Author: Ashe County Livery

Stardust Cellars & Taproom: NC’s First Biodynamic Winery, Foot-Stomped and Award-Winning

Stardust Cellars bills itself as North Carolina’s first biodynamic winery, and the small-batch approach shows up in how the wine actually gets made: grapes are foot-stomped and basket-pressed in craft-sized batches rather than run through industrial equipment. The winery has earned the Triple Dogwood sustainability rating from NC GreenTravel, recognizing an in-house bottle recycling program, a composting system aimed at a zero-waste stream, vineyards farmed without irrigation or chemical sprays, and sanitizing done with ozone and biodegradable cleansers instead of harsher chemicals.

That sustainability commitment is not a marketing add-on here — it runs through every stage of production, from how the grapes are farmed to how the empty bottles are handled after the wine is gone. For a region built mostly around conventional estate wineries, Stardust’s biodynamic-first identity makes it one of the more distinctive stops on a Yadkin Valley itinerary.

Alongside wine, Stardust has built a strong name in mead — its flagship Honey Buzzed, a tart, semisweet session mead blending ginger spice and sour lemon into wild-fermented, “funky” honey, won a Gold Medal at the 2024 National Meadcrafters Competition. The North Wilkesboro location, set in a converted former Round Up building along Statesville Road, also produces cider and both domestic and craft beer.

The Wines & Meads of Stardust Cellars

The North Wilkesboro location functions as both meadery and taproom, producing mead from local Foothills honey and the property’s own well water, alongside wine, cider, and beer. The biodynamic, low-intervention approach means small production runs and batch-to-batch variation is part of the character rather than something to be engineered out. Stardust’s meads are also available at Lowe’s Foods locations across North Carolina.

The mead program in particular sets Stardust apart from most of the estate wineries in the Yadkin Valley. Wild fermentation means the bees, not a lab strain, largely determine the character of each batch — which is part of why Honey Buzzed earned its gold medal, and why regulars come back specifically to see what a new batch tastes like. Stardust also produces its own ciders in-house, giving visitors who prefer something other than wine or mead a reason to linger at the taproom.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 4780 Statesville Road, North Wilkesboro, NC 28659

• Mead & Wine Flights — a sampling of Stardust’s mead and wine lineup, available in the taproom.
• Private Events — the venue can be rented for weddings, birthdays, corporate retreats, and galas.
• Live Music & Trivia — regularly scheduled events; check the winery’s calendar and social channels before you go.
• On-Site Camping — camping is available for anyone who wants to turn a visit into an overnight.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: Stardust is genuinely pet-friendly — dogs, cats, birds, and even the occasional lizard are welcome inside — and the taproom is kid-friendly too, with non-alcoholic drink options on hand. Tasting room hours can shift seasonally and by event schedule, so we always confirm current hours directly with Stardust before building it into a tour. Because there is often live music, trivia, or a private event on the calendar, budget at least 90 minutes here and check ahead if you want a quieter visit. Groups looking for a distillery-adjacent, low-key experience tend to enjoy this stop the most — it reads less like a formal winery tasting and more like a neighborhood taproom that happens to make some genuinely award-winning mead.

Where Stardust Fits in Your Tour Route

Stardust sits toward the western edge of the Yadkin Valley wine region, close enough to Wilkes County’s Ronda-area wineries — including Raffaldini Vineyards and Sotrio Vineyards — and to Jones Von Drehle Vineyards further east that it works well as an anchor for a route through the valley’s western half. Because it sits a bit apart from the denser Elkin and Hamptonville clusters, it pairs best with two or three stops rather than a full five-winery day.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time, and note that Stardust’s biodynamic, small-batch approach means the tasting room experience can move a little differently than a typical estate winery — give yourself room in the schedule rather than rushing straight through. For groups coming down from the High Country, Stardust’s location toward North Wilkesboro also makes it a convenient first or last stop, since it sits closer to the mountains than most of the Yadkin Valley’s better-known estate wineries further east.

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• Request a free quote — or call (336) 484-1350

Slightly Askew Winery: Elkin’s Playful, Pet-Named Wine List

Slightly Askew Winery describes itself plainly: “not your typical winery, we’re a ‘slightly’ different Yadkin Valley winery.” The tasting room in downtown Elkin, North Carolina blends wine made from local juices with juices sourced from some of the best wine regions in the world, and the personality of the place shows up right there on the wine list — several bottlings are named after the winery’s own dogs. “Penny for your Thoughts,” a stainless Chardonnay, takes its name from a dog named Penny, and “Blackjack ‘BJ’,” a blackberry Merlot, honors a past field champion dog that has been a family favorite since the wine’s earliest vintage.

