Wine Tour and Music

I like wine. I'm not a connoisseur. I would like to be, but that takes time. Unfortunately, I just don't have the time to travel about visiting vineyards in the southeast let alone the rest of the country, but my brother does. He's a musician, the Levi of Lucia and Levi and The Little Zippers. This past spring The Little Zippers embarked on a wine tour, providing entertainment for a variety of vineyards and wine festivals. So, I went on the tour with them - vicariously. They have come across some fabulous finds, from the wines at Biltmore Estates in Asheville, North Carolina to the wine slushies at September Oaks Vineyards in Ridgeland, South Carolina to the splendid selections in the Finger Lakes region of New York. Their summer tour has been an adventure of music and tasting.

So, I took a virtual tour of a few of the vineyards courtesy of The Little Zippers.

Their Wine Tour began in April at Biltmore Estates. Biltmore is beautiful in April. The mountain flora are just beginning to bloom, all purple and yellow. And the trees are budding new leaves that special color of green. Biltmore I have visited and it's an awesome beginning to any tour, at any time but especially in the springtime.

As a musicians, The Little Zippers experience the vineyard in a way that I never will. Musicians tend to see things in a different light, anyway. Besides, they have the opportunity to get behind the scenes. I'm relegated to the tasting room or to listening to their experiences, but that's quite alright. It's its own unique experience at each vineyard and winery.

Any visit to Biltmore Estates includes wine tasting and education as the culmination of a fascinating tour of America's largest home. The 250 room French Chateau was completed in 1895 for George Vanderbilt. The vineyards were established in 1971. Biltmore Estate's wines are growing in popularity, ranging from award winning sparkling wines to chardonnays and pinot grigios. Not too shabby an experience.

The Little Zippers moved on to Grayhaven Winery, a Virginia winery located in Gum Spring, Virginia, near Richmond. Like most of the "older" wineries in Virginia, Grayhaven Winery was established in 1978. The Winery was was opened in 1995. Their wine varieities include Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon - reds, blush and white.

Wine tastings, ranging in price from $3 to $5, and education are a package and with the serene setting a tasting is bound to be as pleasurable.

Another serene setting in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Iron Gate in Mebane, North Carolina provides almost weekly entertainment during the summer and fall for its visitors. The Little Zippers brought their unique form of entertainment which always "brings the audience into the music" and gives them a taste of many genres.

The vineyard tour and wine tasting provides an education in winemaking from the grapevine to the bottle.

North Carolina vineyards are making a huge splash. The appeal of fresh air, the low buzz of bees, and the warm air are an inviting backdrops in Booneville, North Carolina at the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Here, The Little Zippers played at RagApple Lassie Vineyard. The winery offers a perfect setting for winery notes, music and wine tasting. So much more than a vineyard, RagApple Lassie also offers a unique stay on the property at the Holson House, the guest house which had been the home of the original owners of what was once a dairy farm.

RagApple Lassie Vineyard is located in the heart of Yadkin Valley. As you enter the vineyard, you pass a tin sculpture of RagApple Lassie. The Little Zippers had the unique experience of playing in the warehouse alongside the huge vats of wine that dwarfed them and their audience. The atmosphere was a musical mix of R&B, country and jazz.

Moving from their exclusive stint in North Carolina, the Little Zippers then played the summer in the Finger Lakes area of New York, famous for some of the oldest wineries in the country.

With summer coming to an end, the Little Zippers made their next appearance under the gazebo during wine stomping days at Septmember Oaks Vineyards in Ridgeland, South Carolina. During the wine stomping event, complete with ripe grapes and purple feet, The Little Zippers offered an array of original works, Reggae, country, jazz and R&B with a little touch of rock. Alice Ann Toole, the Marketing and Event Direct of September Oaks Vineyards offered a unique education of the wines and their origins. The tasting offered a delicious array of wines, mostly unique blends of the muscadine grape.

In the Beginning in America

Vineyards were introduced to the original colonies when they first arrived in America.In fact, according to Virginia agriculturalists, the Jamestown settlers were mandated to grow at least ten vines on their arrival in the new world. Thomas Jefferson was making wine at Montecello.

However, most of the thriving vineyards, especially in Virginia and North Carolina, were let go when Prohibition was introduced and it did not revive until the seventies. In fact, there has been a steady growth of the wine business along the Eastern Coast and many fine wines are making their appearances outside the vineyard. The wines rival that of other parts of the country and the world, capturing many fine accolades and gaining notoriety in prestigious world competitions.

So, there are ways to discover the wines of the East Coast - you can follow the band or you can set your own route. Either way, you will enjoy the scenery, the atmosphere, the taste and, if you're lucky, the music.

The Vineyards

• www.biltmorewine.com
• www.regapplelassie.com
• www.irongatevineyards.com
• www.grayhavenwinery.com
• www.SeptemberOaks.com

Lucia and Levi and The Little Zippers

To learn more about The Little Zippers or to contact them, visit http://www.thelittlezippers.com