Wilkes Women In Wine: Patricia McRitchie of McRitchie Winery and Ciderworks

Women in Wine: Patricia McRitchie
by: Jennifer Primrose and Dathan Kazsuk

It would be safe to say that Patricia McRitchie has spent most of her adult life around wine.

McRitchie and her husband, Sean, are the owners of McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks in Thurmond, and since 2007 the couple's boutique winery has been producing some of the state's most profound bottles of wine.

But where did her journey begin?

As a father of a winemaker, Sean has always talked vino, and so meeting at a very young age in Oregon, the two had that much in common. "We've been married almost 30 years," says McRitchie.  

Patricia met Sean at a winery. Sean's sister was married at a winery. And, at that time, Sean's dad was working at the prestigious Willamette Valley Vineyards. Around that same time, Patricia was doing work at a winery while still enrolled in law school.

And then she moved to Alaska. But we all know the story doesn't end there.

Like something akin to a fairy tale, McRitchie made her way down to Oregon and her and Sean were eventually married. The two then spent some time working at Benton-Lane Winery in Oregon.

And then North Carolina called. Or so the story goes.

The year was 1998 and a job opportunity at Shelton Vineyards in Dobson brought the couple to the Yadkin Valley. "It was a really good opportunity at a well-funded operation," says McRitchie. "And it was kind of an adventure for us." And North Carolina natives can say the day that the McRitchie's made that 2,700-mile trek was a ray of sunshine for Tar Heel wine drinkers.

At Shelton Vineyards, Sean teamed up with Charlie and Ed Shelton to design what is today one of the state's most popular wineries – in popularity and production.

"He just wanted to change something, to be given the opportunity to put in a really big vineyard and design a winery from the bottom up," McRitchie says. "It was a dream job."

But then it was time to leave the nest and for the first time, discuss the idea of opening their own winery. "It's always been in the back of our minds, but nothing really concrete, and since we always worked at wineries ..." the writing is starting form in the tea leaves.

Add to that those 'wink, wink, nudge, nudge," from both Patricia and Sean's parents, and the decision was made around 2003. A couple parcels of land were purchased where the winery resides today and McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks was born.

Visit the winery today, and when you arrive, you will probably see the entire family hard at work. Sean inside the large wooden barn that houses the winery, working on his next wine creation. Inside the tasting room, their son Asher behind the tasting bar pouring your flight. As for Patricia, you'll see her either managing the tasting room, or doing many of the daily tasks often overlooked when you visit a winery.

"We're open Wednesday through Sunday. So early in the week I am usually doing paperwork. I do all the accounting and bookkeeping," McRitchie says. "So, I'm really more focused on the administrative stuff at the beginning of the week."

But that doesn't leave her off the hook the rest of the week. Once the paper work is complete, McRitchie says you'll probably find her outside, tending to the garden and all its blooming plants and flowers – as well as pulling weeds. You can't have one without the other.

Part of the pleasures of having a family-owned business is being able to be around family. While some can't imagine spending day after day with family, McRitchie embraces it. "I was a lawyer, and I decided when I had kids, I wanted to do whatever I could to be as much a part of their lives as I could," she says. "That's why I decided to stay in the industry, and not go back to law."

McRitchie has three children – two sons and one daughter. "Our daughter is the middle between the two boys. She works in the winery and vineyard but will not work in the tasting room." Both of the couple's sons have spent time working in the tasting room, but it is Asher, the youngest, who just recently graduated from Surry Community College's Viticulture and Enology program, and will more than likely fill the shoes of his dad when he retires.

MORE THAN JUST WINE

If you take a run through the assemblage of McRitchie's wines, you can tell that many people's influences have rubbed off on the final product. From the ever-popular Ring of Fire red blend to its hard ciders and the latest craze sweeping wineries around the U.S. – Pétillant Naturel wines. "I think we were the first here in the state (to produce this style), but we got our inspiration from our friend Jenny McCloud over at Chrysalis Vineyards in Virginia," McRitchie says.

Based in Middleburg, Virginia, Chrysalis is a popular winery that's been all into the exploration of the Norton grape, as well as many other European varieties. McRitchie says it was during the time of the last solar eclipse that McCloud paid them a visit at the winery and brought a case of different Pétillant Naturel wines from Virginia and Maryland.

"So we weren't the first on the east coast. People were doing this before us, but we love sparkling wines and thought, "Why aren't we doing this?'"

The winery has released a total of 3 of these style of wines, which include a Pinot Noir, Traminette and a Riesling. The winery also produces a dry, a semi-dry which are available all year around, and two seasonal ciders – a cranberry and a sour cherry cider.

"We've sometimes experimented with some other flavors, but in the end, Sean is a winemaker," she says. "He's not interested that much in diluting the apples. We treat cider more like a wine than a fruit flavored product."