The winery is also a stop on the Elkin Vine Line, a hop-on-hop-off wine tour that passes by on Saturdays and Sundays — a sign of how central Slightly Askew is to the Elkin tasting-room scene.

The Wines of Slightly Askew Winery

The lineup splits cleanly between dry and sweet drinkers. Dry-side pours include Jumpin’ Jazzmine (a Riesling with apricot and tropical fruit notes), Camp Creek Clear and Penny for your Thoughts (both stainless Chardonnays), Stump Farm (Petit Manseng), Mountaineer Pride (Cabernet Franc), Roaring River Red (Merlot), Cordeaux “Big Red” (a Petit Verdot, Tannat, and Merlot blend), and Mystic Vision (an Argentina Malbec, Bonarda, Syrah, and Merlot blend). On the fruit-wine side, look for flavors like raspberry white zinfandel, green apple Gewürztraminer, cranberry Chianti, and peach Chardonnay, alongside the winery’s playfully named blackberry, blueberry, and tropical-fruit blends. Beyond the tasting room, Slightly Askew’s wines are also carried at a handful of local retailers and restaurants around Elkin and Mount Airy.

What stands out about this list is how personal it is. Rather than naming wines after the grape blend alone, Slightly Askew names many of them after the winery’s own dogs, local landmarks like Camp Creek and Stump Farm, and inside jokes that only make sense once the tasting room staff tells you the story. It is the kind of wine list that rewards asking questions — nearly every bottle has a short story behind the name, and the staff are happy to share it if you ask while you taste.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 913 North Bridge Street, Elkin, NC 28621
Tasting Room: Thursday – Saturday, 1pm – 6pm; Sunday, 1pm – 5pm

• Tasting Flights — a walk-in sampling of the dry and fruit wine lineup, poured in the downtown Elkin tasting room.
• Retail Shop — gifts, snacks, cheese, t-shirts, and other souvenirs alongside the wine list.
• Elkin Vine Line Stop — the winery sits directly on this weekend hop-on-hop-off wine tour route, so the tasting room can get lively on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: this is a smaller, more casual tasting room than some of the estate wineries nearby, so it works well as a quick, fun stop rather than a full sit-down experience. Because it is directly on the Elkin Vine Line route, weekend afternoons can be busy with walk-up traffic from that tour, so we plan around that if a quieter visit matters to your group. Budget about an hour here — enough time to taste through the list and pick up a bottle or two. If your group likes a wine list with a sense of humor rather than a formal tasting menu, this is one of the more memorable stops on a Yadkin Valley route, and it tends to be a favorite with bachelorette and birthday groups looking for something a little different from the bigger estate wineries.

Where Slightly Askew Fits in Your Tour Route

Slightly Askew sits right in downtown Elkin, alongside Elkin Creek Vineyards, Carolina Heritage Vineyard & Winery, and Adagio Vineyards & Winery — all within a few minutes’ drive. That makes Elkin one of the most walkable, tightly clustered stretches of the Yadkin Valley for a group that wants to taste at several small wineries without spending the whole day in the car.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time, though Elkin’s cluster of small tasting rooms can move a little faster than the larger estate wineries. Most Yadkin Valley tasting rooms open by noon, and Slightly Askew’s 1pm opening pairs well as a second or third stop after starting elsewhere in Elkin.

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• Request a free quote — or call (336) 484-1350

Shadow Springs Vineyard: 20 Years From Tobacco Land to Wine and Spirits

Shadow Springs Vineyard exists because its founder, Chuck, missed one too many of his sons’ baseball games. He left his corporate job and moved the family back to North Carolina to start a vineyard, planting four acres of Merlot and Cabernet Franc on old tobacco land in the spring of 2005. The tasting room opened with the winery’s first vintage in the summer of 2008, and the vineyard has since grown to nearly eleven acres of red and white grapes.

That family-first, no-pretension founding story still shapes how the winery describes itself today. Shadow Springs makes a point of calling out that there is “no stuffy atmosphere, no pretentious founders, and no intimidating wine jargon” in its tasting room — a direct reflection of Chuck’s own reason for starting the place, which was to build something the whole family could be part of rather than a formal wine business.

