Chardonnay with Winemaker Linda King

Tasting Wine With Winemaker  Linda King of RagApple Lassie

By Daniel Hoey

Linda King is the winemaker for RagApple Lassie Vineyards in the Yadkin Valley AVA in North Carolina.  Over 35 years ago she began to make wine, first as an amateur (for which efforts she ultimately won awards), and then as the winemaker for three different wineries, all in different states.

She came to North Carolina from the largest estate winery in Ohio to help establish RagApple Lassie Vineyards during a time when the Yadkin Valley was in the midst of a surge in growth in both number of wineries and the quality of wine produced, a surge that continues through today. 

Linda had won many awards during her tenure in Ohio, including recognition in the Wall Street Journal; during her tenure at RagApple she has led the winery toward recognition as one of the premier winemakers in the Southeast Region such that every wine style she has produced at RagApple has won awards in International, regional and state competitions.

An internationally certified wine judge, Linda regularly judges at competitions across the United States, and has served on the board of directors for the American Wine Society, serving as the Wine Judge Certification Chairman and earning the prestigious American Wine Society Outstanding Member Award. She has taught wine appreciation classes, written a regular column for a wine publication, and is a consultant in both winemaking and wine appreciation; she also publishes a blog, “Lady of the Grape.”

We had an outstanding tasting with Linda – I walked away appreciative of her wine-making ability, her passion and love for her chosen profession, and her enthusiasm for sharing her knowledge and experience.  Before leaving RagApple, she rushed to go get a recipe for me for a dish she’d matched with one of the wines I was leaving with.  She truly is a “Lady of the Grape” – and for us here at All About The Grape it was a true pleasure to taste and talk about wine with her for an afternoon.