Southern Makers: Better Together

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Leveraging the power of community, Tim Parks and Lance Hiatt elevate North Carolina wine

Wine, they say, brings people together. A glimpse into ancient history reveals that this phenomenon traces back to the era of Greek symposia. Today, it rings true as far and wide as the hills of Appalachia.

At Marked Tree Vineyards in Flat Rock, North Carolina, vintners Tim Parks and Lance
Hiatt have made bringing folks together around wine a way of life—an art form, even. With a minimal-intervention approach, Marked Tree Vineyards produces wines that honestly and elegantly reflect Blue Ridge Mountain terroir. (Yes, there is such a thing.) Since opening its doors in 2020, the winery has quickly grown an enthusiastic fan base, a trophy case full of awards, and 90+-point scores from critics.

Parks and Hiatt emphasize that they haven’t done it alone. Collaboration, community,
and teamwork have been key. “It’s phenomenal, how many people have joined us at the table and helped us get us to where we are,” reflects Parks. “I think that’s beautiful, especially in this day and age, when people can be so divided.”

A second career for both Parks and Hiatt, wine seems a natural path. Over the years, the
pair have toured top wine regions and lived in cities with rich restaurant and wine culture including Charleston, Atlanta, and New Orleans. Each partner has brought decades of professional savvy to shape the winery’s success.

A former architect, Hiatt designed the modern, open-air Marked Tree tasting room. (It’s
stunning.) Later, with a viticulture degree under his belt, he took the helm of the production cellar, collaborating with fellow winemakers like Mark Friszolowski of Childress Vineyards and Justin Taylor of Parker-Binns Vineyard.

Hiatt’s philosophy in the cellar is straightforward. “We’re trying to just let the wine be what it is,” he says. “We grow fruit, crush it, and inoculate it with yeast,” he says, meaning they eschew extraneous additives or manipulation.

Parks previously made his mark as a luxury branding specialist, working with firms such as Coach handbags and Pandora jewelry. He holds a clear, unwavering vision for the winery’s messaging, fine-tuning every detail to keep guests’ focus on the wine and facilitate what he calls an “emotional connection.”

From the day vines were planted, the duo has been using their complementary skill sets to bring people together. In 2016, shortly after purchasing the 50-acre property, they invited dozens of friends and family members to help plant the 4,000 grapevines that would grow into the vineyard estate. Selecting which grape varieties to plant involved strategy. Marked Tree is Marked Tree is situated within the newly designated Crest of the Blue Ridge AVA (American Viticultural Area). The area is conducive to winegrowing, with warm days and cool nights slowing the fruit’s ripening, resulting in balanced acidity and flavor complexity. Yet the environs are particular, and only certain vines take root.

“You can’t just plant what you like to drink,” says Hiatt.

Instead, the pair drew on knowledge from their East Coast wine network, which they’d
developed over years of attending conferences and classes. In Parks’ words, they are “standing
on the shoulders of giants”—synthesizing decades of research provided by other vintners and
growers.

In the end, the vines that went into the ground—which still thrive today—include hybrids like chardonel and vidal blanc, as well as vinifera like lemberger and grüner veltliner. Arriving at the dramatically situated Marked Tree Vineyard estate, you get a sense you’ve driven to the brink of the world. That instinct turns out to be partly correct: The Eastern Continental Divide runs directly through the Marked Tree tasting room. Perched at an elevation of 2,300 feet, its property offers undulating views of Tryon and Pisgah National Forest. When you visit, take a friend (or two). Like most good things in life, wine is better shared.

Taste the Crest of the Blue Ridge

All wines are available directly from the winery.

2023 Marked Tree Chardonel, $28
As the genetic love child of chardonnay and seyval blanc, chardonel is a hybrid grape variety developed in the 1950s to thrive in cold weather. It’s typically grown in the northern and midwestern United States (think Michigan and New York State) as well in parts of Spain and Italy. At Marked Tree Vineyard, the estate chardonel is now in its ninth growing season, takingon more complexity with every year. This is a downright delicious wine that both feels comfortingly familiar and a little exotic, too. With a pale straw color, it offers flavors of citrus, pear, and white pepper braced by a fresh acidity.

2023 Marked Tree “Ottis” Amber, $32
With a rich ancient history, orange (or amber) wine has enjoyed a modern resurgence. It is not
made from citrus but rather from white grapes allowed to linger on their skins so that the juice
retains extra flavor, tannin, and color. Like many traditional amber wines, Marked Tree’s version
is made from pinot gris. The 2023 “Ottis” Amber, named for one of the sweet pups who romps
around the property, is an easy-drinking, food-friendly wine with intriguing complexity.

2021 Marked Tree Lemberger, $54
Made from a grape known as blaufränkisch in its native Austria, lemberger has been championed
throughout history as a versatile, age-worthy red wine with a flavor profile resembling that of
gamay. Winemaker Lance Hiatt first discovered the grape during his viticultural studies, and it’s
since held a special place in his heart. Marked Tree lemberger offers a mouthful of red currant,
pomegranate, and black licorice, with a taut tannic backbone. Pop the cork on this limited-release
wine with hearty dishes like seared steak or spicy pork tacos.

Visit Marked Tree Vineyards at 623 Deep Gap Road, Flat Rock, NC 28731. Check out their
additional tasting room: 14 Aston Street, Asheville, NC 28801. Reservations are recommended
but not required. markedtreevineyard.com