Richard's passion for fine wine is as
genuine as his passion for auto racing. He
embarked on a journey of experiencing different
wines as his career in auto racing took him to
tracks near the wine regions of California.
Richard was moved by the passion he saw
in the farmers who grew and harvested the
grapes, and inspired by the warm spirit of
the winemaking community.

Always one to pursue his passions, Richard
eventually began to consider the possibilities
of planting his
own vineyard.
At the encouragement
of business partner, Greg Johns, he began researching the potential for successfully producing fine wines in North Carolina's Piedmont. Soon, both Richard and Greg were raising trellises in their own backyards, experimenting with different grape varieties. As the experiments continued, they both realized a need for more expertise. They hired a team of viticulturists and the harvests became plentiful.

To help fulfill Richard's vision of creating North Carolina's signature winery, finding an expert winemaker was the next task. So Richard recruited the talents of Mark Friszolowski, a nationally acclaimed winemaker. Before coming to Childress Vineyards, Mark was with Pindar Vineyards, the largest premium winery on Long Island and was leading the way for successful winemaking on the East Coast. Having won hundreds of awards for his wines, Mark has a track record in the wine industry as impressive as Richard's record in the field of racing.

So, as the winemaker for Childress Vineyards, Mark Friszolowski is now setting out to do in North Carolina what he's already accomplished in New York State....establish the state as a region for signature winemaking.

That's our story for now. But just like our grapes, it's growing richer each day. So keep checking back for more.