In 2011, the family purchased the old Buck Shoals Vineyard & Winery from the Crater family — a property just half a mile down the road — and turned it into Windsor Run Cellars, a 15,000-square-foot winemaking facility. Today that building produces wine for Brandon Hills Vineyard, Divine Llama Vineyards, Sanders Ridge, Medaloni Cellars, Point Lookout Vineyards, and Roaring River Vineyards, in addition to Shadow Springs and Windsor Run themselves. When North Carolina passed a 2015 law allowing craft distilleries to sell directly to customers on-site, the team launched WRC Distillery, producing small-batch spirits including White Widow, Killer Bee, and Shadow Hawk. Shadow Springs recently celebrated its 20th anniversary — a milestone the family says most small wineries never reach.

The Wines of Shadow Springs Vineyard

Shadow Springs describes itself as “a traditional winery with a decidedly non-traditional attitude” — no stuffy atmosphere, no wine jargon, just wines built for classic dry drinkers and sweeter palates alike. Current releases include a Tangled Oak Blanc (Chardonnay-Chardonel blend aged in French oak and brandy barrels), a Stainless Chardonnay, Petit Manseng, Seyval Blanc, dry Rosé, Cabernet Franc, and Chambourcin, generally priced in the mid-$20s to $30 range per bottle.

The Windsor Run connection matters here beyond ownership history. Because the same 15,000-square-foot facility produces wine for half a dozen labels in the immediate area, Shadow Springs’ winemaking team has an unusually deep, hands-on familiarity with this specific stretch of Yadkin Valley terroir — they are literally making the wine for several of the neighboring tasting rooms you might also visit on the same trip.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 5543 Crater Road, Hamptonville, NC 27020
Tasting Room: Wednesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm; Sunday, 1pm – 5pm (January – February, weekends only)
Reservations: Not required for groups of six or fewer

• Wine Flight — choose four wines, 2 oz pours each, served with a stemless glass, $16.
• Cellar Select Tasting — a pour of the winery’s four best wines (two reds, one white, and a Blanc de Blanc sparkling), with your choice of a red or rosé/sparkling Riedel glass, $30.
• Large Group Tastings — available for groups larger than six with at least 24 hours’ notice; reservations cannot be made past 3:30pm and are not guaranteed for groups arriving more than 30 minutes late.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: no outside alcohol is permitted, and reservations for larger groups need to be locked in the day before rather than the morning of. The tasting room is genuinely relaxed — bring a picnic lunch and settle in. Because Shadow Springs sits on the Swan Creek Vineyards wine trail alongside several sibling wineries produced at Windsor Run, we budget at least 90 minutes here, more if your group wants to walk over to Windsor Run Cellars as well.

Where Shadow Springs Fits in Your Tour Route

Shadow Springs sits right in the middle of a cluster of Hamptonville-area wineries, with Windsor Run Cellars literally half a mile away and Dobbins Creek Vineyards and Laurel Gray Vineyards just a short drive further. This makes Hamptonville one of the easiest pockets of the Yadkin Valley to build a tight, no-backtracking route around.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time. Shadow Springs opens at 10am most of the year, so it works well as a first stop before moving on to neighboring tasting rooms that open at 11am or noon.

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Serre Vineyards: Blue Ridge Views and a No-Pretension Pour

Serre Vineyards — the name rhymes with “share” — opens with a simple philosophy: wine should be approachable, and you should not have to know how to pronounce Beaujolais to enjoy a glass of it with friends. Tucked into the Blue Ridge Mountains outside Mount Airy, North Carolina, this family-run winery built its tasting room around exactly that idea, welcoming seasoned sommeliers and total beginners with the same pour.

The property sits on nearly 70 acres with sweeping views of Skull Camp Mountain, Paradise Mountain, and Raven’s Knob Mountain, backing up to the wider Blue Ridge range — the kind of backdrop that makes Serre a popular stop for our wine tour groups looking for scenery as much as wine.

What sets Serre apart from some of the more formal Yadkin Valley tasting rooms is how deliberately low-key the whole operation is. There is no dress code, no assumed wine vocabulary, and no sense that you need to have visited before to feel comfortable walking in. That casual confidence carries through the property’s other offerings as well, from the food-truck weekends to the live music that shows up throughout the year.

The Wines of Serre Vineyards

Serre pours a range of dry red, dry white, sparkling, sweet, and fruit wines, aimed squarely at making the tasting room feel unintimidating rather than exclusive. The winery works with Yadkin Valley fruit to produce what it calls “a truly elevated North Carolina wine experience,” and the tasting room leans into that with an inviting, unfussy atmosphere rather than a formal program.

