Valley River Vineyards sits on Martin’s Creek Road outside Murphy, NC, in the far southwestern tip of the state — closer to Georgia and Tennessee than to almost anywhere else in North Carolina wine country. It’s a small, family-run vineyard and winery that describes itself as “A Taste Of Southern Appalachia,” and that description fits: this is a working farm winery built around picnic tables, a creek, and a slower pace than you’ll find at more commercial tasting rooms.
A Small Family Vineyard Since the Late 1990s
Valley River Vineyards describes itself as a small family vineyard and winery located in western North Carolina, with vines planted in 1997 producing a mix of Vinifera and North American grape varieties along with fruit supplements. That’s a long history for a winery that still runs like a genuinely personal, family-scale operation — the kind of place where the person pouring your wine may well be the person who grew it. (Source: description on Valley River Vineyards’ High Country Wine Tours profile, courtesy of the North Carolina Wine & Grape Council.)
What to Taste
Because production is small, the wine list shifts with what’s currently available — Valley River has listed a red called Mattie Hatchet Red, a Chardonnay, a semi-sweet Blackberry wine, and has previewed a Peach and Apple wine as an upcoming addition on its own site. Treat any specific bottle as a snapshot of what’s pouring right now rather than a permanent menu, and check with the winery directly for what’s currently in stock before you visit. (Source: Valley River Vineyards’ own website.)
The Setting and the Experience
This is a destination built for lingering rather than a quick tasting-and-go. The property includes picnic tables, wildlife watching, walking trails with what the winery describes as unbeatable views, a pond for stargazing at night, and a community firepit at dusk. There’s disc golf and cornhole on site, and a clubhouse with a large TV, pool table, a beer-and-wine bar, and grills guests can use to cook their own food. Valley River also offers creek-side tent camping for small and large groups, letting visitors pitch a tent near the vineyard and wake up already there for the next day’s tasting. The winery keeps a running events calendar with things like cookouts, bottling-party weekends, a planting party, and seasonal gatherings tied to holidays and college football season — it’s worth checking their current calendar if you want your visit to line up with something specific. Valley River has also been featured on WRCB-TV’s local news out of Chattanooga, Tennessee, which visited the winery in November 2022. (Source: Valley River Vineyards’ own website.)
What Else Is Nearby
Murphy sits in Cherokee County at the western tip of North Carolina, near the Nantahala National Forest and within a reasonably short drive of other small producers in the region’s far-western wine and cider scene. If you’re making the drive out this far, it’s worth building a longer weekend around the trip rather than treating Valley River as a single stop — there isn’t a dense cluster of tasting rooms immediately nearby the way there is in Asheville or Hendersonville, so plan for a slower, more spread-out day.
Planning Your Visit
Be realistic about the distance here: Murphy is roughly 195 miles from Boone and about 4 hours 26 minutes by car via US-19 and US-74 — genuinely one of the longest drives in this region’s wine country, and one that deserves an honest conversation with your group about whether it’s a single very long day or an overnight trip. From Banner Elk or Blowing Rock, expect a similarly long haul. Valley River’s hours vary by season — recent listings have shown summer weekend hours of 1pm to 8:30pm and more limited hours by appointment in the off-season — so confirm current hours, camping availability and what’s currently pouring directly with the winery before you go.
Wine Tour Transportation to Valley River Vineyards
Ashe County Livery offers private, chauffeured wine tour transportation to Valley River Vineyards from Boone, Banner Elk, Blowing Rock, West Jefferson and across NC’s High Country. Our Valley River Vineyards 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. Plan your Valley River Vineyards tour or call (336) 484-1350.
Other High Country wineries we serve: Nottely River Valley Vineyards · Wehrloom Honey & Meadery · Shooting Creek Vines — or browse every High Country winery, cidery and meadery we provide transportation to.
Explore More from Ashe County Livery
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- Airport shuttles by town: Boone · Blowing Rock · Banner Elk · West Jefferson · Linville · Beech Mountain
- Ashe County Livery — Premium transportation in NC’s High Country
- 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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