Hendersonville – This coming weekend, April 21 through 23, the local orchards, wineries, and in-house restaurants are opening their doors to create a signature action-packed event weekend. There will be special tastings, tours, hikes, dinners paired with the appropriate beer or hard cider, and live music too. The agricultural heritage of the region needs to be celebrated. Held annually on a Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in mid-April, the celebration welcomes you to the many vineyards and orchards where artisan craft beverages are produced in this thriving agricultural region. The apple blossom trees will most likely be in full bloom, so the drive from one event to another should be breathtaking. Some events are free, others require either a reservation, a fee or ticket, so before leaving home, one must check the schedule.
The county has decided this is the weekend to celebrate that Henderson County’s wine region has achieved the honor of being designated an American Viticultural Area (AVA). In July of 2019, the area was designated the Crest of the Blue Ridge, Henderson County AVA. Only regions that have distinctive soil, climate, and elevation earn this designation. This is certainly an honor and noteworthy.
There are 12 participating locations: Appalachian Ridge Artisan Cidery, Bear Falls Wine Company, Bold Rock Hard Cider, Burntshirt Vineyards, Marked Tree Vineyard, Point Lookout Vineyards, Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards, Sawyer Springs Vineyard, Souther Williams Vineyard, Stone Ashe Vineyards, The Silo Cookhouse at the Horse Shoe Farm, and World’s Edge Meadery. Each is offering their own specific event.
For instance, Stone Ashe Vineyards will have wine and cheese pairings each day throughout the weekend. The cost is $30 and seating is limited, so reservations are required at (828) 551-5643.
Souther Williams Vineyard celebrates its one-year anniversary this spring. Guests traverse the NC Bicentennial Farm, which has been in owner Ken Parker’s family since 1800, and hear how he transitioned the property from traditional agricultural crops into a vineyard, all while sampling five different wines. Souther Williams Vineyard will have a hike and sip tour from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, April 21st, for a cost of $50. One will be able to enjoy a 75-minute educational hiking tour through the estate vineyards at Souther Williams Vineyard as they learn and sip five different European and Vinifera wines and take home a souvenir glass. Guests should be able to hike a mile and wear comfortable walking shoes. Please email info@southerwilliams.com for reservations. Tours 10:00am, 1:00pm and 4:00pm.
Savor a vintner’s dinner with sunset views at Marked Tree Vineyard on Friday evening. Each of the four courses is paired with a Marked Tree wine, produced from meticulously tended European vinifera and French-American hybrid grapevines in surrounding vineyards.
On Saturday, be one of the first to see Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards’ new on-site winery and taste wines straight from the barrel. Across the road, listen to live music while sipping dry, European-style ciders and overlooking a rolling hillside orchard at Appalachian Ridge Artisan Hard Cider.
For Sunday’s finale, kick up your heels with a Celtic band and explore a variety of meads and wines at the mountaintop tasting room of Point Lookout Vineyards. The Point Lookout Vineyard is atop the southeast slope of Point Lookout Mountain with 30-mile panoramic views. Throughout the weekend, they are exploring the world of meads and offering a tasting of eight meads for only $15, allowing you to keep the glass. For the uninitiated, mead is a type of wine made from honey. It was popular in America during colonial times and offers a nice alternative to Point Lookout’s wine collection.
These events throughout the weekend are both free and ticketed. For a full schedule and weekend lodging options, go to www.VisitHendersonvilleNC.org/cider-wine-dine-weekend or call (828) 693-9708.
North Carolina is the 7th largest apple-producing state in the nation, and Henderson County is the largest apple-producing county. According to North Carolina Field & Family, “Henderson County yields about 65% of the state’s apples and is considered North Carolina’s No. 1 apple producer, with the sweet (and sometimes tart) fruits ripening from mid-August to early November.” Apples are produced in four areas of the state: Henderson, Haywood, Wilkes, and Cleveland. The four major varieties, which make up the bulk of NC’s production, are Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty, and Gala.