McRitchie Winery and Ciderworks

By: Daniel Hoey

Sean McRitchie was born to be a winemaker.

His father was a winemaker in California and Oregon and Sean literally grew up in the wine industry.  Remember your first “summer job”?  Sean’s was getting knee deep in grapes, cleaning barrels – all of the behind-the-scenes grunt work it takes to make wine.  “I remember a Saturday and it was pouring down rain,” Bob McRitchie said. “We were digging a ditch for the wastewater to go underneath the road and into a holding tank. This was Sean’s first job in the wine business.”

Sean’s early wine career took him all over the world – starting in Willamette Valley, Oregon and moving on to many premier regions including Alsace Lorraine, Napa Valley and Australia.  In 1998 he decided to become a part of the Yadkin Valley’s embryonic wine industry and became the first winemaker at Shelton Vineyards; having grown up watching the Willamette Valley develop a world-renowned wine industry from scratch the challenge of being a pioneer in a new, aspiring wine region appealed to him.  

After succeeding in establishing Shelton, Sean and his wife Patty, who also worked at Shelton and has a background in law, decided to take their dream one step further and create their own winery.  Their tasting room opened in May 2007.

The McRitchies are passionate about sustainable, environmentally friendly winemaking.  While that stance presents significant challenges in a region like the Yadkin Valley where vines are particularly vulnerable to infestation of many kinds, it is a philosophy that is a central tenet of their vision – to leave a sustainable legacy for their three children – Aidan, Ava and Asher.  Patty emphasized when we met that the winery is truly a family affair, and has provided them with opportunities to teach responsibility and hard work to their children while giving the family an opportunity to spend a lot of time together.  

One suspects there may be another generation of McRitchies with wine in the blood.  Given the excellence of the wines we tasted there, we hope so.