UNE 18, 2009 ISSUE
Winkler’s Creek Valley Is Watauga County’s Newest Wine Country
 The
Vineyard at Winkler’s Creek, located at The Lodges of Winkler’s Creek
town home development, is the latest in a series of wine grape
vineyards to be planted in the High Country. Photo courtesy of Freda
Wilkins Photography The Vineyard at Winkler’s
Creek is the latest in a series of wine grape vineyards to be planted
in the High Country. The small vineyard was planted last week at The
Lodges at Winkler’s Creek, an Adirondack style town home community two
miles from Boone on Winkler’s Creek Road. The vineyard was laid out,
soil prepared, planted and a fescue cover crop was planted early last
week. The first crop of grapes will be harvested in three years.
“We chose the sunny south slope of Rainbow Mountain next to Winkler’s
Creek for the vineyard because of its southern exposure and the
elevation of 3,000 feet which is perfect for the French hybrid wine
grapes we planted,” said Lucien Wilkins, co-developer of The Lodges at
Winkler’s Creek. According to Wilkins, mountain-grown grapes have more
color, flavor and antioxidants because of the short growing season and
high elevation.
“We planted the vineyard for the enjoyment of residents of the Lodges.
The wine grapes make great jams and jellies, juice and crisp mountain
wines. Our grapes will reflect the unique terroir of the Winkler’s
Creek valley and the flavors cannot be reproduced at any other
location. It is our intention to make the finest wines in the Carolinas
from grapes grown between Boone and Blowing Rock. Planting vineyards in
the High Country is a great way to renew agriculture as a profession.
It can be a great new agricultural replacement for tobacco and
evergreen trees,” said Wilkins.
Information on growing grapes in the High Country is available from the
High Country Winegrowers Association and the North Carolina Winegrowers
Association. ASU also has a wine grape outreach program that can assist
those interested in starting their own vineyard.
At the Lodges, developers have also protected the late harvest trout
stream running through the property, built a stone bridge, replanted
hundreds of Trillium plants, hand cleared walking and hiking trails,
tilled a garden plot and built a timber frame pavilion with a stone
fireplace. The first town homes in the Old Homeplace Lodge will be
completed in July.
The 47-acre property is the site of the original Rowe Keller home place
and mill. The ruins of the old mill at the edge of Winkler’s Creek, the
mill race, a grape arbor, apple orchard and a stone wall that
surrounded the original cabin in a hollow near the spring head remain
as reminders of its mountain heritage.
“I have spoken with residential developers in Watauga, Ashe and Avery
counties who are considering adding vineyards to their amenities.
Residents and visitors enjoy having events like weddings and reunions
in a vineyard,” said Wilkins.
Recently, vineyard-based inns and residential communities have popped up in North Carolina and Virginia.
For more information, click to www.thelodgesatwinklerscreek.com.
Best Places to Live + Play: Mountain Towns
National Geographic Adventure announces this year's top 50 adventure towns, state-by-state. Text by Dan Koeppel
Wilderness | Small Towns | Mountains | Waterfront | Cities | Las Vegas
See All Towns >>
Hot Spot: Bishop, California >>
Hot Spot: New Paltz, New York >>
Boone, North Carolina
- Population: 14,132
- Median home price: $232,000
-
The radius: Low-key Boone, at 3,333 feet (1,016 meters), is higher than
any major town east of the Mississippi River. (Downtown views of the
Blue Ridge Mountains are spectacular.) Climbers head to the
2,000-foot-deep (610-meter-deep) Linville Gorge for towering multipitch
walls, while the Nolichucky River,
60 miles (97 kilometers)
southwest, is one of the least traveled white-water stretches in the
region: From the 3,000-foot (914-meter) deep Nolichucky Gorge, it
funnels into the legendary "Quarter Mile Rapid," the longest continuous
Class IV in the Southeast.