Because the winery does not gate the experience behind a lot of process, the tasting room itself does most of the talking — a relaxed bar where you can work through a flight, order a glass of whatever sounds interesting, or settle in with a bottle and stay awhile. That last part is not incidental; Serre’s own materials describe the goal as making people want to linger, whether that means an afternoon on the patio or an overnight in the property’s suite.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 364 Beast Trail, Mount Airy, NC 27030
Tasting Room: Thursday – Monday, 12pm – 8pm (closed Tuesday & Wednesday)
Reservations: Not required

• Walk-In Tasting — no reservation needed, any day the tasting room is open.
• Weekend Food Truck — The Pairing Plate serves light bites and snacks on weekends alongside the wine.
• A Suite with a View — an on-site private suite with its own entrance, a two-person soaking tub, waterfall rain shower, and firepit looking out over the mountains — a good option if your group wants to turn the visit into an overnight.
• Weddings & Private Events — the vineyard books as a wedding venue; ask ahead for available dates.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: Serre is genuinely family-friendly — well-behaved leashed dogs and kids are welcome, and the team means it when they say they love having families visit. Weekday food options are limited to snacks, so if your group wants a real meal, plan around the weekend food truck or eat before you arrive. Because there is no reservation system, walk-ins are the norm, but we still budget at least 90 minutes here to account for a wait during weekend rushes. If your group is celebrating something specific — a bachelorette weekend, an anniversary, a reunion — the combination of live music, a relaxed no-reservation policy, and the option to book the suite for the night makes Serre one of the easier wineries to build a whole evening around rather than just an afternoon stop.

Where Serre Fits in Your Tour Route

Serre sits in the same Mount Airy 27030 corner of Surry County as Round Peak Vineyards, making the two an easy pairing without much drive time between them. From there, Golden Road Vineyards and Stony Knoll Vineyards, both closer to Dobson, extend the route further south without doubling back.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time. Because Serre’s tasting room does not open until noon, it pairs well as a midday or afternoon stop rather than the first winery of the day. Given that the tasting room stays open until 8pm four days a week, it also works well as a last stop on a longer route — you are not racing a 5pm closing time the way you are at many Yadkin Valley wineries.

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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.

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• Request a free quote — or call (336) 484-1350

Round Peak Vineyards: A Napa Dream Replanted in the Blue Ridge Foothills

The story of Round Peak Vineyards starts with two couples who met at Davidson College. George Little and Lee Martin became friends as students, later married Susan and Janet, and the two couples discovered a shared love of good wine. A 1998 trip to Napa Valley turned that into a plan — they purchased the current vineyard site in Mount Airy, North Carolina in 1999 and planted eight acres across six grape varieties in 2000.

The Littles and the Martins ran the vineyard, winery, and tasting room until they retired and sold it in 2008. The new owners, Kari Heerdt and Ken Gulaian, had their own winding path here: they met in Cincinnati in 1998 while working at General Electric, moved to Charlotte in 2000, then relocated to Oakland, California in 2006 — where visiting the small family wineries of Dry Creek Valley planted a different kind of seed. When the chance to return to North Carolina and take over Round Peak came up in 2008, Ken left the corporate world behind for good.

The Wines of Round Peak Vineyards

Round Peak sits at 1,300 feet in elevation in the Yadkin Valley AVA, on a 32-acre property with 12 acres of vineyard producing all of the fruit for its wines. Every bottle is 100% estate grown and bottled — the winery brings in no outside grapes. Current plantings run to a dozen varietals, including Chardonnay, Vidal Blanc, Merlot, Nebbiolo, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Manseng, Tannat, Montepulciano, and Norton, with Chardonel, Chambourcin, and Touriga National coming online in the next couple of vintages.

The winery pours under two labels. Round Peak covers the traditional side of the house — dry varietal wines and blends, with reds barrel-aged at least 14 months in French oak and neutral barrels, and whites kept crisp in stainless steel. Skull Camp, made from the same estate fruit, is the easier-drinking, dry-to-sweet line meant for casual sipping. Round Peak also produces its own ciders and beer on-site.

