Nomad Wine Works: High Point’s Urban Winery in the Catalyst Social District
In December 2022, childhood friends Dave Armstrong and Aaron Sizemore opened Nomad Wine Works in a stretch of downtown High Point once reserved almost exclusively for furniture showrooms. Dave, who already ran the popular bottle shop The Brewer’s Kettle, and Aaron, a printmaker-turned-brewer who had opened Radar Brewing Company in Winston-Salem, spent about a year searching for the right space before settling into High Point’s emerging Catalyst Social District. The result looks more like a crisp, contemporary coffee shop or brewery than a traditional tasting room — by design.
The name Nomad Wine Works came about almost by accident. Both founders grew up wandering the Triad, and when it came time to name the business, the word simply “arrived,” as Aaron puts it. It captures both their own restless path into the wine business and the winery’s un-vineyard-like setting: this is a producing winery built inside a downtown storefront, not out on acres of vines.
Before Nomad, Aaron had already built a career around fermentation: after a degree in printmaking and seven years designing fabric and rugs for the home furnishings industry, he pursued formal training in brewing and distillation and went on to open Radar Brewing Company in Winston-Salem. Dave, meanwhile, had spent years building a string of successful bottle shops around High Point. When the two longtime friends decided to combine forces, they spent about a year searching specifically for a space that could capture the spirit of a new kind of winery — and found it in a onetime furniture-showroom storefront in what has since become High Point’s Catalyst Social District, a downtown area increasingly filled with new restaurants, bars, and small businesses.
The Wines of Nomad Wine Works
Because Nomad operates as an urban winery rather than an estate vineyard, its focus is on the finished glass rather than acreage or varietal counts. The lineup includes wine, mead, and cider, with several rotating options on any given visit, plus local beer on tap and non-alcoholic choices for anyone not drinking. Their weaver mead has drawn particular praise from visitors, and the space itself — open, industrial, with rotating local art on the walls — has become as much a draw as the pours themselves.
Reviewers consistently note the friendly, patient service and the relaxed, unhurried atmosphere, whether you’re there for a quiet glass or one of the winery’s monthly trivia nights.
The interior leans contemporary-industrial, with rotating art installations from local artists giving the space a gallery feel alongside its bar. It’s a look and vibe that visitors say would feel at home in a bigger city — several reviewers have specifically compared it to wineries they’ve visited in California, New York, or Asheville — which is part of what makes it stand out in a region better known for rural vineyard tasting rooms.
Planning Your Visit
Address: 432 N. Wrenn St., High Point, NC 27260
Hours: Monday–Tuesday 2pm–9pm, Wednesday–Friday 2pm–10pm, Saturday 12pm–10pm, Sunday 12pm–7pm
Nomad is set up for easy, drop-in visits rather than scheduled tastings — there’s indoor and outdoor seating, and the space comfortably handles both small groups stopping in for a glass and larger gatherings. Food trucks and local vendor pop-ups are a regular feature, and the winery is pet-friendly, so four-legged visitors are welcome on the patio.
A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: because it’s a working downtown storefront rather than a rural tasting room, parking is street-side or in a nearby public lot, and it can get lively on weekend evenings when live music or trivia is scheduled. We recommend budgeting about an hour to ninety minutes for a relaxed visit, longer if you plan to stay for food or an event.
Where Nomad Wine Works Fits in Your Tour Route
Nomad sits apart from the traditional Yadkin Valley wine country — it’s an urban winery in downtown High Point rather than a vineyard estate — which makes it a great change of pace stop rather than a straight-line addition to a rural tasting itinerary. The closest cluster of estate wineries, around Lexington, is roughly 20 minutes away, so Nomad pairs well as a first or last stop bookending a day spent among the vines.
Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time if you’re combining Nomad with estate visits elsewhere in the valley. Because Nomad keeps afternoon-into-evening hours rather than the typical late-morning opening of most tasting rooms, it also works well as an evening stop after a full day of touring.
Wine Tour Transportation to Nomad Wine Works
Ashe County Livery provides private, chauffeured wine tour transportation to Nomad Wine Works from Ashe County, Boone, Blowing Rock, West Jefferson and across NC’s High Country. Our Nomad Wine Works trip-planning page covers drive times, tasting-room hours, group sizes and pricing.
Travel in a luxury SUV, sedan, or Sprinter van with a professional chauffeur — everyone in your group gets to taste, nobody has to drive. We only charge from pickup to your last drop-off, and every tour includes a complimentary cooler with ice and water. Plan your Nomad Wine Works visit or call (336) 484-1350.
Nearby wineries we also serve: Childress Vineyards · Curran Alexander Vineyards · Junius Lindsay Vineyard — or browse all 54 Yadkin Valley wineries we provide transportation to.
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
🍷 Planning a Wine Tour in the NC High Country?
Ashe County Livery offers private, luxury wine tour transportation throughout the Blue Ridge Mountains. Skip the driving and let our professional chauffeurs take you from winery to winery in comfort and style.
Serving Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, Boone, and all NC High Country destinations • (336) 484-1350
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