Windy Gap is a local winery ...

... and I just happened to polish off a bottle of its Tory Oak Red this evening and sat reading the label (a nice wine, by the way, but not worth the price). This is part of what the label said:

Perhaps the most historic tree in N. C. was the Tory Oak, which grew for three centuries in Wilkesboro, N. C. From this majestic black oak, Col. Ben Cleveland, a local militia leader and a hero of the pivotal Revolutionary Battle of Kings Mountain, hung at least five Tories in 1779.*

In 1992, the National Park Service designated the Tory Oak Site as a Certified Protected Site of the Overmountain Victory National Historical Trail. In homage to Wilkes County's contribution to American independence, a portion of the proceeds from each bottle of Tory Oak Red will be donated to the Wilkes Heritage Museum. These funds will help renovate and establish a museum at the Old Wilkes County Courthouse in Wilkesboro.

The winery goes on to describe itself as "the only bonded winery in Wilkes County, the former "Moonshine Capital of the World" - so I am not changing my blog's subtitle afterall!


*Local legend has it that Cleveland forced the wife of one of the Tories to watch. Until recently this would have been known as a war crime, but he was a hero of the Revolution and all. This may help explain why many Tories moved to Canada after the war.