Native Son Vineyard

Located at 1511 Mamie May Rd in Franklinville, Native Son Vineyard offers muscadine wines, jellies, and fresh grapes (in season). The tasting room is open from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday.

A “mom and pop” operation suggests a small business with humble roots, but in the case of this little winery, there is no hyperbole involved. Mike (winemaker/wholesaler/tour guide) and Tammy (business and marketing) are literally the only two permanent employees. Their passion for what they do shows in their products, but beyond that, experiences here may vary considerably.

Should you drop by Native Son on a whim, you might leave a bit disappointed. The vineyard is off the beaten path and easy to miss, the hours are very limited, and the tasting room is a not-at-all spacious former tobacco barn. There are half a dozen wines available at any given time: about four regulars and two that change as Mike experiments with different combinations. All are muscadine blends, which can be disarming if you aren’t accustomed to that grape.

Fortunately, for those who do like muscadine products, Native Son’s wines will not disappoint. There is little-to-no added sugar, so the wines aren’t cloyingly sweet. They are, however, crisp, fruity and clean. My wife and I sampled all six during our visit and were most impressed by the Golden Warrior (a bronze muscadine blend), Red Warrior (muscadine + raspberry), and Blue Warrior (muscadine + blackberry). The wines normally go for $15/bottle but were priced at $12 when we visited - $11/each if you buy a case.

Were this the end of our visit, we would have left having enjoyed the wine but wondering if it was worth the drive. However, we took advantage of a Groupon that also included a tour (along with a free bottle), and this gave us a considerably greater appreciation for Native Son’s operation. The deck above the cellar offers a breathtaking view of the pasturage below, and Mike was more than willing to let us hang out and eat/drink/take in the scenery if we were so inclined. An energetic storyteller as well as a gracious host, the winemaker also gave us a rundown of the process he follows. Even if you’re familiar with the basics of how wine is made, you can’t help but be impressed by the exacting amount of labor, attention to detail, and quality control that goes into each bottle.

Native Son is likely to mean different things to different people. To those who have visited and sampled larger and more varied vineyards, it might seem almost laughably quaint. To those who opt for the tour experience (currently $22 for two people/$44 for four on Groupon), it’s an inside look at one couple’s labor of love. The one constant is decidedly decent wine.

7.5/10

(Drop-in tasting experience: 6.5 / Tour experience 8.5)