Gunnison, Colorado
- Population: 5,300
- Median home price: $220,100
-
The radius: The Gunnison River territory is blessed with 25 feet (8
meters) of Colorado's airy powder a year—more than any other ski area
in the state. Come summer, mountain bikers head up the hill to Crested
Butte's singletrack; rock climbers reign on the 2,000-foot-walls
(610-meter-walls) of Black Canyon of the Gunnison; and cowpokes
converge for Cattlemen's Days, the oldest rodeo in the state (this year
marks the 107th).
Missoula, Montana
- Population: 62,923
- Median home price: $218,000
-
The radius: A legendary Rocky Mountain retreat: Hiking, skiing, biking,
and white-water paddling are all within minutes of town. Find your own
options along 2,495 miles (4,015 kilometers) of trails in mammoth Lolo
National Forest. Also a mountain-bike-touring hotbed, Missoula is home
to Adventure Cycling Association (www.adv-cycling.org),
which maps and maintains seven cross-country road-bike routes. Glacier
and Yellowstone are three hours in either direction, and the town is at
the center of fly-fishing's Golden Triangle, where brook and rainbow
trout thrive.
Hanover, New Hampshire
- Population: 11,156
- Median home price: $376,040
-
The radius: This highbrow enclave, set in the Connecticut River
Valley's White Mountain foothills, is home to Dartmouth College. The
university's Hitchcock Medical Center is one of the best in the
country, while nearby Saint-Gaudens National Historic Site—the home,
gardens, and studios of sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens—hosts classical
music concerts every July and August. The Appalachian Trail passes
right through town, and 25 miles (40 kilometers) east, the climb to
Mount Cardigan's 3,155-foot (962-meter) summit ends with a rocky
scramble and full-circle views of the Presidential Range and Green
Mountains.
Wenatchee, Washington
- Population: 29,920
- Median home price: $201,463
-
The radius: Three hours from Seattle, typical Pacific Northwest climate
patterns don't apply here (Wenatchee gets 300 days of sunshine a year).
But the friendly town is perfectly in sync with the region's
outdoor-centric values. It's parked in prime alpinist territory, at the
foot of the Cascades and on the edge of 4.1-million-acre
(2-million-hectare) Okanogan and Wenatchee National Forest. Icicle
Canyon is the climbing hot spot, but there are dozens of others,
ranging from easy to legendary. Planning your housewarming party? Tap
the Wenatchee Huenachis, a mariachi band featuring local high school
students.
Hood River, Oregon
- Population: 6,580
- Median home price: $300,000
-
The radius: You can ski almost year-round on 11,239-foot (3,426-meter)
Mount Hood, and the peak's upper sections feature one of the most
challenging ascent bids in the continental U.S. Hood River is also a
launchpad for the nation's top windsurfing spot, with 33 put-ins along
Columbia River Gorge, ranging from the novice-level Inn Beach to
black-diamond Swell City. Diehard boarders are snatching up second
homes here, but so far it has managed to stay affordable.
Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania
- Population: 5,409
- Median home price: $137,334
-
The radius: This unassuming outdoors mecca in the Poconos has 20
trails smack in the center of town. Cyclists and hikers share the Gorge
Trail, which loops 19 miles (31 kilometers) past waterfalls and steep
canyons. Seven ski areas are within two hours' drive: Try Shawnee
Mountain for top-to-bottom cruising or Camelback for terrain park
action. Big-city perks are close at hand, too, with Philly and New York
City one and two hours away. Or stay in town: The stellar acoustics of
Mauch Chunk Opera House amp up live blues and rock.
Montpelier, Vermont
- Population: 8,003
- Median home price: $108,000
-
The radius: This Green Mountains base is one of the most bike-friendly
cities in the country, with three urban paths and covered-bridge
touring in nearby Mad River. There's kayaking right in town, too, along
the Winooski River: The Class II is gentle, but the water turns white
along its tributaries. Montpelier gets bonus points for being nearly
fast-food free. There's not a single McDonald's or Burger King in sight
(though Ben & Jerry's—the home team—is plentiful).
