Chateau Morrisette

Chateau Morrisette

Sunday, August 12, 2012

     Chateau Morrisette is a winery located directly off of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Floyd, Virgnia (south of Roanoke).  They are best known for their "Black Dog" wines and their five star restaurant.  They also host several notable music festivals throughout the summer and fall.  We drover their today because they were featuring food and beer from The Weeping Radish Restaurant and Microbrewery located in Grandy, North Carolina (on the mainland near the Outer Banks).  The Weeping Radish had been one of our favorite places to visit in Maneo, North Carolina during vacations in Nags Head before it closed that location and moved to Grandy.

     The grounds of the Chateau Morrisette are magnificent.  There are pleasant views of the surrounding mountains and their gardens are attractive and very well maintained.  The gift shop is housed in a 33,000 square foot building which I was told is the largest recycled timber building in the United States.  The large beams of the building were salvaged from a warehouse in the Pacific Northwest and the smaller timber came from old ships.  In this building you can tour the winery, buy wine related souvenirs and enjoy a wine tasting.  We were there for the beer, however, so we didn't do any of those.

     There was a fine four piece band named "Bone Cold" which played an energetic mix of 70s and 80s rock and roll.  Their singer was particularly talented.

     The highlight of the day, however, was indeed the brats and beer sold by The Weeping Radish.  We enjoyed   a few beers and had lunch, listened to the band and bought some wine.  The weather was absolutely perfect and we enjoyed the drive home along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  I'm sure we will return soon and often to Chateau Morrisette and next time I want to take the wine tour and enjoy the restaurant.