Interested in learning about grape production and winemaking?

On the seventh annual PolkFresh Farm Tour, which is slated for Saturday, June 24, Mountain Brook Vineyards will provide an inside look at their vineyards and winery to Farm Tour patrons.

Mountain Brook Vineyards, owned by Dennis and Miriam  Lanahan, is a 7.5 acre vineyard located in the Green Creek area of Tryon, NC.  All of their wines are made of 100 percent North Carolina grapes, with estate grown fruit constituting the majority of wines produced.  Mountain Brook Vineyards currently produces three red wines, which include Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot. They also produce a Bordeaux style red blend: the aptly named “Magis” meaning “more” or “more excellent”. Their white wines include Chardonnay, aged in oak, and Pinot Grigio, aged in stainless  steel tanks. Lanahan will discuss the history of the vineyard and will share details of their award-winning winemaking process during a guided tour at 1 p.m. on June 24.

Looking Glass Creamery, who recently announced the expansion of their cheesemaking operation to the historic Harmon Dairy in Polk County, will be on-site at Mountain Brook Vineyards sampling and selling their cheeses as a part of the Farm Tour festivities. Looking Glass Creamery is a small, family run cheesemaking operation based in Fairview, NC which was started in 2009 by husband and wife team, Jennifer and Andy Perkins.

The company makes fresh to aged cheeses and caramel sauce from cow’s milk and has garnered regional and national recognition for their product line, including awards by the American Cheese Society and the Good Food Awards.

Car passes for the PolkFresh Farm Tour are on sale now at growrural.org and at the following locations:

Columbus Farmers’ Market, Manna Cabanna Organic Market, Meanwhile, Back in Saluda, Mill Spring Farm Store and Overmountain Vineyards. For more information, email Patrick McLendon at patrick@growrural.org.

– article submitted by Amy DeCamp