Steve Shepard recognizes the Yadkin Valley is still defining itself. But you have to draw a line
in the sand somewhere.
Yadkin Valley (AVA)
Discovering North Carolina's Yadkin Valley with Steve Shepard of RayLen Vineyards
"I believe the potential for this region is huge. We can produce world class wines. We can compete with wines from around the world in terms of quality and price."
by
Barbara Ensrud
September 12, 2006
Steve Shepard has been a winemaker in
North Carolina and its newest AVA, the
Yadkin Valley, since 1989. His winemaking career started in
Pennsylvania after graduating from Delaware Valley College in 1984. Shepard spent the next 10 years at several wineries in Pennsylvania, including
Buckingham Valley Vineyards, Bucks County Vineyards and Shuster Cellers. Then an opportunity at
Westbend Vineyards in North Carolina lured him south. In March of 2000, Steve took on a new challenge in the Yadkin Valley at a start-up operation at
RayLen Vineyards, where he currently oversees a 40-acre Vitis vinifera vineyard producing 10,000 cases of wine.
The Yadkin Valley became North Carolina's first American Viticulture Area (AVA) in 2005. Steve served 12 years on the Board of the North Carolina Grape Council between 1990 and 2002, and has served on the Board of The North Carolina Winegrowers Association since 1992.
Barbara Ensrud (BE): What brought you to North Carolina as a winemaker, and specifically to Yadkin Valley?
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