CityView Magazine

54 | October 2015 Andrew. "Loyd loved to see things grow," McLean said. Just as Loyd E. Au- man Elementary School commemorates Auman's work in education, so does the vineyard keep alive his love for the land. McLean and his son have expanded from Auman's original vines to 250 rows, all growing Muscadine varieties. ey've also gone organic, an impor- tant factor in encouraging guests to eat straight from the vine. "It's the best way to find out which grapes are your favorites," McLean said. McLean spends the season pulled up in his easy chair, handing out buck- ets and helping guests find their way around. "Our farm is a great way for people to get to know North Carolina. We have a lot of folks, especially military, who come out just for that reason," McLean said. Locklear Winery Maxton, NC Daryl Locklear is no stranger to the Muscadine. Growing up, they used his grandmother's homemade wine for communion at the church. His father Charlie learned at her side. "It was always around me," Locklear said. As his father neared retirement, Locklear started researching ways to turn the old family place into a thriv- ing business. It quickly became clear that the answer was doing something they'd already been doing for genera- tions. Locklear didn't want to be at the mercy of an annual crop, which could lose or make money in any given year. He wanted something more stable. For Locklear, making the wine on- site was an important way to set them apart from other wineries. "We already knew how to make the wine ourselves. And if you outsource to the same place as everyone else, well, you lose something," Locklear said. A computer engineer by day, Lock- lear takes a scientific, calculated ap- proach to most things. ere was a defi- nite learning curve as he shied from making 10-gallons of wine to produc- Locklear Winery in Robeson County 1872 Preston Road Maxton, North Carolina www.locklearwinery.com Open Monday to Saturday 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. WINES White Carlos Wines Sweet: Fruity bouquet tastes like grapes picked off the vine Semi-Sweet: The fruitiness of the Carlos with a less sugary finish Semi- Dry: Nose and aroma of the Carlos with a clean crisp finish Red Noble Wines Sweet: A full-bodied red wine with lots of character Semi-Sweet: Deep color and fruity bouquet reminiscent of summer nights under the stars Semi-Dry: A nose of chocolate and fruit with a clean finish of pepper inspiration Blended Wines Noblos: So smooth it's hard to believe it actually contains alcohol Fruit Wines Strawberry Peach Blackberry Blueberry Spiced Wines Holiday Spice: Full taste that's like having Christmas in a bottle S o m u c h m o r e t h a n y o u e x p e c t l o c a t e d i n h i s t o r i c d o w n t o w n f a y e t t e v i l l e PhotograPh courtesy of cP ross DesIgNs ( 9 1 0 ) 6 8 9 -7 0 0 7 w w w . t h e m e t r o r o o m . c o m t h e m e t r o p o l i t a n r o o m @ a o l . c o m

• Cover