center." At the time, there was a wedding going on, and some of the guests were enjoying the beautiful weather outside by talking a stroll around the lake. I'm not sure about the price, but Dennis also offers "wedding wines" with your own label. Jonnell and I didn't ask about, but they were on display at the inside the winery/store. The winery is smaller than the two we've visited, but they use their space well. They have a sitting area outside, which we would have used if we weren't pressed for time.

When you come in, they have all of their wines (separated by dry, semi dry, sweet and fruit wines) lined up on the bar. You are given a list of all their wines (30 in total) and are asked which of the three tasting option you would like. The first option is free and you can sample any six wines with a taster cup (a plastic shot glass). The second option is $3 and you can sample any six wines and receive a monogrammed wine glass. The third option is $6 and you can sample any twelve wines and receive a monogrammed wine glass. Of course, I chose Option Three! Unfortunately, I didn't take a lot of notes at this vineyard so I'll give you the basic facts about the wines and add in which ones I liked best.

Memorable Moments:
In September of 2010, I was first introduced to Dennis Vineyards at the Duplin Wine Festival. I fell in love with three of their wines (coming in second to Duplin Winery). Once I found out they were located in Albemarle, I got super excited. My sister was a senior at a Pfeiffer University, located 15 minutes from Albemarle so I knew I could visit them whenever I'd see her! For the next five months, I searched through grocery stores and Total Wine shops looking for Dennis. Finally, on New Year's Eve when I stopped to get a few bottles of Bug Juice's Moscato D'Asti, I saw it! Dennis' Christmas Wine! To my delight, it was one of the best wines we had that night! After New Year's Eve, I planned a weekend trip to visit the Albemarle area vineyards with Dennis at the top of the list!

Also, the staff really knows their stuff! My sister described her favorite wines and one of the staff picked out between 6-8 wines that she really enjoyed. He was also a Pfeiffer grad so they bonded. I went out of my comfort zone and tried some Semi Dry wines which I didn't particularly enjoy, but ah well... I only tried three.

Favorite Wine:
Noble Sweet: This is a full bodied (anyone know what this means) fruity red muscadine wine. It's delicious. I bought a bottle, but haven't tried it yet. Once I do, I'll update my description.

Other Samples:

• Ison Semi Dry: This is a light bodied blush muscadine. It reminded me of a White Zinfandel.
• Carnola Semi Dry: This is a medium bodied rose muscadine. It was okay. Nothing particularly special about it.
• Noble Semi Dry: This was described as a full bodied, fruity red muscadine. It has the same description as the Sweet Noble, but it's very different (hence the name). I liked the sweet version, but for those who like a drier wine, you may enjoy this one.
• Ison Sweet: This is a light bodied blush muscadine. It was sweeter (obviously) than the Ison Semi Dry, but it was not anything I really enjoyed.
• Carnola Sweet: This is a medium bodied rose muscadine.
• Sweetheart: This is their sweetest dark red muscadine.
• White Christmas: As mentioned in the Memorable Moments section, their Christmas wine is DELICIOUS! I wanted to try something different, so I tasted the White Christmas. It was okay. Nothing comparable to the Christmas wine, but still good.
• Magnolia: I have a confession to make: I like Magnolia wines. I considered buying this one but I had already purchased a Magnolia wine from Uwharrie. This is a light bodied, fruity white muscadine.
• Spring: I tried this wine at the Duplin Wine Festival three times, maybe more. This was also my favorite wine and I bought a bottle of this. I'll be sure to update this once I am able to drink some. This is Dennis' sweetest red and white muscadine rose wine.
• Blackberry: I normally like the Blackberry wines but this one didn't do much for me. It is a sweet wine made from fresh blackberries.
• Cherry: This is a semi sweet wine made from Montmorency cherries. 

Overall Grade: B+

1. Atmosphere 20/30
2. Wine 30/30
3. Staff Friendliness 20/20
4. Staff Knowledge 10/10
5. Value 8/10

Contact Information:
www.dennisvineyards.com
27043 Endy Road
Albemarle, NC
704.982.6090

Next Up:
Old Stone Winery