Medaloni Cellars — Attraction in North Carolina

Whether you live locally or at a distance, make sure to put Medaloni Cellars on your list of must visits. Medaloni Cellars is undoubtably my favorite winery in NC. When people think of USA wine they think of California, Washington, or maybe New York. People aren’t wrong, but they are missing out on the gems in North Carolina. Medaloni Cellars is one of the pioneer wineries of the Yadkin Valley AVA working hard to bridge that gap. First off, the wines. There is a little of something for everyone: red, white, and rose; dry and sweet; full bodied and light bodied, etc. they have it all. The best part though is that Joey (owner and winemaker) isn’t reaching such variety by randomly throwing darts at a board and hoping one makes a good wine. He is selective and intentional with each vintage’s varietal, so as to create the best wine possible every time. That said, he is not afraid to get creative. Most recently that I am aware of, he released a bourbon barrel aged red. It is hands down the best wine I have ever had! Usually bourbon barrel aged wine creates a lot of fiery bite that overwhelms any other flavors; not the case – just smooth robust flavor start to finish. Until this specific wine I believed bourbon barrel aging was a fad and had no place in winemaking. Joey proved me wrong; you really just need to find someone that knows what they are doing. Following up great wine is just as great a staff. Ken, Britny, and Liz do an amazing job winetending. Know what you want, they are happy to pour; don’t know where to begin, they know how to get you to where you want to be. Everyone is extremely knowledgeable and super friendly. I remember the first time I went to Medaloni I walked in hoping to get a few bottles for some friends, and two hours later I walked out with plenty of wine, a membership, and my new favorite winery. You really cannot go wrong here. On the weekends they have a lively atmosphere with food trucks and beautiful scenery. My favorite though is managing a trip during a weekday and enjoying a relaxed...

One of my favorite NC wineries but visiting here under Covid conditions would not be recommended. Generic red “x”s were taped to the floor in the tasting line, along with a Single chalk board sign encouraging social distancing but other simple precautions were being avoided. I immediately felt anxious about being there. They’re still using regular glasses. On my 2nd glass of wine they did not give me a clean glass and touched my used dirty one to go on and pour for others. I didn’t see hand sanitizer or no staff in masks. Containers for “dirty” glasses were still out in the open spread amongst the seating areas. The number of chairs on the patios appeared to be the same with no accounting for social distancing. And no one was wearing mask. I didn’t see a single staff member cleaning or checking on common areas. Being that I am very familiar with the Precautions businesses are being asked to take (but also familiar with businesses choosing not to) I felt it important for people to know that the efforts being made here were next to none. Very...

My hubby and I have often stayed in Winston Salem to attend NASCAR races in Martinsville. Happened upon Medaloni Cellars during a Google search of wineries and saw they had a cabin named Chateau Bergeron. Our last name is Bergerson; so I was intrigued. In August, we were going to Replacements, Ltd to sell crystal. I insisted we stay at Chateau Bergeron. It was an awesome and memorable experience. We were going to have a late arrival and they left on the lights. The wine tasting the next day was delicious (and I don’t usually like reds); my hubby loved the wine slushees. After returning from dinner, we sat on the porch and drank wine and took in the incredible view. There was no one nearby so we even danced on the winery patio. The staff was incredible as Alison recommended several delicious restaurants. The tasting room girls were extremely friendly. I sent the owner Joey an email and he immediately responded! Can’t wait for our next visit so we can walk the trails, enjoy delicious wine and slushees and a...