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By Susan Shinn
Salisbury Post
LEXINGTON -- Mark Friszolowski loves to sail, but he hasn't had his boat in the water for two years.
He's been a little busy.
As winemaker for Childress Vineyards, Friszolowski was charged by owner Richard Childress to make wines with a broad appeal to wine connossieurs and casual drinkers alike.
He's done well.
The first vintage from the winery -- 2004 -- has won 17 gold medals.
The most honored has been the 2004 Viognier, a medium-bodied dry white wine that's won gold medals at the Colorado State Fair, the Atlantic Seaboard Vinifera Wine Competition and the American Wine Society's annual competition.
"It turned a lot of heads," Friszolowski says.
It's safe to say that Friszolowski won't be going sailing again any time soon.
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Friszolowski, 46, has been a winemaker for all of his professional life. Several years ago, he was working at a specialty winery on Long Island. It had the largest premium production on the East Coast.
He'd established his reputation. He'd planned on retiring there -- unusual because most winemakers change jobs every few years.
He started getting messages from some guy named Richard Childress. Friszolowski didn't follow NASCAR, so he had no idea who Childress was. Childress, a former driver, took over ownership of the late Dale Earnhardt's car in 1981. Together, the duo built one of the sport's most formidable teams.
That partnership ended in 2001 when Earnhardt was killed at Daytona.
Friszolowski knew nothing about this. He didn't know that Childress, who became interested in wines when he visited California wineries while racing in the '70s, wanted to build his own winery.
He didn't know this because he wasn't returning Childress' calls.
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Now Friszolowski is in charge of every drop of wine that's made at the Lexington winery.
Not only can he tell you all about the grapes that make the wines aging in oak barrels, he can tell you about the barrels. Which forest in France the trees were grown in. Which cooper made the barrel. Whether the barrel is a medium or heavy toast -- this process makes the interior of the barrel uniform and helps flavor the wine.
Six to eight months after harvest, white wines are available; chardonnays, 15 months. The process is 18 months to two years for reds.
Friszolowski is detail-oriented, but with a single focus.
"We're an active, functioning winery," he says. "We make wine. That's it. Primarily, is what we do."
Friszolowski points out that the winery is an agricultural entity.
When it was brand-new, the winery had to buy grapes from other growers. Now, with its own vines producing, the winery relies on a combination of grapes, grown on site and purchased elsewhere.
It's a good combination, Friszolowski says. "By buying from other growers, we're promoting the agricultural side of the business."
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In 2006, the winery plans to release estate wines -- wines made from grapes grown at Childress' home, known as Hampton Estate, and from grapes grown at the winery, known as Vineyard Crossing.
"We do it all here," Friszolowski says, taking visitors on a tour of the winery. He passes the bottling room, the barrel room, the fermentation room and the lab.
The wine library is an interesting place. Here, Friszolowski stores cases of wine from each red wine vintage he makes, so that he can taste how the wine ages over the years, and compare different years.
The library is critical, because all the wines from Childress Vineyards' first year sold out.
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Watching the wine age, he says, is a bit like watching a child grow up.
"This first time I ever caught a buzz off my own wine," he says, "I thought, this is cool, I like this."
That was a long time ago.
Do children dream about being winemakers when they grow up?
Friszolowski did.
His father, a businessman, collected wines. He also owned a restaurant. Friszolowski, whose mother was a painter, grew up around wines.
He got a job at a vineyard in high school. Being a winemaker is the only job he's ever had.A native of Fayetteville, Friszolowski spent 26 years in the Army Reserves. He grew up on eastern Long Island, an agricultural area.
He sits at dinner with his wife and three sons, 7, 12, and 14, while the family tastes different wines.
"It drives my boys crazy," he admits.
But the 7-year-old has told him, "Dad this wine is way out of balance."
"Wine is a part of life," Friszolowski explains. "Heck, when they go to a restaurant and order from the wine list, they're gonna impress some girl."
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Friszolowski could only ignore Childress for so long.
He'd gotten calls in the past when other wineries were starting. It feeds the ego, he says, but he had neither the time nor the inclination to explore his options.
