Family opens first Native American winery
LEXINGTON, N.C. -- North Carolina vineyards are getting another nod from wine lovers. That's because one of the state's fastest growing industries is now also the first in the country to have a Native American-owned winery.
When Darlene Gabbard started bottling wine, it was a hobby, something she gave away as gifts. Ten years later, her winery has become the first Native American-owned winery in the country.
“I didn't set out to hold that title, I am so proud that I do hold that title. I mean it's, I have had Native American people call me and say it's about time,”Gabbard, owner of Native Vines Winery said.
While she says that honor is more than words can express, it wasn't without her fair share of hesitations. “I was a little concerned with it because alcohol has had a bad connotation with Native Americans for such a long time,” Gabbard continued, “And I was afraid that it might look bad and that they might have a problem with it but they've embraced it.”
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Native Vines Winery is run by Gabbard and her family. They don't have expensive bottling equipment; instead they rely on simple manual machines to fill each bottle of wine individually. “You take it off, you hand it off to someone. They cork it with a hand corker and then it goes over to somebody else, they wipe it off and put a label on it,” Gabbard explained.
Most of the wine names honor Gabbard's Indian heritage. She designed each bottle's labels with a turquoise arrowhead and traditional Indian design. “I didn't want feathers and the traditional things that people think of when they think of Native Americans,” Gabbard added, “the Indian head with the big head dress and I wanted something subtle that meant something to me.”
Gabbard says she hopes to be able to produce 10,000 gallons of wine a year, just enough to support their farm and their family. The family hopes to have the renovations and an expansion of the winery completed by mid-April. That's when they plan to celebrate the grand opening with a Pow-Wow, a ceremony and a meeting among Native Americans.