Friday night my husband and I celebrated our 16th Wedding Anniversary at Treehouse Vineyards in Monroe, NC. We were married at St Paul’s Episcopal Church in Monroe and had our reception at my grandparents farm, which incidentally is just a stone’s throw from the Treehouse Vineyards.
I arrived in Monroe a little ahead of my husband and decided to visit the farm before I headed over to the Treehouse. The farm is still active as it is rented to several different farmers, but the house has been vacant since my grandmother died 5 1/2 years ago. Actually it’s been longer than that since she lived the last year or two of her life in a Nursing Home.
It breaks my heart to see the house in such disrepair and so neglected. I didn’t stay long, just long enough to walk around the exterior of the house.
At the Treehouse Vineyards, owner Dianne Nordan quickly raised my spirits. We were lucky to have her all to ourselves for our wine tasting. They are currently producing 7 wines, all from 8 varieties of Muscadine grapes which they grow in their vineyard. Because muscadines are native to Union County, they are able to grow their grapes organically. If you’ve never tasted Muscadine wine, it tends to be sweet with the very distinctive taste of the Muscadine Grape. The wine tasting was very enjoyable with Diane giving us the story behind each of their wines.
We also were able to sample their wine-a rita which is kind of their signature thing. The wine-a-rita is available in boxed kits consisting of 2 bottles of Muscadine Syrup and 1 bottle of Red Wine. To make the wine-a-rita, you mix 1 bottle of Muscadine Syrup with 1/2 bottle of wine in a ziplock bag which is also provided in the kit. Then place the bag in the freezer and it produces a wonderful Sangria-like concoction. Makes a very unique gift.
In the short 1 1/2 years that the Treehouse Vineyards has been open they have experienced a great deal of success and are getting ready to expand their tasting room.
View of the Vineyards.
For $100 a night, you can rent this treehouse equipped with a small kitchenette, bathroom and loft bedroom. It also has heat and air conditioning. We opened the windows and turned on a ceiling fan and had the most wonderful breeze. It really did feel like sleeping in a tree.
Treehouse Vineyards has 1 other treehouse which is only available for hourly rentals as it does not have plumbing. It is fantastically high up in a tree (I think there is a picture of it in my previous Treehouse Vineyards post). We also learned that there are plans for a third treehouse with 2-bedrooms that will be prefect for a girls’ night out.
If you are interested in visiting the Treehouse Vineyards, they are located at 301 Bay St, Monroe NC 28112. Visit their website for hours and more information.
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