Explorers & Adventures

Round Peak Vineyards owners Kari Heerdt and Ken Gulaian.

Journey to the N.C. WINE COUNTRY

Round Peak Vineyard Owners Ken Gulaian & Kari Heerdt

BY » Vanessa Infanzon

When Cornelius resident Ken Gulaian found himself in North Carolina without a job, he started looking online for companies to buy. Round Peak Vineyards in Surry County appeared on the list. After a visit to the vineyard with his wife, Kari Heerdt, they were sold on the wine, the views of the Blue Ridge Mountains and the vineyard’s rolling hills.

In late 2008, the couple became the new owners of Round Peak Vineyards. “This was not exactly a planned venture,” Gulaian, 58, says. “We didn’t know at the time that there was wine being made in North Carolina. We knew nothing about making wine, growing grapes. We just liked wine.”

Gulaian worked with the long-time staff at Round Peak to run the 12acre vineyard. He took night classes at the Shelton-Badgett NC Center for Viticulture and Enology in Surry Community College’s to learn about the wine-making industry and how to grow grapes. “It’s one of the top-rated wine programs on the East Coast,” he says.

An estate winery

Round Peak grows 10 grape varietals including Cabernet Franc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Tannat. The vineyard specializes in French and Italian style dry red wines, traditionally aged in French barrels. One hundred percent of the grapes in the wines are from Round Peak’s vineyards, making it an estate winery.

Visitors to the vineyard have access to a tasting room, a covered outdoor seating area, set up for social distancing, and an open lawn.

Round Peak Vineyards is located in nearby Surry County.

Gulaian experimented with juice from the grapes and beer. The result is Jack’s Brood, a unique beer, few breweries are doing in the country.

Guests are welcome to walk through the vineyards and the trails in the woods. Bring or rent discs ($5 for a set) for the 18-hole disc golf course: First nine is set up for beginners and the second nine is more challenging. On weekends, Round Peak has live music and a bonfire on Saturdays. The vineyard is family and pet friendly.

Multipassionate about food and drink

A long-time homebrewer, Gulaian started brewing beer at the winery in 2012. Two years later, he opened Skull Camp Brewery and Smokehouse, a brewpub, in Elkin. The beer menu features ambers, porters, red ales and stouts with some IPAs too. Smoked meats, burgers and peel-and-eat shrimp are favorites on the food menu.

Gulaian experimented with juice from the grapes and beer. The result is Jack’s Brood, a unique beer, few breweries are doing in the country. “I call it co-fermentation,” he says. “We’re marrying the wine making and the beer-making process together. The beverage that comes out is beer, but it’s distinctly influenced by wine.”

Gulaian grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, studied as a mechanical engineer and worked in the aviation industry for most of his career. He lived in various places around the world including Poland and Singapore. Heerdt works for MSC Industrial Supply in Davidson. Her job took them to California and then back to North Carolina in 2008. When they lived in Oakland, they spent weekends at wineries in Dry Creek Valley, Napa Valley and Sonoma. “For two years, we spent a lot of time hitting wineries,” he says. “That’s when we really got into wine.”

Stay Active, Support Local

In their free time, Ken Gulaian and Kari Heerdt take advantage of nearby Jetton Park. Usually Phoebe and Romeo, their 30-pound rescue dogs join them on the trails. Heerdt attends classes at Gotta Yoga and CycleBar. Gulaian plays disc golf at Bailey Road Park and Westmoreland Athletic Complex. He calls it, “Practicing hitting the trees.”

The couple’s post-workout routine includes Cornelius Drafthouse and Bottle Shop because it carries beverages from many local breweries. They also rotate going to local breweries such as Ass Clown Brewing Company, D9 Brewing Company, Primal Brewery and Lost Worlds Brewing. The Winestore is their stop for unique wines and tastings. Favorite restaurants reflect their experiences in Southeast Asia: Pho Nam, Sangam Indian Cuisine and Huang’s China Bistro Restaurant. And for pizza night, it’s always Proscuitto’s Pizzeria & Pub.