The following is a guest blog by Caitlyn Randall. Caitlyn is a Communications Specialist with the NCDA&CS Marketing Section. In honor of National Red Wine Day, taking place on Aug. 28, Caitlyn, along with other marketing division staff, interviewed Preston Williams, owner of Seven Springs Farm & Vineyard in Norlina.
“I tell people this is Holy Land, and the definition of Holy Land is it’s designated for a purpose,” said co-owner of Seven Springs Farm & Vineyard, Preston Williams. “When people cross the ditch out front and enter the property they feel a sense of peace,” he said, “people tend to laugh when they come to Seven Springs, and that’s good for the soul.” In honor of National Red Wine Day, taking place on Aug. 28, I interviewed Preston, along with other members of our marketing staff, to get a behind the scenes look at his vineyard and all the hard work done by growers like him. Our interview was full of smiles and laughter as Preston’s admiration for family, the community, and “the Supreme Creator”, aka God, shined through his every word.
Seven Springs Farm & Vineyard in Norlina, North Carolina opened their doors in 2020 with clear vision of the future – navigating the coronavirus pandemic and all its related challenges. Preston says that COVID-19 surprisingly helped their business because visiting a winery was a creative outdoor activity people could enjoy. In fact, the Williams family even utilized the pond and dock on the property to offer a unique and romantic date night for couples. Today, guests can tour the grounds, enjoy the beautiful scenery and sip wine on the porches. The tasting room, however, is still limited to 10 guests at a time.
The vineyard was named after the seven natural springs located on the property. Everyone who had a chance to try water from these springs, said it was the best water ever! In the future, the family hopes to open up one of the natural springs to the public and allow people to take home some bottled natural spring water. Since the vineyard is home to the best water around, why not name the best wine after it? Buck Springs wine, one of the vineyards many varieties, was named after one of the springs located on Preston’s mother’s property growing up. Today, it continues to have a symbolic and sentimental meaning both to him and his family.
We asked Preston the backstory on the names of his other wines. My favorite response was the naming of the wine, Fishin’ Creek Red. “In case anyone in the family ever gets big headed about having a winery, I’ll tell them to have a glass of this and remember you’re from little Fishin’ Creek in Warren county,” he said. That quote sets the tone for Seven Springs Farm & Vineyard, a place where you can come and simply be at home.
Nothing says home like some downhome, Southern cooking! Seven Springs Farm & Vineyard has partnered with Divine Foods to offer a plethora of other products that individuals can enjoy with a glass of wine, including pickles, chowchow, apple butter and honey. They also have a variety of nonalcoholic ciders available for those looking for a lowkey drink to enjoy. All of these products can be found in their specialty foods tasting room at the vineyard.
In the future, Seven Springs Farm & Vineyard is working to expand the buildings on their site as well as incorporate an animal exhibit for children. In fact, they already have the donkeys on-site for this exhibit that were originally put in to keep away coyotes. “While the donkeys are amazing to have around, we all fully believe that they need some friends,” he said. The family is also currently working to build three cabins around the pond, in addition to their two existing Air B&B options, as well as a shelter near the main road.
So celebrate National Red Wine Day on Aug. 28 with a bottle of Fishin’ Creek Red wine and some specialty food items from their tasting room store! You can even create a charcuterie board that will pair well with any wine that you choose. Nothing about that seems big headed to me!
