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FORGING NEW FRIENDSHIPS Cloer Family Believes Wine is Best When Shared With Family, Friends
FriendshipsFORGING NEW CLOER FAMILY BELIEVES WINE IS BEST WHEN SHARED WITH FAMILY…AND WITH FRIENDS
By JANIS JAMES
At Cloer Family Vineyards, “Wine is Best When Shared With Family and Friends” is not just a marketing slogan – it’s real.
Started in 2010 by Tam and Pam Cloer, the winery – located on an 18-acre second-generation working farm in Apex – features five varieties of wines produced on-site, plus tastings, tours, and private events.
But this unique treasure in the 919 had humble beginnings.
“Tam, who graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Horticulture, developed an interest in winemaking as a young man when he befriended an elderly neighbor with a penchant for home winemaking,” said Pam, noting that her husband worked full-time with the family’s decades-old residential and commercial nursery and landscaping operations, Cloer Nursery.
“For years, Tam visited this neighbor’s basement winery and worked by his side learning the basics. After the neighbor passed away and bequeathed all of his winemaking equipment to Tam, he officially adopted the art as a hobby.”
In 1995, drawing on his personal winemaking experience and his agricultural knowledge, Tam started experimenting with growing grapes on his family farm. He initially planted roughly 3,000 vines across five acres – consisting of vinifera (blended varieties) and French Hybrid grapes. Despite the fact that these grapes were recommended for this area of the country at the time, it soon became apparent that they are not well suited for the warm, humid climate of the 919. The Cloers fought mold and mildew almost constantly and their vineyards were plagued with pests and diseases.
Finally, after spending nearly 12 years troubleshooting, Tam pulled up all the vines in his vineyards; and working with a team of NC State researchers to analyze existing research and data from his own vineyards – decided to replant with Muscadine vines (a native grape variety actually discovered by Sir Walter Raleigh’s explorers in North Carolina’s Outer Banks in the 1500s, according to Pam).
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Located on a Family Farm in Apex, Cloer Family Vineyards Grows Its Own Grapes, And Produces Its Wines On-Site. We literally live where we work, so every visitor is a guest to our home.
PAM CLOER, Cloer Family Vineyards
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As expected, the new vines thrived. During harvest, Tam and his wife Pam hosted picking parties – inviting friends and family to help pick (and eat) the ripe fruit. After much experimenting and taste testing, they shared their new wines at dinner gatherings and gave them as gifts.
Then came the idea of expanding the hobby into something more. “We had been making wine in our kitchen for a few years and based on the feedback he received, Tam was confident he was making good quality wines,” Pam said. “That, combined with his love for the agricultural process and opportunity it created for family time, convinced him to take his passion to a new level.”
The Cloers mapped out a plan to build a winery where they could share their wines with family and friends – both old and new – in a relaxed and comfortable environment. They wanted to create a place that fit with their farm and southern roots – so they decided to house the Cloer Family Vineyards winery in a red barn-style building on the farm.
“We literally live where we work, so every visitor is a guest to our home,” Pam said, adding that Cloer Family Winery is the only family-owned farm in the Raleigh area that grows its own grapes and produces it’s own wines on site.
The Cloers grow and harvest two different varieties of muscadines, each with a very unique flavor.
“Carlos is a semi-sweet white muscadine wine that pairs well with spicey foods, seafood or Mexican cuisine,” Pam explained. “A friend of ours said it was ‘a refreshing taste of Southern hospitality in a bottle!’ And Noble is our semi-sweet red muscadine wine, that can be enjoyed by itself or paired with chocolates or pizza.”
Cloer Family Vineyards also offers other varieties produced onsite in Apex, utilizing grapes sourced from Western North Carolina. “Veranda is a blended white wine consisting of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc,” Pam explained. “Our semi-sweet Veranda is an “anytime” wine that also pairs well with chicken, pasta or seafood.
“Our Riesling starts with an easy-going dryness followed by a hint of peach and apricot, finishing with a little sweetness,” according to Pam “This wine pairs well with fish, especially sushi, lemon pasta and sharp hard cheeses, like Gruyere or Gouda.
“And Matador is our proprietary house Merlot,” she noted. “This is a medium-bodied wine that we barrel age for 18 months in neutral American and French Oak. This wine pairs well with hardy pasta and beef.”
CLOER FAMILY WINERY
YEAR STARTED: OWNERS: WINES:
CURRENT HOURS:
ADDRESS: PHONE: EMAIL: WEBSITE: OTHER INFORMATION:
2010 Tam and Pam Cloer Veranda (house white), Riesling, Matador (house red), Carlos (sweet white Muscadine), Noble (sweet red Muscadine) 12-5 pm, Fridays; 11 am-5 pm, Saturdays 8624 Castleberry Road, Apex 919-387-5760 cloervineyards@bellsouth.net cloerfamilyvineyards.com Due to COVID restrictions, winery currently operating outside; if weather is questionable, call before visiting. Tam (Cloer), who graduated from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor’s of Science in Horticulture, developed an interest in winemaking as a young man.
PAM CLOER, Cloer Family Vineyards
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In addition to tours and tastings, the winery normally hosts a lot of private events – such as bridal showers, birthday parties, baby showers and anniversary parties (though not weddings or receptions); however the ongoing COVID-19 restrictions have definitely altered the experiences. “Currently we are not doing tours or tastings indoors,” Pam said. “But we created wine flight boards that guests take to their table to enjoy a sample of all five of our wines (it’s like doing a tasting, but at your seat).”
Pam indicated the wine flight boards are so popular, the winery will continue to offer them even when inside tastings again are allowed. The winery also now sells wine by the glass and by the bottle.
“Cloer Family Vineyards offers a unique experience for visitors,” Pam said. “We engage in every step of the winemaking process right on our farm.” And the entire Cloer family is involved in the process: Tam manages the vineyard and makes the wine, while Pam and their two daughters, Taylor and Ashley, assist with other duties like harvesting, bottling, labeling, marketing, sales and more.
“We welcome our guests to enjoy wine flights, relax on the grounds with a picnic and a bottle of wine, or even reserve the entire winery for a private event,” Pam stated. “A member of the family will always greet you upon arrival. There’s no stress, and no pressure; just friends relaxing and enjoying great wines in a beautiful setting – as it should be.”
Janis James is a regular contributor to 919 Magazine, and a big fan of North Carolina wines.
TAM AND PAM CLOER PROFILE
PAM CLOER, Cloer Family Vineyards OWNERS: Cloer Family Vineyards EDUCATION: Tam – Horticulture Degree, NC State Pam – Industrial Relations Degree, UNC-Chapel Hill HOMETOWNS: Tam – Apex; Pam – New Bern CHILDREN: Taylor – NC State University sophomore; Ashley Cloer, Green Level High junior PETS: Molly (dog); Grayson (cat); Kiss (horse) and sheep (Winston, Samantha, Lizzy, Landen, Winter and Willow) FAVORITE WINES: Cloer Family Carlos (Tam); Cloer Family Riesling (Pam) INTERESTS: Running (Tam); tennis (Pam) FAVORITE GETAWAY: The mountains; visiting other wineries BEST VACATIONS EVER: Trip to Banff, Canada
