Jewel of the Blue Ridge Vineyard Photo Gallery

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Our first newspaper article in 2011
In 2016 a storm destroyed our original wooden sign made by a local artist, Dennis Ruane
Our new acrylic sign
Aerial View of our vineyard
Looking North from our classroom

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Our Vineyard

Katuah Muscadine
Katuah Scuppernong
JBRV Vineyard slope
Muscadine blooms ready to open
Air layering propagation after 45 days – just look at those roots!
Jaron Payne cutting the bottle off the root ball so we can pot it

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Our Walapini (Underground greenhouse)

40′ x 10′ walapini inside dimensions – Inside temperature never gets below 40F even though outside temperature is single digits
Preparing Muscadine grapevine cuttings for propagation
Cuttings stuck in Vermiculite
Rooted cutting (start) after 45 days in Vermiculite
Rooted cutting (Start) after 60 days
Planting the Muscadine starts
First blooms open in June
Almost ripe
First ripe Katuah Scuppernongs
Fully ripe Katuah Muscadines

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Our Kitchen

Jeannie received her first box of commercially produced Muscadine Preserves
Ready for the local store shelves
Some of our grapes are used to make wine for us and friends
…and a chocolate pie!
One of Jeannie’s famous Grape-hull Muscadine pies…
… made in our 100 year old Home Comfort wood-burning kitchen stove

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Our Scottish Highland Cows

2 of our Scottish Highland calves
Bonnie and her new calf
They don’t like to take turns getting a drink
Rosette and her new calf
Rosie at 2 days old
Eating hay in January

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Around our Farm

Had to take a neighbor’s calf to the vet
Black bears can smell our grapes from 2 miles away
A fawn hiding in the grass near our vineyard
Scottish Highland sign
Pumpkin, our cat, watching a flock of domestic turkeys from our neighbor’s farm walk by our front door
A little bandit stealing some of my grapes

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Around our log home

Our blue wood stove heats our log home
Buffalo berries ready for winemaking this winter
Pumpkin pies are always around during the holidays
Taking it easy with Skuzzy after a hard day’s work in the garden
Clary & Skippy napping – again!
Jeannie’s Muscadine grape-hull pie

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Around our Workshop

Hand made brick for posterity
Wood lathe turning a harlequin rolling pin made from tobacco sticks
Cheese board made out of tobacco sticks
Turned an old walnut slab into a coffee table for the sun room
Making laminated planks from tobacco sticks that will become cutting boards
My dad’s favorite expression when working around the shop – dinged my finger on the band saw!

Our Classroom

The JBRV Classroom
Custom made Classroom front door
Maple bathroom counter with a stone sink & pitcher pump faucet
Maple coffee table for guest apartment
Custom made walnut tables for the classroom
Podium & window bench in classroom
Judging wines in a competition
2 DTMs, District 37 Public Relations Officer for 2 years, District 37 Outstanding Toastmaster of the Year, Chief Instructor Mountain Grape School

Chuck has earned 2 DTM awards – one in AZ & one in NC that allowed him to travel the world with Jeannie as a cruise ship lecturer.

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On The Road

Traveled to Spring Creek to get married September 9, 2009
Jeannie designed our wedding bands
Visiting Hinnant Vineyards in NC
Lectured on wine etiquette on the Mississippi Queen paddle boat
Virginia Tech Class of 62 reunion in Blacksburg VA
Teaching at AB Tech
We were among a group of Madison County farmers who were selected to attend Terra Madre in Torino, Italy in 2010 by Slow Food USA – all expenses paid!
Terra Madre Torino, Italy 2010
Jeannie won First Prize in the Madison County old barn photo contest
Teaching wine making
Toastmaster of the Year award in NC
Spring Toastmaster’s Conference in Raleigh
Jeannie’s birthday in San Francisco 2012
AnnaCapri, Italy 2008
Teaching at the Madison County Co-Operative Extension Office
Vatican 2008
French Broad Vignerons visit Pleb Urban Winery in Asheville
Leaning Tower of Pisa (2013) – Visited lots of wineries & vineyards
Enjoying a glass of wine in Tuscany, Italy
Fine Wine Society Annual Awards banquet in Winston-Salem
Chuck & Jeannie visiting CERVIM in Italy
My son, Brian, brought our Squire #8 back from Chicago to NC in 2021 for my birthday so I could drive it on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Nice!
Visiting the opera house in Sydney, Australia 2018
Visit to the Parliament House in Canberra, Australia 2018