4 scenic vineyards, wineries to visit this summer in the Asheville area
ASHEVILLE - Western North Carolina's rich agritourism scene has guests salivating over homegrown grapes and breathtaking mountain views from the perch of a tasting room patio.
Slow down to stroll the rows of vines while sipping a glass of locally produced wine from vineyards right in the backyard of the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Addison Farms, Marked Tree, Souther Williams and Stone Ashe are four vineyards to drink in ― and they're only a short drive outside of Asheville city limits.
Addison Farms Vineyard
4005 New Leicester Highway, Leicester.
The tasting room: In 2008, Jeff Frisbee and his wife Dianne converted 6 acres of his family’s farm into a vineyard. The 110-total acres of land have been in the family for four generations since purchased in 1937. The vineyard is named after Frisbee’s maternal grandfather, Addison Farmer.
“It felt appropriate to honor his memory with the name,” Frisbee said.
A tasting room with a basement wine cellar and outdoor seating areas was constructed for guests to sit and sip while looking out over the rows of grape vines, which sit at an elevation between 2,250-2,300 feet.
The family offers guided tastings on the hour for guests to get an educational and enlightening experience.
“We’ll talk good to you, tell you the story about who we are. It’s a whole lot more than us pouring the wine and saying, ‘Go for it,’” Frisbee said. “We’re going to talk about each wine individually, the growing season it was produced in, the story behind the name and the wine. And we welcome questions ― that’s what makes the experience a whole lot more fun for you, the participant, and for us as the host.”
In the cellar: The collection has grown to include varietals including cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, sangiovese, montepulciano, petit verdot and petit manseng.
Wines are available by the glass, bottle or as a tasting flight.
What to try first: The wines are produced either from traditional wine grapes and hybrids, like Chardonel.
“It’s a really crisp acidic white that has these great green apple and citrus notes on the nose ― a great summertime wine,” Frisbee said. “Chill that and serve it with your favorite fish or chicken or just by itself, it’s a great wine.”
Wine perks: The wine club is limited to 50 members. Member perks include exclusive benefits and special access to select wine releases and events.
What to know before you go: Tasting room hours are noon-5 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 1-5 p.m. Sunday with guided tastings available on the hour. Walk-ins are welcome but reservations are strongly encouraged and may be made online.
Leashed pets are welcome but must stay outdoors. The winery is family-friendly, too. For more, visit addisonfarms.net.
Marked Tree Vineyard
Vineyard tasting room: 623 Deep Gap Road, Flat Rock.
Downtown tasting room: 14 Aston Street, Asheville.
The tasting rooms: Opened in 2020, Marked Tree has two tasting room experiences for rural and urban wine explorers.
The contemporary-style vineyard tasting room offers ample terraces and porches allowing guests to recline while looking out over the 60 acre-farm, which has an elevation of about 2,300 feet.
The downtown tasting room offers a covered outdoor seating area that captures the vibe of the city.
“People like that kind of modern, relaxed vibe,” said co-owner Tim Parks. “We want you to come to Marked Tree — whether downtown or the vineyard — and have a moment to escape and relax and enjoy the scenery and the whole outdoors with views of the vines, as well.”
Drinking wine while looking upon the rows of grapes that made it creates a deeper immersive experience.
“We’ve tried to make it very open. It also seems to have a sense of place,” said co-owner Lance Hiatt. “We tried to create a place so where when you’re there, you know you’re in the Blue Ridge Mountains. You can see vistas. Mount Pisgah, Tryon Peak located right between the two. You’re definitely grounded in North Carolina agriculture.”
In the cellar: Several tastings are available and change with the season.
“We try to select varietals that work well in our region which is the best of the Blue Ridge,” Hiatt said.
Wine is available by the glass, bottle or a tasting, which is said to be the best way to try a little bit of what’s current.
The spring/summer selections are geared more toward white wines and rosé ranging from dry to off-dry.
“We had a guest who was like, ‘I cannot drink dry wine. I do not like dry wine.’ We sat with her, and she tasted some of our wines and realized it wasn’t dry wine she had a problem with. She didn’t like oak,” Hiatt said. “We have several wines that are all stainless-steel barrels and have no oak in them. The oak was what was tripping her up; it wasn’t the dry wine.”
What to try first: The award-winning Chardonel, made with a hybrid grape and is a cross between chardonnay and seyval, has notes of honeydew, grass and butter.
Wine perks: Marked Tree’s wine club offers member perks like special members-only events, discounts on other ticketed events, food and merchandise, and wine orders available to pick up at either tasting room. The next vineyard dinner is in September.
Hours. The vineyard tasting room is open 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and noon-6 p.m. Sunday.
The downtown tasting room is open 2-8 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 1-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 1-7 p.m. Sunday.
