Windsor Run Cellars: Grape to Glass, and Glass to Spirit
Along the Swan Creek Wine Trail in Hamptonville, Windsor Run Cellars describes itself simply: creativity is king. It is a fully integrated “grape to glass” operation — the estate grows, produces and sells its wine all under one roof (well, under two roofs, since the grapes themselves grow outside). Owner Chuck Johnson, a former logistics industry executive who has served on the NC Winegrowers Association board, also owns nearby Shadow Springs Vineyard, and the two properties share a winemaking team and an events calendar.
What makes Windsor Run especially interesting for a wine tour stop is what happens after the wine is made: the WRC Distillery, open for tours and tastings on-site, takes the same grapes and turns them into brandy and spirits. It is a genuinely rare chance to see the full production chain — from vine, to wine, to spirit — in a single visit.
The Wines of Windsor Run Cellars
Windsor Run’s lineup is unusually wide-ranging: estate reds and whites, rosé, sangria, meads, and fortified wines and brandies made in-house. The Yadkin Five is a dry white blend of five different varietals sourced from five different Yadkin Valley vineyards, while Fieldstone blends Valvin Muscat and Albariño into a lower-acid white with citrus and stone-fruit notes. On the red side, Ember is a young-style, minimally oaked Malbec meant to be served chilled, and Resolve is their dry, barrel-aged wine with bold tannin.
The fortified and specialty wines are where Windsor Run really stands apart: Midnight Run, a port-style wine made from Chambourcin and Petit Verdot and fortified with their own brandy, and the 2016 Midnight Run Grand Reserve, aged since 2016 at 18% alcohol. There is also an Apple Mead fermented with cider, honey and cinnamon, muscadine wines like Snow Cream and Plum Crazy, and even a G&J — a wine cocktail built around gin botanicals and Seyval grape juice. Windsor Run also runs a custom-crush program, making wine for other producers under its Vine to Wine Custom Crush service.
Planning Your Visit
Address: 6531 Windsor Road, Hamptonville, NC 27020
Tasting Room Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, 10am – 5pm
Sunday: 1pm – 5pm
Distillery: Open Saturdays and Sundays; closed major holidays
No reservations are required for groups of six or fewer walking in for a standard tasting. For a more immersive visit, Windsor Run offers The Grand Tasting Experience — a reservation-only, 2 to 2.5 hour guided journey across all three of Chuck’s properties (Windsor Run Cellars, Windsor Run Distillery, and Shadow Springs Vineyard), including curated flights, a behind-the-scenes production tour, locally sourced charcuterie, and a keepsake Riedel wine glass, for $95 plus tax per person. It is limited to one session of four to eight people per weekend, so it needs to be booked well in advance.
- Standard Tasting Room Visit — walk-in friendly for groups of six or fewer, no reservation required.
- The Grand Tasting Experience — reservation-only, across all three Windsor Run/Shadow Springs properties, $95+tax per person.
- Distillery Tour — open weekends, showing how the same grapes become brandy and spirits.
- Annual Herb Festival — a Mother’s Day weekend event across four participating Swan Creek Trail tasting rooms, with wine, food and herb pairings ($35 per ticket, good for two people).
A few practical notes we have learned from bringing groups here: because Windsor Run operates both a winery and a working distillery on one property, it is worth allowing extra time if your group wants to see both sides of the operation rather than just the tasting room. We generally recommend budgeting at least ninety minutes for a standard visit, and the better part of an afternoon if you book the Grand Tasting Experience across all three properties.
Where Windsor Run Fits in Your Tour Route
Windsor Run sits right on the Swan Creek Wine Trail in Hamptonville, in the same small cluster as Shadow Springs Vineyard (under the same ownership) and Dobbins Creek Vineyards and Laurel Gray Vineyards nearby — making this corner of the Yadkin Valley one of the easiest to string together into a single day without long drives between stops.
Plan on roughly 1.5 hours per winery plus drive time between stops, and consider grouping Windsor Run with its Hamptonville neighbors rather than trying to combine it with wineries on the far side of the valley.
Wine Tour Transportation to Windsor Run Cellars
Ashe County Livery provides private, chauffeured wine tour transportation to Windsor Run Cellars from Ashe County, Boone, Blowing Rock, West Jefferson and across NC’s High Country. Our Windsor Run Cellars 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 Windsor Run Cellars tour or call (336) 484-1350.
Nearby wineries we also serve: Shadow Springs Vineyard · Dobbins Creek Vineyards · Laurel Gray Vineyards — 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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