The estate-only approach is worth pausing on. Plenty of Yadkin Valley wineries supplement their own fruit with grapes purchased from other growers, especially in lean vintages. Round Peak’s decision to hand-pick everything from its own 12 acres, every year, means the wine list stays smaller than some neighboring wineries — but every bottle on the shelf genuinely reflects this specific hillside and its micro-climate.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 765 Round Peak Church Road, Mount Airy, NC 27030
Tasting Room (April–December): Sunday–Thursday 12pm–5pm, Friday 12pm–8pm, Saturday 11am–6pm
Tasting Room (January–March): Friday 12pm–8pm, Saturday 11am–6pm, Sunday 12pm–5pm

• Tasting Flights — a self-paced sampling of Round Peak’s dry wines or Skull Camp’s easier-drinking blends, served on the covered patio or inside.
• Cabin Stays — overnight cabins on the property for anyone who wants to linger past last call.
• Disc Golf — a course on-site, good for filling time between pours with a group.
• Weddings & Private Events — the property books as a wedding and event venue; ask ahead for dates.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: Round Peak is both kid- and dog-friendly, so it is an easy stop for a mixed group. The covered patio is the spot to ask for — it faces the vineyard rows and catches the evening light. Because hours shift seasonally and Round Peak occasionally hosts live music or private events, we always call ahead to confirm the tasting room is open to the public before building it into a route. Budget at least 90 minutes here; longer if your group wants to walk the vineyard or play a round of disc golf.

Where Round Peak Fits in Your Tour Route

Round Peak sits in the Round Peak Church Road area southwest of Mount Airy, close enough to Serre Vineyards that the two are an easy same-afternoon pairing. From there, Surry County’s cluster of wineries around Dobson and State Road — including Golden Road Vineyards and Shelton Vineyards — are a short drive further south, which makes this corner of the Yadkin Valley good for building a route that never doubles back on itself.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time between stops. Most Yadkin Valley tasting rooms open at 11am or noon, so an early start pairs well with Round Peak’s Saturday 11am opening.

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• Jones von Drehle Vineyards: A Family Estate on 65 Blue Ridge Acres

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• Airport Transfers — CLT, AVL, GSO & TRI
• Request a free quote — or call (336) 484-1350

Roaring River Vineyards: A French-Inspired Winery Built Around a Historic Gristmill

In 2001, Tom and Joséphine Silvey were living in Charlotte and looking for a weekend retreat when they found a riverside property in Traphill, North Carolina, along the East Prong of the Roaring River. For Joséphine, who grew up near France’s Champagne region, the rolling hills felt like home. The couple bought the land intending to build a simple weekend cottage — but when Joséphine asked Tom to plant a few grapevines to remind her of France, he signed them both up for a viticulture seminar at Surry Community College and came out with, as she puts it, stars in his eyes.

What followed was nearly two decades of long-distance labor: the Silveys were living in Orlando at the time, driving back and forth, hauling supplies, and sleeping in a mobile home while they cleared land and planted vines. Tom’s job brought the couple to Rural Hall, NC in 2011, and from there the project accelerated. Their first grape harvest came in 2013; Tom retired from a 43-year career at Siemens in 2017; and in the summer of 2018 the couple moved into their forever home overlooking the vineyard. On Bastille Day, 2016, fittingly, they opened the Wine Tasting Room and Chez Joséphine Restaurant.

The site itself carries its own history: it dates back to 1870, when the old Brewer gristmill and sawmill used the river to power their grinding wheels. Roaring River’s tasting room was built in place of that old gristmill, and remnants of the historic sawmill and cabin are still visible just across the water.

Tom and Joséphine have described their roles at the estate half-jokingly as “Secretary of the Exterior” and “Secretary of the Interior” — a reflection of just how hands-on the couple has been in building not just a vineyard, but a full riverside experience with lodging, event spaces, and dining layered in over the years.

The Wines of Roaring River Vineyards

The Tasting Haus at Roaring River Vineyards pours French-inspired estate wines alongside German-style, locally sourced beers. The wine lineup includes Traminette, Chambourcin, Chardonnay, Norton, and the winery’s fan-favorite Petit Rosé, produced in partnership with a local winery while the Silveys continued building out the estate. German-inspired food, shareables, and small plates round out the menu, designed to pair with whatever you’re drinking rather than compete with it. Regular events add another layer to a visit — from Sip & Solve wine bingo nights to the River Jams live music series featuring local performers on the covered porch.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 493 Brewer Mill Rd, Traphill, NC 28685
Phone: (336) 957-2332
Hours: Thursday 11am–6pm (May–October), Friday–Saturday 11am–6pm, Sunday 12pm–5pm

Roaring River is as much a destination as a tasting stop — the property includes vacation rentals booked through VRBO, an RV campground, and event spaces for weddings and private gatherings, all riverside. Outdoor dining spaces are pet-friendly, so both people and dogs are welcome by the water, and the covered porch overlooking the historic Brewer Mill site is a favorite spot for lingering over a wine flight.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: the tasting room is closed Monday through Wednesday, so plan your visit for later in the week. We recommend budgeting at least two hours here if your group wants to eat at Chez Joséphine and take in the river views — this isn’t a quick tasting-and-go stop.

