It began with Dr. "Bud" and Maryann Azzato having a passion for wine and desiring to share with their friends and guests. They decided to open a winery and purchased equipment from a winery going out of business in Massachusetts. They bought the property and building that was formerly "Sim's Barbeque Restaurant" which had been a local landmark for many years. The building was vacant for 7 years prior to it's purchase. Maryann gutted the building and after extensive renovation and additions to the existing building, Silver Coast Winery was born and opened in May of 2002. In the fall of 2002, wine making operations began... using premium grapes carefully selected from vineyards in the mountain regions of NC, GA, and VA.
Due to the climate and presence of a disease called Pierces Disease (a bacterial disease native to the southeastern United States), the winery is unable to grow the variety of grapes that are used in their European style wines. As a result of Pierces Disease, only Muscadine and Scuppernong grapes can grow in this area. Due to this, the grapes are sourced from the Yadkin River Valley as well as the mountains of Northern Georgia and Virginia. The very best growers and vineyard sites are selected when choosing the grapes. The winemaker, Dana Keeler, visits these sites 2-3 times a year to check on the development of the vineyards. He carefully coordinates the harvest and delivery of the grapes to the winery. Immediately upon picking, the grapes are placed in a refrigerated tractor-trailer to preserve the quality and are delivered no later than the next day. And from there, the wine making process begins.
