La Belle Amie Vineyard

Hello Again!

Yesterday, we spent our Anniversary at the La Belle Amie Vineyard.  We started out with a Wine Tasting and then took a Self-Guided Tour of the Vineyard.  It is a small vineyard that grows Muscadine Grapes. It is run by a lady named Vicki who inherited the land that used to be an old tobacco farm from her uncle. Her uncle found a wild Muscadine vine and began to grow his own grape vines.  He bottled and gave away most of the wine he made. After his and Vicki's mother's passing, she decided to begin the vineyard, using the methods and expertise passed down from her uncle and ancestors (family wine makers in the South of France).  They experienced some rough times early on, as mother nature sent multiple hurricanes their way that ravaged the farm.  Each time they picked up the pieces, made some repairs, and have had great luck since 2004.

Our tasting was conducted by a lady named Chris, who was very pleasant and spoke of the vineyard very fondly.  We each tasted 6 or 7 different types of wine and were give 2 bonus tastings (a wine slushy and a warm cider mixture made from wine) which we enjoyed.  We bought 2 full cups of the wine slushy and set off on our personal tour of the vineyard.

 Here's Kelly and the Vineyard's "Ball Dog" Bella!

The tour took us passed a Carolina Bay, the Old Tobacco Barn, Vineyard #1 and Vineyard #3, the duck pond, and a honey bee hive.  With the aid of our handy tripod, we were able to take a few pictures along the way. We were provided with a tour booklet that provided much information about each of the stops and how they related to the vineyard.

At the Old Tobacco Barn

Figuring out the map...

 Posing for the camera in front of one of the vineyards.

The Beehive.

Shaded tables outside the shop.

We really enjoyed ourselves and would like to return someday for one of their many events that they put on throughout the year.

p.s. We are in Charleston now and plan on heading downtown to walk around tonight.  Tomorrow we plan on heading to the Aquarium and have booked an evening Pub Tour!  Check back to see if we've added anymore posts about our visit to Charleston!