Open House at the Jewel of the Blue Ridge Vineyard & Greenhouse Nursery on July 14, 2011

Everyone digs into the good food

Good food goes with good wine. Mead was made by JD Blethen from Arizona & Jonathon Cooper from Knoxville

The French Broad Vignerons brought lots of their home made wines for people to taste

French Broad Vigneron Alan Staton serves up some wine for Slow Food Asheville's Bob Bowles

French Broad Vigneron Cynthia Yancey chats with our 90 year old neighbor Renate Sorensen

The front yard of the Blethens' log home provides a beautiful setting among the flowers and shrubs planted by Jeannie.

The watermelon fruit bowl from Zuma's Cafe was a good complement to the cheeze from Victor Chiarzia and the Wineberry Torte donated by Elizabeth Vierengel

Everyone enjoyed the food and wines

The Blethens' potting shed is a focal point in the front yard and frames the fantastic view

Chuck demonstrating their top bar beehive - he is holding a frame with a piece of brood
comb tied in place to assist the swarm captured in a neighbor's house to stay in the hive.

Chuck describing one of the three varieties of cold-hardy figs growing at our vineyard

Part of the vineyard tour included our greenhouse funded by an AgOptions grant

This is the south side of our greenhouse with about 500 native cold-hardy Muscadine cuttings

Here Chuck is describing some of the differences between native grapes and native Muscadine grapevines

Chuck showing some visitors our Niagara grapevines

Lots of questions were asked about how to propagate and grow native cold-hardy Muscadines

A perfect match - a glass of wine and a grapevine in the sunlight!

Chuck hamming it up at our sign hanging ceremony

Done! Now where's my glass of wine?

Jeannie and Chuck toast their new vineyard sign

Madison County Specialty Crops Extension Agent Jenn Beck(left) and
AgOptions Project Manager Jennifer Ferre (right)
join Jeannie and Chuck in their toast to the new vineyard sign

Someof the 50 people who attended the Open House join in for a photo op at the vineyard sign

Now the sign is officially hung at the Jewel of the Blue RIdge Vineyard & Greenhouse Nursery

Last light ends the Open House as everyone heads down the mountain

Jewel of the Blue Ridge Consulting is a founding member of the Sustainable Appalachian Viticulture Institute