So when Childress' staff called, Friszolowski would respond politely, but firmly, with "Not interested."
Until one Friday afternoon, after attending a tasting, Friszolowski got a call on his cellphone from the man himself.
"I was trying to be polite," Friszolowski says, "but Richard said, 'You were never gonna call back.'"
Friszolowski told Childress he was not "even remotely interested" in his new winery.
Childress persisted. He had business in New York -- would he at least meet for dinner?
Friszolowski agreed. But he'd be under no obligation, and insisted on paying his own way.
"That's how he sucked me in," Friszolowski says, grinning. "The truth was, that deep down inside, I was tired of traveling. I wanted to sit back and have some fun."
The meeting went well. Obviously.
"That first dinner, I knew our chemistry together was too good," Friszolowski says. "I knew I was in trouble."
"It's just like building a racing team," Childress says of assembling his winery staff. "You build it around people. You can have a pretty building, but you gotta have quality wine. He's just done a phenomenal job. As soon as we started talking, we realized we had common thoughts and goals. He's a genuine person, too. I enjoy spending time with him."
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Childress told Friszolow-ski he planned to spend $10 million to $15 million on building a winery. In North Carolina.
"I told him, 'Don't spend that money in North Carolina,' " Friszolowski says.
Childress had made up his mind.
It can be done, the winemaker told him, but it would always be a "sell."
When he visits stores or restaurateurs, he always asks them to taste his wines against the house wines -- which he purchases for the blind taste test.
"It never fails," Friszolowski says.
Childress wines get added to the menu.
Childress wines are available in several tiers -- the house wines which sell for about $10 a bottle, the varietals priced from $12.99-$16.99; the reserve wines which will be sold to restaurants; the signature series wines and the wines made for members of the winery's Fast Track wine club. Friszolowski characterizes these as eclectic, small-lot blends, hand-crafted wines.
The first year, Friszolowski says, was more than he expected.
"I completely underestimated the celebrity of Richard," he says. "And I completely underestimated his passion for doing things right. He does it right and he's a really, really sharp guy. If it doesn't meet a certain level, it doesn't go in the bottle."
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An exciting time at the winery takes place when the new wines are ready for tasting.
"Everybody tastes. I'm the only one whose opinion really counts," Friszolowski says, grinning again.
Richard Childress, a hands-on business owner, participates in the tastings with Friszolowski.
"I want somebody to share in the fun and the passion," Friszolowski says. "It's like standing in Niagara Falls all by yourself. It's an experience and you want to share it with somebody."
The pair want to make wines they like, but also offer wines that have consumer appeal. He notes that 90 percent of all wines are consumed within 24 hours of purchase.
"You have to go with trends," he says.
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Part of Friszolowski's mission is educating folks about wine, making it accessible. He's president of the N.C. Winegrowers' Association.
"Richard will get our first sale," he says, "But the quality of our wine will get us the second sale."
The gold medals are nice, Friszolowski allows. Besides that, they give the winery credibility.
"People say, "A winery in North Carolina? Oh come on,' " Friszolowski says. "We'll prove all the naysayers wrong. We're doing great. This is not Richard's hobby. He treats it as seriously as he does racing."
The winery has just hired its first full-time chef. Fresh sandwiches, soups and salads are now available at the bistro, which does a booming lunch business.
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So when will Friszolowski see that boat again? No telling.
"I don't do anything except work," he says. "It's terribly sad."
He brings his boys along on Saturdays. It's a great place for the 7-year-old and a friend to play hide-and-seek.
Does Friszolowski worry he'll get burned out?
"I don't know," he says. "I've always been driven by what I do. They say, if you want to get something done, you get it to a busy man."
He loves the challenge of maintaining consistency in a product that's different every year.
"Different is OK," he says. "If it's good, it's OK."
He adds, "We want it to be a little bit more. We don't want to be average. We want to be better."
He eventually wants Piedmont North Carolina to be a place known for fine wine.
And for the best of that wine to bear the name of Childress Vineyards.
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For more information, call 336-236-9463 or visit www.childressvineyards.om.
Contact Susan Shinn at 704-797-4289 or sshinn@salisburypost.com.
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