If there is a best-kept secret outside of Bladen County, it is Lu Mil Vineyard in Dublin. But if Ron Taylor has anything to say about — and he has plenty — that will be changing very soon.

On Saturday, my wife and I took advantage of a spectacularly beautiful day by driving out to Dublin. We stopped at Houston’s Peanuts and had lunch at S&J Grill. But the best part of the excursion was our trek into the countryside to visit Lu Mil Vineyards.

Within moments of walking into the gift shop and deli sandwich/wine tasting counter area, Taylor gave us a hearty greeting and asked if we’d ever been there before. When we said no, you could almost see the sparkle in his eye as he began the history lesson.

Taylor is a talker. He’d probably be successful as a carnival worker or politician, which he was once. But since he’s now in charge of the old homeplace, the surrounding family farm couldn’t have a better publicist. Or harder worker.

Taylor’s father, Miller, started Taylor Manufacturing several decades ago, which produced and serviced tobacco harvesting machinery and employed about 500 people. The Taylors also did some tobacco-growing of their own around the home in Dublin. But when the tobacco industry started going up in smoke, the Taylors knew things would have to change.

It was about that time that Miller passed away. A few years later, his wife Lucille followed him to the hereafter.

Someone somewhere had mentioned that grape-growing could become the next big thing, so Ron decided to start easing out of the tobacco business and plant a few vines and see what happened.

The rest, as they say, is history.

Although Taylor still oversees Taylor Manufacturing — which boasts of such products as the Taylor Waterstove, Taylor Storage Buildings and more up and down the East Coast — it is the grape that has taken Taylor to new heights. And if there’s one thing that’s clear about Taylor, it’s that he is a whiz at business acumen and marketing.

Today, Lu Mil — which Ron named after his mother and father — fills the countryside with row upon row of well-kept grape vines, at least three ponds, two amphitheaters, a museum, three new cabins for renting, two banquet and meeting facilities, areas for weddings and parties, the tasting area and the gift shop. A tour of the grounds will also show an old family cemetery, the home where Ron was born and the home next door where he was raised (now available for rental, decorated just the way his mother left it — in its 1970s motif).

And Lu Mil’s grapes not only get turned into wine, but they are also used to produce a variety of other products ... like jellies, jams, salsas and slushies — all of which can be sampled at Lu Mil.

There is hardly a Bladen County gathering of any size nowadays that’s not held at Lu Mil Vineyards, which has helped spread the word throughout The Mother County about the location. And the fact that Taylor has branched out to allow some regional businesses — like The Village Station in Lumberton — to sell his juices, jams and other products has helped to get the word out about his diamond in the rough. The fact that Lu Mil has garnered numerous awards at the North Carolina State Fair over recent years is also putting a pin in the map for the Dublin vineyard.

On Saturday, Lu Mil Vineyards will be crawling with people as it hosts the annual N.C. Grape Festival. If your Saturday isn’t yet filled, it would be worth your while to head for Dublin.

The day will feature a seven-hour community yard sale, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. There will also be a grape-stomping competition, entertainment from Bill Storms and his performing dog Rose, music from disc-jockey Joseph Hatcher from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and by Howard Faircloth from 1 to 3 p.m., and tours of the vineyard on the famous double-decker bus. You’ll even get to taste some of the Lu Mil products throughout the day.

The story leading up to and encompassing the Lu Mil Vineyards history is one of a hard-working, dedicated to the land and community family that left little doubt from the start of the success it would experience. That’s because Ron Taylor loves what he’s doing and he’s embraced it with all his might.

If you happen to see him roaming the grounds on Saturday — and I’m sure you’ll have no trouble finding him — say hello and tell him what a fine facility he has. He’ll appreciate that, and he might even tell you more of Lu Mil’s story. It’s a good one.

— W. Curt Vincent is the editor of the Bladen Journal. He may be reached at 862-4163 or by e-mail at editor@bladenjournal.com.