Know before you go: Walk-ins are welcome. Reservations are recommended for groups of six or more. Pets on leashes are welcome and the venues are family-friendly. For more, visit markedtreevineyard.com.
Souther Williams Vineyard
655 Hoopers Creek Road, Fletcher.
The tasting room: In 2022, the vineyard's open-air tasting room opened, offering a breathtaking view to be enjoyed with a world-class glass of vino made by the local winemakers.
“Our tagline here is ‘Where the mountains meet the vine,’” Parker said. “Our tasting room is located right in the vineyard, and people seem to love that. They sit along the edge of the creek or sit under the shade of the tasting room and enjoy all of our different wines.”
Also, the tasting room is equipped with automated curtains to control the environment during inclement weather.
The 37-acre family farm that was once used for livestock, produce and tobacco was converted into a vineyard with about 8 acres designated to grow grapes.
“The farm’s been in my family since 1800. It’s one of the state’s bicentennial farms. It’s been in my family for 223 years,” said Ken Parker, who owns and manages the vineyard with his wife, Angela Adams.
Souther was the maiden name of Parker’s grandmother ― who passed the property down through the generations ― and Williams was his grandfather’s last name.
Guests are invited to sit a spell and enjoy the assortments of available tasting flights and pairings.
Additional agritourism experiences are offered, such as a guided hike and sip tasting and tour through the vineyard and an owner’s tasting, an intimate semi-private session sampling, and learning about the wines from Parker.
In the cellar: Souther Williams specializes in European grape varietals with focuses on the regions of France, Spain, Germany, Austria and the country of Georgia.
“Most of our wines originally emanated from those areas. Today, we have five different reds that we grow on the property that are state-grown and state-produced,” Parker said.
The collection includes gruner veltliner, riesling and vidal blanc and five reds cynthiana, blaufrankish, regent, saperavi and cabernet franc.
Wine is available by the glass, bottle and tasting flight.
What to try first: Blaufrankish, a German red with a peppery finish, is the bestseller and Parker’s personal favorite.
“Blaufrankish is one of those wines, it’s extremely versatile but it’s a beautiful wine. Dark fruit flavors, a little bit of allspice and ginger and pepper,” Parker said. “It’s a big wine so it’s got great flavors and a beautiful finish.”
Wine perks: Souther Williams Vineyard does not have a wine club. However, the venue is available to book for private events of about 75 guests maximum, such as birthdays, anniversaries and charitable events.
What to know before you go: Guests are welcomed five days a week. Walk-ins are welcome. The hours are 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Thursday-Monday.
Leashed dogs are welcome, but children are not permitted. Guests must be age 21 or up. For more, visit southerwilliams.com.
Stone Ashe Vineyard
736 Green Mountain Road, Hendersonville.
Tasting room: In 2020, the vineyard was ready to produce and to make its public debut with an intimate tasting room to elevate the experience.
Tina Little and her husband, Craig, designed the tasting room to embody rustic features interwoven with modern elements. The venue is complemented by what Little described as “rolling hills, steep slopes (and) bucolic views of Bearwallow, Bald Top Mountain, Piney Mountain, and sprawling vistas east and south.”
In the cellar: Stone Ashe produces French varietals, predominantly Bordeaux style. Also, wines that draw inspiration and techniques from Burgundy, Provence, Chablis, Sancerre and Beaune, Little said.
“'Minimal intervention' is the best descriptor for our process,” Little said in an email. “We lean into biodynamic principles throughout the grape-growing season and low intervention winemaking to achieve our intended profiles and wines."
What to try first: “Our 2022 Cabernet Franc Rosé is a great expressive wine for the summer. Stylistically, this is a Provençal rosé that is fruit-focused with rose petal and subtle minerality,” Little said.
She also suggests two popular styles of sauvignon blanc.
“Our 2021 Sauvignon Blanc offers bright acidity, fresh cut grass on the nose, and gooseberry and acacia honey throughout the palate," she said. "Our 2022 Barrel-Aged Sauvignon Blanc is the intersection of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé, with texture and weight underlining the citrus and stone-fruit profile.”
Wine perks: Stone Ashe’s wine club made a recent debut. It will reopen to new members in the fall. For details, email wineclub@stoneashevineyard.com.
What to know before you go: Reservations are recommended for groups of four or more guests on the weekends. The hours are noon-6 p.m. Thursday, Sunday and Monday and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Dogs are welcome if leashed, but children are not permitted. The vineyard is open to adults ages 21 and up only. The tasting room is handicap accessible. For more, visit stoneashevineyards.com.
Tiana Kennell is the food and dining reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Email her at tkennell@citizentimes.com or follow her on Twitter/Instagram @PrincessOfPage. Please support this type of journalism with a subscription to the Citizen Times.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Vineyards, wineries to explore a short drive from Asheville
