At Buck Shoals Vineyard, winemaking runs in the family. Owner Joanne Crater has fond memories of her grandfather making wine during her childhood in New Jersey.

Still, she never imagined that years later, she would be the one making the wine but that is exactly what happened. When she and her husband decided to start a winery, she brought wine making know how and he brought the farming experience.

While Joanne had wine in her blood, her husband had farming. For over five generations the Crater family farmed the land where the vineyard is now located. Joanne saw converting the pasture to a vineyard as a natural progression.

By 2003, they were ready to plant and slowly the vineyard grew to over seven acres of grapes. Currently Buck Shoals produces seven wines including the very popular light Chianti, Rocco Red named after Joanne’s Grandfather. In addition, they also offer Vito’s Pride and Shoals Creek Red a rose blend.

When it comes to her wines, Joanne loves them all. She insists she doesn’t play favorites and picks her wines according to her mood and meal.

Buck Shoals is more then just a winery. It is a distillery. Not only do the winemakers produce great wines but they also turn wine into distilled spirits. The finished product is like no brandy you’ve ever had before.

You are welcome to give the spirits a taste in the tasting room but, at this time, you cannot buy the spirits at the winery. Don’t fret, soon you will be able to buy the spirits at a local market.

Always looking for a new adventure, the Craters added a meadery. Mead is an old-fashioned beverage. In medieval Europe, mead was made by fermenting honey with water.

The winemakers at Buck Shoals changed it a little, their mead is wine fermented with honey, and this produces a delicate flavorful drink. While made with honey, the overall taste of mead is not overly sweet.  Joanne emphasizes that the mead at Buck Shoals is true mead; the wine is fermented with honey not just flavored with honey.

One of their best sellers is Apple Mead. Joanne describes Apple Mead as liquid apple pie. Currently, the Apple Mead is sold out, but they are busy crafting more batches.

The other meads available are Shoals Creek Gold and Shoals Creek Blue, a part sweet drink that has the wonderful taste of blueberry and honey and if you love blackberries, try the Blackberry Cobbler. This blackberry mead made with local Surrey County berries and fortified with grape brandy.

Looking for something different after dinner? Shoal Creek produces two fortified products. Try the La Gloria, a brandy fortified with wine. Serve this sweet after dinner drink in a cordial glass for the perfect substitute for a rich dessert. Of course, you can feel free to sip it as a delicious nightcap.

Buck Shoals is proud to be one of the only vineyards to offer fortified products. Their Midnight Royal is in the port style. Made in the old world method this drink is, according to Joanne, as smooth as silk.

The small, but intimate tasting room is open five days a week for tasting. It is the perfect place to relax and enjoy a glass of wine, distilled spirit or mead.