Neuse River Winery

This is truly a «mom and pop» shop. It is located about a mile out of Oriental (a hamlet) behind an old cemetery. We sampled several: the Norton (light red and extremely dry), mead, Coastal white (semi-​dry), blackberry and blueberry. Both the berry wines are young but fruity. One should not compare this to French or Napa wines. All of the Neuse River Winery wines are simple, straight forward. They are drinkable. The coastal white pairs well with cheeses, fish or chicken. The two berry wines can be used as dessert wines. I was pleasantly surprised by how little after taste was detected.
In the backroom I saw 5-​gal carboys, 15 to 55-​ga SS tanks. There are no oak barrels for secondary fermentation. I suppose these fruits are not ideal for malolactic fermentation.
The wife has a quilt business and sells local products such as oil paintings, wine glasses, fruit jams and twinklets. Both husband and wife are simple people who are turning their hobbies into income producing activities. They were very hospitable. Don’t expect bold wines or complex wines.
The small quiet village is picturesque. It is about 28 miles from New Bern and 9 miles to the Cherry Branch Minnesott ferry terminal. Today the village had very few visitors. I plan to return to explore in the summer when more tourists are here.
UPDATE: Don’t buy any wine. They cannot be stored. Fermentation continued in these bottles leading to CO2 build-​up and explosion. One bottle exploded on my dining room rack, spraying blueberry juice all over one wall, the rack, my dining room furniture and the hardwood floor. I have revised my rating to 1 star.

This is truly a fun place and a labor of love. We’re new to Oriental, so we were just wandering and decided to check it out a month or so back. We drove up the narrow lane, pulled into the small lot, and out came some wonderfully bounding dogs full of friendliness. Our hosts quickly took them inside (our dog was happy to see them from the car but the barking was a little much from him!), and we went inside for a delightful tasting. This isn’t Napa, or Paso Robles — we’re from California — but these are delicious wines, and we loved them. There’s a great selection of locally made jams, which we stocked up on for friends, but it was the home-​iness and kindness that we liked the most. We started as customers, and left — laden with wine that we’ve enjoyed — as friends!