Winston-Salem based vineyard is a hidden gem
A warm glow floods the rustic walls of The Barn as David Stone, co-owner of Old Homeplace Vineyards for the past seven years, turns on the venue lights.
The Barn is a stunning collection of ready-to-use wedding decor, white tables and chairs filling the room with a sense of excitement even in its emptiness. There’s a stage at the back of the room with a high-reaching stone patterned fireplace. By the entrance is a bar, boasting cheap prices for the vineyard’s excellent wines and the occasional beer of soda. The doors leading to the outside balcony are closed shut from the weather. It’s a cool, rainy Saturday afternoon, and the winery has relaxed into a quiet energy for the day.
This weekend, The Barn is hosting no weddings or ceremonies, but the celebration venue is only one of the gems to be found at the vineyards. Outside of The Barn is the rest of the winery’s offerings, including the family home belonging to Jill Stone’s grandparents for 76 years prior, now converted into the main area for the wine tastings offered by the vineyard. The house can only be described as a quaint southern beauty, with rooms changed into sitting areas, a lobby area right by the kitchen, and bathrooms for the public. Landscape paintings fill the walls, and the smell of wine and rain permeates the air.
David and Jill Stone move around the space comfortably, flitting between the kitchen and various customers who filter in as the afternoon lingers. A basketball game plays on the TV for seemingly hours, one of the winery’s guests seated with his own glass for the duration of the game as he jokes with David Stone. As guests explore The Barn for incoming parties, or stop by the house for a tasting, they always seem to take a moment to pause and laugh with the Stones, the air filling with a friendliness and cheerful atmosphere that seems embedded into the very ground of the vineyards.
Old Homeplace Vineyards, named adequately for its history as Jill Stone’s ancestral home, is a beautiful stop amongst North Carolina’s multitude of winery offerings, promising its guests comfort, quality, and a familial environment in every season.
The winery boom in North Carolina has been many years in the making, establishing the state as the 11th-largest wine producer in the country. Business North Carolina reports that the industry contributes nearly $2 billion to the economy with over 500 vineyards and 200 wineries spread across the state. In Winston-Salem, Old Homeplace Vineyards stands out as a homey outing for couples, friends, tourists, and long-time dwellers alike to visit and enjoy.
The process of opening the vineyards was a long one, as David and Jill Stone worked out certifications, licenses, and how to outsource part of their winemaking process. The pair first started working to set things up in 2016, which included tending to the grounds and refurbishing the house to sustain customers. The couple also signed a contract with Childress Vineyards in order to work with esteemed winemaker Mark Friszolowski. The contract allowed them to use some of the expensive, higher-end machinery and production tools available to Childress Vineyards while still maintaining their distinctive flavor and input throughout the winemaking process.
“Before we opened, we always liked to go on Saturday afternoon or Sunday afternoon for a wine tasting. And I love to drink wine. That’s no secret. It’s relaxing, it’s enjoyable, you just put a bunch of friends around a couple bottles of wine and you can just enjoy the afternoon away,” Jill Stone said.
As the owners, the Stones have focused on founding a space for people to feel safe, happy, and peaceful. They work together to bring the most seamless and enjoyable experience to their clients as possible.
“[David] does the bookings for our entertainers. He takes care of all that,” Jill Stone said, “and then once it’s booked, I take it from there. I make sure that we have our guestlist taken care of and that the financial piece is taken care of. So we’re a good team. We balance each other.”
Old Homeplace Vineyards offers many delights to its clients, with a diverse collection of wines and crowd-filled weekend events for attendees to enjoy. The Barn is used every Sunday as a venue for concerts, comedy shows, and more. On Feb. 4, singer James Vincent Carroll performed. As a rock artist based in Winston-Salem, Carroll has performed multiple times at The Barn.
“This is my favorite venue. And a lot of people know that. So, my favorite part about coming here is the crowd is always attentive, people are always really into the music,” the singer explained, “and of course, their grounds are beautiful. So whether I’m playing inside or outside, there’s always plenty of room for people to dance or lay on blankets, you know, dogs running around, kids having a good time. It’s just a really good atmosphere.”
Outside of the events, The Barn is also host to multiple weddings and gatherings. According to David Stone, the venue can see up to 35 weddings per year. The idea started after a friend got married on the Stone property and expressed interest in a reception area. This led to the building of The Barn itself, which has now become a cozy haven for Old Homeplace Vineyard celebrations.
As for their wines, the Stones work closely with the winemaking process to create unique, high-quality flavors for their brand.
“When we opened, I told myself, I said, I want whoever walks through that door to find a wine that they’re going to enjoy having,” Jill Stone says.
The pair can host from 25 to 30 tastings on an average Saturday, with rates picking up in the summer months. The wines have won multiple golds at the Carolina Classic Fair, an annual fair held in Winston-Salem in the fall. Some of the winery’s most popular flavors include a dry red wine blend called Homecoming and a sweet white moscato called Skinny-Dipping, These flavors are part of a full collection of 23 different wines, made to appeal to any customer who walks through the door.
As for the other workers at Old Homeplace Vineyards, Olivia Stone, daughter to David and Jill Stone, has been working with her parents since she was little. As a UNC-Chapel Hill student, she tends to go between the winery and campus every few weekends to help out.
“I do a little bit of everything. I help my parents with tastings. I work the events on Sundays, whenever we have music, just all of the tastings, getting bottles from our metal building. So, a lot of carrying. I have to let the dogs out when they need to feed the horses. So, just anything and everything that you have to do on a farm and vineyard. I do all of that,” Olivia said.
Working on the winery has helped her establish discipline and patience, she said, and has brought her closer with her community as she interacts with customers both regular and new at every event.
The values instilled in the vineyard’s employees, as well as the work put in by David and Jill Stone to bring the winery to life as a familiar and comforting place to unwind, has made for an excellent space for residents and tourists to explore.
“People come together and have a good time without talking about politics and bad things going on around and just find joy,” David Stone said.
Story by Lesley Gonzalez / Visuals by Adrian Tillman. Both are students in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Media Hub.
