Western North Carolina Wine Trail — Winery Reviews

To celebrate our first weekend of NC Wine and Grape month, we decided to make a trip out to visit a few wineries in the Western North Carolina Wine Trail.  While we didn’t visit the wineries in the western part of this trail, we did manage to visit the cluster that was near Tryon, NC.  

Parker-Binns Vineyard

Our first stop was at Parker-Binns Vineyard. Karen and Bob are a blast and welcome each visitor with a laugh and a smile.  The wines are more along the dry side, although they do have a few blends that are slightly sweeter.

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Their current offerings were split between the two; three dry wines and three off-dry/sweet.  The wine of choice here is the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon.  It spent nearly three years in new French Oak barrels and has had plenty of time to develop some character.  Also worth noting here is the 2013 Rose of Merlot.  This wine is a delicate pink and has the slightest hint of rose petals both on the nose and on the palate.  On Sundays, Bob really likes to show his cooking skills as he offers visitors wood-fired pizzas fresh from their patio oven.

Green Creek Winery

After our tasting there, we made our way to Green Creek Winery.  This quaint little winery offers visitors with a unique opportunity to enjoy a small food plate that is paired with the wines on the tasting.  The food is all made by the owner and winemaker, Alvin, and it’s also available for purchase while you’re there..  The experience is something not to miss as they really try to cater to your every need.

Mountain Brook Vineyards

Third on our list was a stop at a new-to-us winery, Mountain Brook Vineyards.  Dennis is the owner and winemaker and was really excited we were able to make the stop.  He had four wines on his tasting sheet, several of which were medal winners at national competitions.  The 2012 Chardonnay was a bronze medal winner at a recent competition in San Fransisco as well as in the Finger Lakes and for good reason.  This is a delightful wine with just the right amount of oak and a nicely balanced mineral profile.

Dennis takes great pride in the craft he is perfecting.  Before our tasting started, he took us on a tour of his production facility located directly under the tasting room.  He runs a small operation, about 200 cases this year with room for nearly 1,000.  All of the production is manual, from the grape pressing all the way to bottling and labeling.

A basket press used at Mountain Brook Vineyard

Overmountain Vineyards

Our last stop for the day was at Overmountain Vineyards.  Due to the limited quantity of their red wines, the tasting consisted of only white wines with the exception of their fortified Cabernet Sauvignon.  The wines here cater to a diverse set of wine drinkers.  They have the dry whites as well as the slightly sweeter whites.  They also offer a Sangria made from their Rose which was very peachy.

These four wineries made for a very fun day out in the Western North Carolina Wine Trail.  If you’re in the area, please plan a stop in and experience some of the area’s unique wines.

Map of our visit in the Western North Carolina Wine Trail in the Tryon area:

Check out our other NC Wine Month postings:

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