| |
There are times when everyone, including racers, need to slow down a bit. NASCAR Nextel Cup championship team owner Richard Childress has the perfect answer for temporarily leaving the sounds of those racing engines behind.
Thanks to Childress, one can enjoy the complete opposite of the fast-paced lifestyle racers and race fans endure. After a great deal of hard work and planning over the better part of the past decade, Davidson County has received one of its greatest gifts. At the crossroads of Highway 52 and Highway 64 is Childress Vineyards, a rather new venture that's nothing short of spectacular.
"I know if people are like me, they've got to step out of the fast lane for a while and relax," Childress said.
It's easy to see why the winery is truly a treasure worth discovering. Like the careful process used for producing the nine varietals of delicious red and white wines Childress offers, the road to fruition has been a long and steady process.
The idea to form a winery came some 30 years ago. Childress routinely traveled to California to compete as a driver in NASCAR races at the now defunct Riverside International Raceway and Ontario Motor Speedway.
While there, a variety of wines were shipped home and consumed until the next California events rolled around. With each trip, Childress' passion for creating his own winery became stronger and stronger.
"It's been a dream to locate a winery in my native state and in the county that has been so good to me and my racing business," Childress says.
"We want people to come to Childress Vineyards, enjoy the experience of this magnificent winery and taste that world-class wine that can be made here in North Carolina."
That dream finally transformed into reality on Oct. 14, 2004, when he and his partner in the venture, Greg Johns, opened the doors to their facility. Featured there is the Old World romance of a rustic Tuscan villa. And in Childress' first-class style, everything is decorated in authentic antique elegance, right down to the iron chandeliers, heavy architectural beams and cast-stone walls.
It's no surprise that Childress Vineyards and the 103 acres that surround it makes one feel as if they've stepped into an entirely different part of the world.
Even though some grapes are presently shipped in from various parts of the United States, there are rows and rows of vines, marked as to the types of wines they will produce, as well as stocked pond and gazebo. The view off the deck is truly beautiful, especially when accented by the sound of a live jazz band below.
The Banquet Hall, the tasting room, gift shop and Bistro combine to produce an experience one won't soon forget.
But there's one other special feature for those wanting to enjoy a taste of private elegance. Childress added a very special touch to the winery by adding what is known as "The Barrel Cave," which features a cascading waterfall and racks of oak barrels. The underground room can accommodate up to 20 for lunches, dinners and meetings.
Add an exceptional service staff that pays close attention to detail and you have a complete winning package. No surprise there. Like with each of his Welcome-based race teams, he surrounds himself with the very best.
Over 35 years have passed since Childress first began racing cars at Winston-Salem's Bowman Gray Stadium. Throughout a career of tremendous racing success that includes six NASCAR championships, he remains as down-to-earth as the ground from which his grapes grow.
A visit to Childress Vineyards isn't one traveled at 200 miles per hour. That's exactly why it's a trip worth taking.
Ben White is the motorsports columnist for The Dispatch.
|