Where Roaring River Fits in Your Tour Route

Roaring River sits in Wilkes County in the foothills near Stone Mountain State Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway, close to a small cluster of wineries around Elkin and State Road — including Elkin Creek Vineyard, Grassy Creek Vineyard, and Golden Road Vineyards, all within a short drive. That makes it a natural anchor for a foothills-focused day rather than a stop paired with the wineries further south and east in the valley.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time between stops. Given Roaring River’s limited Thursday–Sunday schedule, we recommend building the rest of your day’s route around its open hours rather than the other way around. And because the drive out to Traphill winds through genuinely scenic foothills country, we’d suggest treating the drive itself as part of the day rather than something to rush through.

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• Request a free quote — or call (336) 484-1350

RagApple Lassie Vineyards: From Champion Show Calf to Yadkin Valley Winery

Frank Hobson is a third-generation farmer whose family has worked the same land in Boonville, North Carolina since the early 1900s, growing tobacco, corn, wheat, and soybeans. When the tobacco buyout of the early 2000s threatened to end that way of life, Frank and his wife Lenna made a decision: rather than sell the 114-year-old family farm to developers, they would plant grapes. In April 2000, they put five acres of vinifera vines in the ground, and by the time RagApple Lassie opened for tastings a couple of years later, it had become a full working vineyard and winery.

The unusual name comes from Frank’s own childhood: RagApple Lassie was his 4-H show calf, a registered Holstein born on the Hobson farm that Frank raised from a day old and went on to become the Grand Champion Show Calf at the 1957 North Carolina State Fair. A tobacco leaf still appears on the back label of every bottle — a nod to the farm’s roots, even as the majority of Hobson land remains planted in corn, wheat, soybeans, and tobacco alongside the vines.

Lenna Hobson has said in interviews that neither she nor Frank fully anticipated how much personal time the winery would demand — seven days a week, ten hours a day, in the early years — nor the way the wine business brought a wave of new friends and acquaintances hoping for a pour of their own. What has stuck with the Hobsons through it all is a sense of ownership over something they built entirely themselves, distinct from the family farming operation that came before it.

The Wines of RagApple Lassie

What began as five acres has grown into roughly 35 acres of vinifera grapes, producing up to 6,500 cases of wine a year, all from estate-grown fruit. The vineyard’s varietal list is unusually broad for North Carolina, including Pinot Gris, Viognier, Chardonnay, Traminette, Marsanne, Semillon, Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and what’s believed to be North Carolina’s only estate-grown Zinfandel.

Winemaker Linda King, who came to North Carolina from one of Ohio’s largest estate wineries, has helped RagApple Lassie earn a reputation as one of the Yadkin Valley’s award-winning producers. Standout bottlings include Hobson’s Choice, a reserve Bordeaux-style blend, and First Blush, a Zinfandel-based blend that’s become a favorite for warm-weather sipping. Rockford Red, a semi-sweet red blend, has a loyal following among regulars, and the winery’s barrel-fermented Chardonnay has previously been bottled to coincide with celestial events, including a batch timed to the 2017 solar eclipse.

Yadkin County, home to fourteen of the twenty-four wineries in the broader Yadkin Valley, has recognized Lenna Hobson’s role in the region’s wine story — she has written about the county’s wine industry for regional publications, and RagApple Lassie is frequently cited as one of the anchor wineries for visitors exploring the Boonville area.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 3724 RagApple Lassie Lane, Boonville, NC 27011
Hours: Friday through Monday from noon, with hours varying by season and events — call ahead or check their Facebook page to confirm
Phone: (336) 367-6000

The tasting room has a distinctly farm-country feel — think tractor-seat bar stools and a resident vineyard dog — and the tasting experience is relaxed and unhurried, with staff happy to walk you through the full range from crisp whites to bold reds to the winery’s semi-sweet blends. RagApple Lassie sits at roughly 1,200 feet of elevation under the western gaze of Pilot Mountain, which locals will tell you is the “Mount Pilot” of Andy Griffith fame.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: because hours shift seasonally and around events, it’s worth a quick call before finalizing your route, especially midweek. We recommend budgeting about 90 minutes here — enough time to taste through the lineup and enjoy the tasting room’s easy, come-as-you-are hospitality.

