Two new wine shops, each with a tasting room, have opened along the Wilmington riverfront.
 
Jenn Norris has launched Jenn’s Vin, a boutique wine shop dedicated to award-winning wines from North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley.
 
Norris grew up in the Yadkin Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area), the largest AVA in the state, and is passionate about sharing the wines of this region with fellow North Carolinians and visitors to the state. She recently closed her Raleigh location and relocated to Wilmington where she felt she would have better access to tourists.
 
“My strategy is to move into muscadine territory and disrupt people’s thinking about the quality of wines being produced in North Carolina,” Norris said.
 
Norris carries only wines made with 100 percent Yadkin Valley grapes, featuring producers such as Jones von Drehle and Raffaldini Vineyards.
 
Tastings are $10 per couple and include five whites, five reds and a rose, and all of the wines are available by the glass and bottle. Special orders and private tastings are also available.
 
“Wine is really an experience, and I want people to experience these fantastic wines from the Yadkin Valley,” Norris said. “There’s a reason that AVA is now being referred to as the Napa of the east coast.”
 
Jenn’s Vin is located at Chandler’s Wharf, 225 S. Water St., Suite J. See https://www.facebook.com/jennsvinncwines/ for hours of operation.
 
Silver Coast Winery of Ocean Isle Beach has opened a tasting room and retail shop at the Old Wilmington City Market.
 
Albert Gomes, head wine taster for Silver Coast, said that the new tasting room is an opportunity for the winery to have a presence in Wilmington.
 
“We’ve had great success with creating new clients at our tasting room in Southport and this location has a great flow of tourist traffic as well,” Gomes said.
 
Silver Coast Winery has won over 400 medals for its wines since its opening in 2002. Owners Maryann and John Azzatto, along with wine maker Dana Keeler, produce 14 European-style wines. Eighty percent of their grapes are grown in the Yadkin Valley and twenty percent are from Georgia. While the grapes are grown elsewhere, all of the wines are produced at the Ocean Isle Beach winery.
 
Tastings are priced at $8 for five wines and $12 for ten wines. All wines are available by the glass and bottle.
 
Silver Coast Winery Tasting Room is located at the Old Wilmington City Market, 119 S. Water St., unit B. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday though Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday. Look for expanded hours after Memorial Day.
 
Have a tip for Restaurant Roundup? Email us at: [email protected]