The Tastemaker: Our Favorite Local Wineries
Wine your way through Blowing Rock with these top tastings! We love these three area wineries, each offering their own personality, flavors and views.
Written by Katlin Chadwick
All are first come first serve for both tables and tastings, but we recommend calling ahead if you have a group of six or more.
We also recommend calling ahead or checking the websites for hours, as most change seasonally.
Linville Falls Winery
An elevated experience on a tree farm
About 30 miles from Blowing Rock, this one’s a bit of a hike (but worth it!). We’d recommend starting here if you are going to hit all three wineries below.
Just north of the Parkway and Linville Gorge, Linville Falls Winery is the newest winery of the three — and it’s also a farm, with blueberries, blackberries, apples, pumpkins, and even Christmas Trees! Grapes grow in the expanse of rolling hills surrounding the winery.
Tastings are $10 a person for seven wines, and a glass to take home.
Bring a picnic, or compile your own charcuterie board from the on-site artisan market.
Banner Elk Winery
Laidback with Tuscan charm
Banner Elk gives a whole new meaning to wine tasting in the mountains. Its vineyards — nestled at 3,200 feet elevation on Beech Mountain — are the highest in the Eastern U.S. You can view them and the rest of the mountain from the tasting room’s large porch.
The eldest of the three wineries, Banner Elk also has a Tuscan-inspired villa on-site with indulgent rooms for rent.
Tastings are $6 and include six wines. Two must-tries: their blueberry wine, made with the fruit from their on-site blueberry orchard + the ice wine, made with high-elevation grapes left on the vine through the first freeze.
About 20 miles from Blowing Rock, we recommend making this your second stop (if you’re doing all three, that is!).
Grandfather VINEYARD
River views and relaxing, social atmosphere
Clink glasses from Adirondack chairs on the banks of the trickling Watauga River at Grandfather Vineyard. About 10 miles outside of Blowing Rock, it’s tucked in a scenic valley at the base of Grandfather Mountain. The terrain is mountainous and grapes grow in rocky terraces above the winery.
Tastings are $6 and include four pre-selected wines, but you get to select the style (white or red, dry or sweet). Or you could do a combo for $10. A souvenir glass comes with your tasting.
If you’d rather take your tasting outside, try the four-wine flight, which includes larger pours for $15.
The closest winery to Blowing Rock, this is a perfect place to close out your day. With plenty of outdoor seating and live music and food trucks on warmer days, it’s the perfect place to relax and enjoy.