Where RagApple Lassie Fits in Your Tour Route

RagApple Lassie sits in Boonville, in the heart of Yadkin County, alongside a tight cluster of other wineries — Sanders Ridge Vineyard and Winery is practically down the road, with Windsor Run Cellars and Hanover Park Vineyard just a short drive further into Yadkin County. That makes RagApple Lassie an easy anchor stop for a Yadkin County-focused day.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time between stops. Because RagApple Lassie’s hours can shift with the season, we recommend confirming the day’s schedule before you build the rest of your route around it.

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Pilot Mountain Vineyards: Mature Vines and Mountain Views in Pinnacle, NC

The vines at Pilot Mountain Vineyards were first planted in 1996 by a previous owner — a scientist who, by his own family’s account, wanted to experiment with eight different French vinifera varieties on his 31-acre Pinnacle, North Carolina property. For years those grapes were sold off to other North Carolina wineries. Then, around 2020, husband-and-wife team Mark and Kari Barbar — a retired schoolteacher and a retired IBM executive — bought the estate and decided the mature vineyard deserved its own winery and tasting room, working with veteran winemaking consultant Linda King (formerly of RagApple Lassie) to get their first commercial vintages right.

The estate’s defining feature is its view: Pilot Mountain, the volcanic-plug landmark that has guided travelers through the Piedmont since the 18th century and became a National Natural Landmark and North Carolina State Park in 1968, rises directly behind the vines. Today the property has leaned further into hosting weddings and events, trading on that same dramatic backdrop for ceremonies and receptions.

Brides who have married at Pilot Mountain Vineyards consistently mention the same things in their reviews: the mountain views from the reception hall’s floor-to-ceiling windows, the ease of an all-inclusive planning process, and the option to stay in an on-site suite the night before and after the wedding. The Barbars built their all-inclusive package — covering everything from decor and catering to lighting, music, and parking attendants — specifically to take the stress out of vineyard weddings for couples planning from out of town.

The Wines of Pilot Mountain Vineyards

Pilot Mountain Vineyards farms 6 acres under vine on its 31-acre estate, growing eight French vinifera varieties: Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Mourvèdre, Syrah, Viognier, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, and Riesling. Viognier and Merlot make up the largest share of plantings, a nod to the previous owner’s personal favorites, and the winery’s barrel-fermented Chardonnay and estate Viognier have become its signature pours. The Barbars also produce a Cabernet Franc rosé and a cranberry-infused Viognier blend called Cranberry Delight.

Kari has said in interviews that if she had to choose just one grape to keep, it would be Viognier — the state grape of Virginia, and one that the Barbars think deserves more attention in North Carolina than the more familiar Chardonnay. That preference shows up throughout the tasting lineup, where Viognier appears both on its own and as the backbone of several of the winery’s blends.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 1162 Bradley Rd, Pinnacle, NC 27043
Tasting Room Hours: Friday–Sunday, roughly 12:30pm–5pm

The tasting room sits at a 20-foot bar with sweeping views of Pilot Mountain through the open doors, and there’s both indoor seating and an outdoor patio. If you’re planning a wedding rather than a tasting visit, Pilot Mountain Vineyards operates as an all-inclusive venue: packages typically run $9,500–$14,000 depending on guest count and day of week (with $13,500 the average for a Saturday wedding), the venue holds up to 125 guests, and off-season micro-wedding packages are available for smaller groups.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: because the estate is increasingly weekend-wedding-focused, it’s worth calling ahead before a tasting visit to confirm the tasting room is open rather than booked for a private event. Weather-contingency plans are built into the venue’s indoor spaces for wedding parties, which is a good sign of how seriously the Barbars take the guest experience even outside of tastings. We recommend budgeting about an hour to 90 minutes for a relaxed tasting with time to enjoy the view.

