Sanders Ridge: A 180-Year Tobacco Farm Turned Yadkin Valley Winery
Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery sits on land the Shore family has worked for more than 180 years. The original 800 acres were settled in the 1840s by John Benjamin Shore, and today Neil Shore — Shore’s great-great-grandson and the fifth generation of the family to farm this particular tract, known as the Big Woods farm — is the one pouring the wine. Neil farmed traditional crops here for 44 years, mostly tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle, and timber, before planting a 15-acre vineyard in 2001. That was also his last year growing tobacco; a hand of that final crop still hangs framed behind the tasting room register.
Neil opened the winery itself in June 2009, in a rustic, towering post-and-beam building constructed from lumber and stone harvested right off the farm. Family photos and farming artifacts are scattered throughout the tasting room, and a portrait of Sanders Shore himself hangs above the bar.
The Wines of Sanders Ridge
The winery farms its own 15-acre vineyard within the broader 150-acre century-designated farm, growing Viognier, Chardonnay, Muscat Canelli, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chambourcin, and two muscadine varieties, Carlos and Noble. All of the wines are made exclusively from grapes grown on-site, and the lineup runs from dry, food-friendly reds and whites to fruitier, sweeter styles — up to 16 to 20 varieties available year-round. Since 2006, the property has also grown USDA-certified organic vegetables, herbs, and cut flowers at the adjoining Farm at Sanders Ridge.
That working-farm identity carries through everything Sanders Ridge does. This is not a vineyard built from scratch on land bought for the purpose — it is a farm that added grapes to a 180-year rotation of tobacco, corn, soybeans, wheat, cattle, and timber, and the wine program grew up around a family that already knew this soil intimately. It shows in details like the frame of tobacco leaves behind the register and the old-growth timber and stone worked into the winery building itself.
Planning Your Visit
Address: 2300 Round Hill Road, Boonville, NC 27011
Tastings & Lunch (April–December): Daily, noon – 5pm
Tastings & Lunch (January–March): Monday, and Friday–Sunday, noon – 5pm
- Wine Tasting Flight — choose any five wines, 2 oz pours, served daily noon–4:30pm, $18.
- Lunch & Sunday Brunch — a seasonally influenced lunch menu served daily, plus a dedicated Sunday brunch, both alongside your wine.
- Cabin Rental — a private cabin on the property, available year-round, that comes with a complimentary tasting or glass of wine for two.
- Weddings & Private Events — a Wedding Wire 2019 Couples’ Choice Award winner, with a waterfront gazebo ceremony site steps from the timber-frame winery.
A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: reservations are recommended for lunch and required for parties of six or more, so call ahead if your group is larger than a couple. Sanders Ridge does not allow outside picnics, coolers, or alcohol, but leashed pets are welcome on the outdoor patio. Because there is a full lunch menu, a working farm, and grounds worth walking, we recommend budgeting at least two hours here if your group plans to eat. Sunday brunch in particular draws a crowd, so if that is the plan, build in extra buffer time and confirm a table before you arrive rather than hoping to walk in.
Where Sanders Ridge Fits in Your Tour Route
Sanders Ridge sits just west of Boonville, about 25 minutes from Winston-Salem, which makes it a natural anchor for a route that also takes in the Yadkinville-area wineries — Brandon Hills Vineyard and Hanover Park Vineyard are both a short drive away, and Windsor Run Cellars is close enough to fold into the same afternoon. Coming from the High Country, we usually treat Sanders Ridge as a midday stop, with lunch built into the schedule since the on-site restaurant is one of the better reasons to slow down here.
Because Sanders Ridge also books weddings and offers a cabin rental, some of our groups treat it as more than a single stop — a rehearsal dinner the night before a wedding at the property, for instance, or an overnight stay bookended by tastings at neighboring wineries the next day. If your itinerary has any flexibility, it is worth asking what is happening on the property that week before you lock in a route.
Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time, or longer at Sanders Ridge if lunch is part of the plan. Most Yadkin Valley tasting rooms open by noon, which lines up well with Sanders Ridge’s own hours.
Wine Tour Transportation to Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery
Ashe County Livery provides private, chauffeured wine tour transportation to Sanders Ridge Vineyard & Winery from Ashe County, Boone, Blowing Rock, West Jefferson and across NC’s High Country. Our Sanders Ridge 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 Sanders Ridge tour or call (336) 484-1350.
Nearby wineries we also serve: Brandon Hills Vineyard · Hanover Park Vineyard · Windsor Run Cellars — 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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