RayLen Vineyards & Winery

His education and career began in Pennsylvania; since 1980, Shepard has been making wine commercially. Drawn south, Shepard’s North Carolina career began in 1989 at the first Yadkin Valley winery. When Shepard first began making wines for RayLen Vineyards & Winery in 2000, only 2500 combined cases of five different wines were produced: Chardonnay, South Mountain’s Vineyard Chardonnay, Merlot, Car

olinius, and Shiraz. In its first three vintages, RayLen Vineyards & Winery won over 200 medals at various statewide, regional, and international competitions. Shepard has been recognized by Robert Parker for his 1991 vintage wines, while RayLen has been lauded by the Wine Spectator as one of the premier wineries in the Southeast. Today, after a decade in the Yadkin Valley’s unique micro-climate, RayLen Vineyards & Winery produces over 15,000 cases annually of sixteen different award-winning wines. Stop by to taste the wines praised by Southern Living, USA Today, and Our State.