Where Pilot Mountain Vineyards Fits in Your Tour Route

Pilot Mountain Vineyards sits in Surry County alongside several other wineries that share the same mountain backdrop, including JOLO Winery & Vineyards just up the road, Round Peak Vineyards near Mount Airy, and Stony Knoll Vineyards outside Dobson. It’s a natural fit for a Surry County-focused day rather than a stop on the Yadkin County side of the valley.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time between stops. Since the tasting room here keeps a shorter Friday–Sunday schedule than many valley wineries, we recommend confirming hours before building your full-day route around it.

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Old Homeplace Vineyard: A 75-Year Family Farm Turned Lakeside Winery

The Stone family has farmed this land in Davidson County, North Carolina for more than 75 years — first as a tobacco operation, now as Old Homeplace Vineyard. Like many longtime tobacco families in the Piedmont, they found themselves needing a new direction for the land, and turned to wine grapes and an event venue rather than let the farm slip out of agricultural use.

The family describes Old Homeplace first and foremost as a working agricultural area and event center, and their guest policies reflect that dual identity: it’s a real farm that happens to welcome visitors, not a purpose-built tourist attraction. That framing carries through to the winery’s own marketing, which leans into practical, unpretentious language rather than polish — a fit for the laid-back, come-sit-by-the-lake experience regulars describe.

What makes the property especially memorable is its setting: the vineyard lies between a 1,200-acre lake and 48 acres of rolling pasture, giving the tasting deck and event lawn a waterfront backdrop that’s unusual for a Yadkin Valley-area winery. It’s a working agricultural operation first and a tasting destination second — guests are reminded on arrival that this is still a working farm, not a manicured resort, and that’s very much part of its charm.

The Wines of Old Homeplace Vineyard

Old Homeplace pours a wide range of dry, semi-sweet, and Muscadine-style wines. On the dry side, look for Henry Lee (a crisp white blend of Viognier, Pinot Gris, and Chardonnay), a lightly oaked Chardonnay, and a refreshing Sauvignon Blanc, alongside reds like a French-oaked Malbec, the Bordeaux-style Meritage blend Firefly, a classic Cabernet Sauvignon, and Full Moon, their Cabernet Sauvignon aged in bourbon barrels. The rosé, Tire Swing, blends Sangiovese and Cabernet Franc.

On the sweeter end, the winery makes a semi-sweet Riesling, a sweetened red blend called Lil’ Red Wagon, a Merlot-Riesling Sangria, and several Muscadine wines — including the playfully named Skinny Dippin’ and Crooked Rows-e’ — that lean into the Southern muscadine tradition rather than European vinifera.

The winery also markets a rotating selection of “award-winning wines” on-site, and its Sunday Fundays series brings local songwriters and musicians to perform on the deck overlooking the lake — a fixture of the weekend schedule worth checking before your visit if live music is part of what you’re after.

Planning Your Visit

Address: 623 McGee Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27107
Tasting Room Hours: Friday 1pm–6pm, Saturday & Sunday 12pm–5pm (last call and last tastings 30 minutes before closing)

Two tasting formats are offered: choose 7 wines for $15 and keep the glass, or opt for a wine flight of four 3-oz pours for $20, also with a glass to take home. There’s no tasting after 4:30pm on open days. The grounds welcome non-aggressive, leashed dogs and supervised children, though outside beverages and full coolers aren’t permitted — personal containers must be empty before entering. Live music on the deck overlooking the lake is a regular weekend feature, and the property also hosts weddings in its on-site barn.

A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: this is a working farm with a limited tasting-room schedule (Friday through Sunday only), so it pays to build your visit around those hours rather than a weekday stop. Coolers and outside drinks aren’t allowed onto the property, so leave those in the vehicle, and remember that pets need to stay leashed and calm around other guests. We recommend budgeting about 90 minutes to two hours if the weather’s good and your group wants to linger by the water.

Where Old Homeplace Fits in Your Tour Route

Old Homeplace sits between Winston-Salem and Lexington, close to the small cluster of Yadkin Valley-area wineries around Lexington — including Curran Alexander Vineyards, Native Vines Winery, and Childress Vineyards — all within about 20 minutes’ drive. That makes it easy to combine with an eastern Yadkin Valley loop rather than the wineries further west and north in Yadkin and Surry counties.

Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time. Because Old Homeplace only opens Friday through Sunday, it’s worth confirming that day of your trip lines up before building it into a weekday itinerary.

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• Yadkin Valley Wine Tours — Explore NC’s premier wine region
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• Airport Transfers — CLT, AVL, GSO & TRI
• Request a free quote — or call (336) 484-1350