A new entry into the field of Yadkin Valley AVA vineyards is Golden Road Vineyards. Located about 8 miles northeast of Elkin in Surry County, North Carolina, the new vineyard is on Golden Road in the community of State Road, N.C.

Golden Road Vineyards is being developed by Bill and Sue Harmon, formerly of Evanston, Illinois, just outside of Chicago. The Harmons have long been wine enthusiasts, and discovered the Yadkin Valley in 2009. They were so impressed by the wineries, the scenery and the friendly people that they decided to launch their own project.

The Harmons plan to be growers, selling their grapes to local wineries and others. Their mission is to produce consistently superior fruit to enhance the winemaker’s art. “We believe in the slogan ‘great wine starts in the vineyard,’” Bill Harmon said. “We will strive to produce the best fruit possible giving winemakers a solid foundation to build a great wine.”

Since purchasing about 25 acres of rolling pasture and wooded land on Golden Road in March 2010, the Harmons’ have made a detailed evaluation of the soil conditions and determined the best varieties for the site. Their five acres of vines were planted with five vinifera and hybrid varieties in April 2011.

542 Golden Road
State Road, NC 28676
Tel - 847 508 8991

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Hours: By appointment

Owners: Bill and Sue Harmon

Wines or Grapes: Wines or Grapes: “We want to provide what wineries in the area will want and need in a few years when our vineyard begins to produce," said Sue Harmon. "We hope winemakers will contact us about their requirements so we can help them produce great wines.”

We planted five varieties of grapes in April 2011. Our selections are:

PETIT MANSANG -- small, thick-skinned berries naturally high in acidity that
yield very high quality white wines.

TANNAT -- distinguished for their generous tannins, tannat grapes contribute color and backbone to robust red blends.

TRAMINETTE -- produces white wines with varietal characteristics similar to its
parent grape Gewürztraminer; high quality, fragrant wines with distinctively spicy flavors.

MERLOT -- loose bunches of large, blue-violet berries, often blended with
cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and/or petit verdot.

PETIT VERDOT -- a blending grape due to its intense color, acidity, and “spice box” flavoring elements; also used to produce very high quality varietal wines in warmer climates.