Interest in Vacation Homes Warming Up
This article was printed in the Greensboro News & Record, Sunday, May 3,2009, written by Jim Woodard:
With temperatures warming and summer just around the corner, many people are getting the itch to buy or build a vacation home. Fueling that itch is news that the average price of a second home is down about 23 percent since 2007.
The median price of the typical vacation home is about $150,000 - down from $195,000 in 2007, says a National Association of Realtors report. As a point of comparison, the median price of a vacation home was about $204,000 in 2004. The survey found 80 percent of vacation and investment property owners agreed that current conditions constitute a buyer's market.
"The long-term underlying demand is favorable for vacation homes because of the large number of middle-age and middle-income Americans that buy these properties," said NAR Senior Public Affairs Specialist Walter Molony. "These have long been the primary buyers of vacation homes.
"In recent years, this market has been driven by the baby boomers, but there are now two even larger population groups coming up right behind them. Those younger segments will continue to fuel the vacation home market for the next 10 years."
Many people who dream of a quiet vacation home are getting more serious about activating that plan. "I can tell you that people who would never have purchased a detached single vacation home on the coast are now seriously considering it," said Christine Karpinski, author of "The Vacation Rental Organizer."
"Homes that would have once cost $3 million have now fallen to $1.5 million. Today's buyers know that the price won't stay down long. They may never be this low again."
The survey shows 34 percent of consumers purchased vacation properties within 100 miles of their primary residence. That suggests they intend to use the homes themselves, as opposed to renting them or selling them for a profit.
An increasing number of families are turning to manufactured vacation homes, the survey found, because they can cost between 20 percent and 50 percent less per square foot to erect than comparable site-built homes. Many owners of vacation homes are finding that renting their property when they're not using it is increasingly lucrative. Rents tend to remain high or are rising in many areas, while purchase prices have been decreasing.
Q: Are home builders becoming more confident?
A: Confidence in the market expressed by home builders picked up substantially in April, says a report by the National Association of Home Builders. Builder confidence is at its highest point in nearly seven years. New home sales, inspections by prospective buyers and expectations lifted significantly in March, according to a separate survey conducted by noted real estate researcher and consultant John Burns. Improvements in the market can be partially attributed to seasonal factors. Of course, market activity and trends differ in different regions. But future sales potential is very positive, according to most of the surveyed builders. That was the case in all regions except in the Northwest, said the NAHB report. Interestingly, the report noted 18 percent of surveyed property buyers have purchased land as an investment. About 29 percent indicated they plan to buy land in 2009. By 2010, 47 percent expect to buy land.
Q: Is the rate of home sales increasing or decreasing?
A: A recent housing report shows the decline in home sales slowed significantly in March compared to sales in March 2008. Home sales in March were down only 5.8 percent when compared to March 2008. That's the best performance on a year-over-year basis in the last 18 months, according to Real Trends, a real estate research and publishing company.
Home sales in March showed improvement in all regions, a welcome surprise in light of other economic news that shows continued weakness in retail sales and employment, the report said.
"March results show that low interest rates, soft home prices and high levels of affordability are countering other more negative news in the economy," the report stated. "Home prices that have been under pressure for three years now are starting to firm somewhat - a trend that may continue in the months ahead. Doubtless, the first-time home buyer tax credit, the loosening of underwriting guidelines for FHA mortgages, and the Fed's intervention to lower rates are all factors assisting with the housing recovery."
Q: Are Federal Housing Authority mortgages becoming more popular?
A: Mortgage loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration are playing a major role in stimulating home sales. These loans account for about 20 percent of new mortgages. That's up from 3 percent in 2006. FHA mortgages are particularly helpful in making homes more affordable for families. Some FHA loans require small down payments, and qualification requirements are flexible. Also, the number of qualified FHA lenders has increased fivefold in the past two years.
Another advantage of today's FHA mortgages: They provide easy modification procedures for borrowers who fall behind on payments. The loans can be readily refinanced if interest rates decline. There are no income restrictions on FHA loans, so even affluent buyers may find these loans to be the most attractive in today's market. It should be noted that FHA loans still require a pre-settlement inspection of the property, but that process has been simplified significantly.
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