S.W. and Rich Hermansen
Guest Writers
wine@lbknews.com
With the advent of the hurricane season on the East Coast, wild fires in the dry heat of California, tornadoes and floods in between, and election fever gripping the nation, James 
Taylor’s Carolina In My Mind beckons wine tourists to the cool air of the Blue Ridge in the Western North Carolina mountains.
During the current week in September, dry air with high temperatures in the high 60’s and low 70’s, and lows around 20 degrees cooler, offer an escape from late summer heat. In the vicinity of the Linville Gorge, billed as the Grand Canyon of the East, tourists enjoy golf, hiking, fishing, tennis, the vistas overlooking the Gorge, and, at the boutique Pineola resort, three inviting pickle ball courts alongside a party deck off the Taproom.
A few miles from the Pineola, tourists interested in wine will find the Linville Falls Winery, a family-owned vineyard with an exceptional tasting room and music venue. Locals recommended Linville Falls as the best of the vineyards in the area.
Jack Wiseman, the person who founded the winery and continues as its proprietor, has