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The state's only viticulture and enology program is housed at Surry Community College near Dobson and students there get hands-on experience in the vineyard and in the winery. In recent years, their Traminette - a spicy, off-dry white with floral aromas and tropical fruit flavors - has been a hit with wine festival-goers. Traminette is a cross between the very spicy Gewurztraminer and the Joannes Seyve crossing.

Traminette holds up well in cold weather and understandably is favored by east coast growers.

The spicy off-dry style is a nice countermeasure to this hardy vegetable dish.

Ingredients
(Makes 6-8 servings)

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed with the side of a knife
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 carrots (12 oz. total), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch lengths
2 1/2 cups diced peeled eggplant
2 1/2 cups sliced (1/2 in. thick) zucchini
2 cups cauliflower florets
1 cup diced onion (about 5 oz.)
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) stewed tomatoes
1 can (15 oz.) garbanzos, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup dried currants
1 cup chopped toasted almonds
1/2 tablespoon kosher salt

Preparation

1. Pour olive oil into a small frying pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and spices and cook, stirring often until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a slow-cooker.

2. Add broth, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, cauliflower, onion, stewed tomatoes (with juices), garbanzos, currants, almonds, and salt, and stir to combine.

3. Cover slow-cooker and cook on high until vegetables are tender. about 8 hours.

4. Ladle about 3 cups of the vegetable mixture into a blender. Holding lid down with a towel and taking care to avoid steam, whirl until smooth. Return purée to slow-cooker and stir to blend. Ladle stew into bowls.