It’s been a good year for the Banner Elk Winery.

Not only did its vineyards survive a late freeze, but the young winery garnered three medals from the Blue Ridge Wine Festival.

More than 2,000 people attended the April festival, and winery co-founder Dick Wolfe said he was pleased to participate.

Wolfe, also owner of Wolf Creek Vineyards in Abingdon, Va., competed against 20 other winemakers, including Biltmore, Childress and numerous Yadkin Valley wineries.

Banner Elk Winery received three bronze models — one for its 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon, which picked the double-gold award at the 2006 N.C. State Fair; another for its 2006 High Country Rose’; and the last for its 2006 Blueberry Wine, of the same variety that won the state fair’s bronze medal.

The Rose’ was made from grapes harvested in October 2006, but unlike most Rose’s, which are typically composed of red and white wines, the Banner Elk variety is made from one grape, the American Steubin.

“And that’s significant because that vine is very hardy, and I’m encouraging farmers to grow that grape,” said Wolfe, who, aside from growing his own, purchases grapes from area farmers.

In fact, most of the grapes Wolfe and fellow farmers, including Ashe County’s Grace Coan, grow in the area are quite cold-hardy, meaning they’re grown to endure cold weather — sometimes temperatures of negative 15 degrees — without suffering any root damage.

In observing the fruitful vines, Wolfe can’t help smiling in reminiscence of a N.C. State University survey, in which the High Country was not even considered in terms of vine-growing.

In 2001, Wolfe approached Appalachian State University’s chancellor at the time, Dr. Frank Borkowski, to discuss the possibility of establishing a center of applied science, as well as offering the opportunity to teach farmers how to grow and harvest grapes instead of tobacco.

Wolfe became the director of the university’s applied science and research program, but has since retired. He did, however, make good on his word.

“We have the advantage in that our vines don’t bud out early in the spring,” Wolfe said, adding that since numerous farmers grow grapes on their respective farms, a few might freeze and others will not. “I’m trying to be the Johnny Appleseed of growing grapes up here. We have five new farms putting in grapes this spring.”

To compare climates and grapes, Wolfe and wife Dede Walton journeyed to France to tour vineyards in Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rhone.

“This region is very close, as far as temperature goes and budding grapes, to that in France, particularly the Rhone and Burgundy regions,” Wolfe said. “So far, I feel very comfortable that we have a good climate for growing the French-American hybrids.”

And with spring, comes a new assortment of wines from Banner Elk Winery. With the Rose’ already for sale, Wolfe said the blueberry wine will be available in May. To follow are the Banner Elk Chardonnay and a new Seyval Blanc, which is made with grapes grown by Coan in Ashe County.

“Grace was my first student, and what a nice wine,” Wolfe said.

The Chardonnay grapes are grown at Wolf Creek in Abingdon, and Wolfe ages the wine in natural American oak barrels, which are not charred to prevent the Chardonnay from becoming “over-oaked,” he said.

“So many Chardonnays in the past have been overly oaked and that’s all you taste and not the grape,” Wolfe said.

The winery offers seven wines now, many of which are starting to sell in area restaurants and wine shops, including Peabody’s Wine and Beer in Boone and Erick’s Wine and Cheese in Banner Elk.

The winery opened to the public in July 2006, established by Wolfe and co-owner Angelo Accetturo, though the facility had been used in making wine for about two years during the construction phase. In addition, Wolfe and Accetturo own a bed and breakfast villa at the winery, which sits among the vineyards and blueberry farm.

Banner Elk Winery is located at 60 Deer Run Lane (just off Gualtney Road) in Banner Elk. For more information, call (828) 898-9090 or visit www.bannerelkwinery.com on the Web.