Grandfather Vineyard: The High Country’s First Wine Grapes, Planted in 2003

Grandfather Vineyard: The High Country’s First Wine Grapes, Planted in 2003

When Steve and Sally Tatum purchased their Banner Elk property in 2000, Steve considered the usual mountain-land options — Christmas trees were the popular local crop — but a love of wine won out. In 2003 he planted the first wine grapes ever grown in the mountains of northwest North Carolina, on about five acres of the family’s 13-acre tract. Steve had owned Tatum Galleries, a furniture and interior design shop, for 30 years before the vineyard became more than a hobby. The winery opened its doors in May 2011.

Today it’s a family operation: son Dylan Tatum, a Surry Community College viticulture and enology graduate, is the winemaker, and his wife Nicole manages the tasting room. The couple met at the winery and married on its riverbank in 2017 — a fitting full-circle story for a High Country institution now well into its second generation.

The Wines of Grandfather Vineyard

Grandfather can’t grow every grape it pours on-site — the mountain climate has its limits — so the winery sources more than 65% of its fruit from the High Country and surrounding areas, with the remainder coming from out west. The portfolio leans toward dry reds and dry whites, but the Tatums “dabble in all things wine,” including sweet and sparkling styles; the winemaking facility currently turns out 6–7 different sparkling wines a year from hybrid grapes. The wines have won medals at competitions including the Dixie Classic Fair and drawn praise in an Italian wine competition — notable recognition for wine grown this far up in the Blue Ridge.

Winemaking at elevation is genuinely a different discipline than winemaking in the Piedmont, and Dylan’s formal viticulture and enology training shows in how the winery has approached that challenge: rather than fighting the mountain climate to force a single signature varietal, Grandfather has built a diverse program that leans into what actually ripens well at altitude, supplementing with fruit from elsewhere in the High Country and beyond. The result is a lineup that changes more from vintage to vintage than you’ll find at many valley wineries — part of the appeal for repeat visitors who like to see what’s new each trip.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 225 Vineyard Lane, Banner Elk, NC 28604
Hours: Monday – Saturday, 12pm – 6pm; Sunday, 12pm – 5pm (open year-round, seven days a week)

Grandfather sits along a trout stream in the heart of Avery County, and the visit experience reflects that mountain setting more than a typical Piedmont tasting room:

• Walk-Up Tastings — no reservations are taken; guests simply arrive and taste through the current lineup at their own pace.
• Guided Lateral Tasting — a tour of the winery followed by a lateral tasting of six flagship wines, paired with local charcuterie from Cut & Cured and local chocolate from Boone Chocolat — a nice option for a date or an easy, unhurried outing.
• Live Music & Food Trucks — check the event calendar for weekly live music, food truck visits and artisanal vendor pop-ups.

A few practical notes we’ve learned from bringing groups here: the property is kid- and pet-friendly, with plenty of open riverside space to spread out, but reservations aren’t accepted, so weekend afternoons can get busy during peak leaf and summer season. We recommend budgeting at least 90 minutes, more if you’re doing the guided lateral tasting with charcuterie.

Where Grandfather Vineyard Fits in Your Tour Route

Grandfather sits between Boone and Banner Elk — about nine miles from Boone on N.C. 105, roughly 3.5 miles from the intersection of N.C. 105 and N.C. 184 toward Banner Elk — making it one of the very few wineries actually located in the High Country itself. Most other Yadkin Valley wineries are a genuine drive south down the mountain, so we typically pair a Grandfather visit with a full High Country day rather than trying to combine it with a Yadkin Valley run in the same afternoon.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per stop plus drive time. If your group wants to extend the day toward the foothills, the closest Yadkin Valley wineries are a 45-minute to hour-plus drive down Hwy 16/21 toward Elkin and the Wilkes County wineries.

Because the drive down the mountain is part of the experience here, we typically build a Grandfather visit into a relaxed loop — a stop at the vineyard mid-morning or early afternoon, lunch in Banner Elk or Boone, and time built in for the scenery along N.C. 105 rather than treating it as a quick errand between other stops.

Explore More from Ashe County Livery

• Yadkin Valley Wine Tours — Explore NC’s premier wine region
• High Country Wine Tours — Mountain winery service
• Wedding Transportation — Luxury transportation for your big day
• Airport Transfers — CLT, AVL, GSO & TRI
• Request a free quote — or call (336) 484-1350

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Ashe County Livery

Ashe County Livery provides luxury wedding transportation, wine tour shuttles, and airport transfers throughout North Carolina’s High Country.

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