Vineyards & Wine USA
One of my favorite things to do is to try new wines. Due to COVID-19 and travel restrictions, this has allowed me to explore local vineyards, wine shops and restaurants in or near Charlotte!
Wine Near Charlotte, North Carolina:
Davidson Wine Co.
Davidson Wine Co is a black owned urban winery located in Davidson, NC; which is about 20-30 minutes outside of Charlotte. It is not an actual vineyard but they do produce their own wine and offer a few selections of well-known labels for you to try. Davidson Wine Co offers a variety of food which makes it the perfect place for a date-night or girls night out! Wine tastings, gift cards, custom wine labels created for special occasions (for in-house wines), Davidson Wine Co 'Wine Club' and so much more are also available.
If you are into wines such as Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, this place offers a variety of red wines that are made by the company. My first time visiting Davidson Wine Co was a much needed girls night out. I ended up sharing the cheese and charcuterie board with my friends as well as the 'Crab Cake Bites.' Normally, I would have ordered a flight of their in-house wine, so, that I could taste a majority of the wine that is made there. Unfortunately, that was not an option the night I went. I ended up getting a flight of wine that was not produced by them and my friends shared a bottle made by Davidson Wine Co called Opulence!
More Info:
Hours of Operations:
Tuesday-Wednesday 4-9PM
Thursday-Saturday 2-10PM
Sunday 1-5PM
Address:
121 Depot Street
Davidson, NC 28036
**Due to the pandemic and social distancing, I would advise you to make a reservation!
Divine Llama Vineyard - 2020
Who could say no to llamas and wine?
Yes, I said llamas. Divine Llama Vineyards is a wine vineyard with the largest llama farm in the Southeast. This vineyard is located in East Bend, NC and is about an hour and a half away from Charlotte, NC. If you like llamas or simply want to enjoy a glass of wine outdoors, I recommend visiting this vineyard. There is no charge prior to visiting Divine Llama Vineyards. Exploring the farm, vineyards, and llamas are free of charge but you do have the option of purchasing a ticket to participate in a llama trek during the spring, fall and winter months for an additional cost ($50 per person).
With a wide variety of wine to choose from, you are bound to find a wine to sip on made by Divine Llama Vineyards. I would suggest packing a picnic basket and grabbing a blanket to enjoy your afternoon. Outside beverages are not permitted and most days, there will be a food truck at the vineyard for you to purchase food (get in line ASAP, food tends to sellout quickly).
Most of the wines that are offered by the glass or in a flight, I tried! I usually know what I'll enjoy based on the description of the wine, so, I started off with the Chardonel and Mustang Sally and proceeded with a flight of their red wines. Out of all of the wines
Mustang Sally was my favorite. It wasn't too sweet and very refreshing, it has hints of orange blossoms, honeysuckle, grapefruit and pear. My friends love sweet wine and their favorite was the Versailles "SI" and it is has a blend of Traminette and 10% peach juice! Traminette is another wine produced by Divine Llama Vineyards and it has hints of floral, rose, orange blossom, chamomile, lemon, lime, and Granny Smith apple.
More Info:
Hours of Operation:
Friday & Saturday 12-6PM
Sunday 1-6PM
Address:
Divine Llama Vineyards, LLC
4126 Divine Llama Lane,
East Bend, NC 27018
** No reservation required but I would suggest getting there when they open to make sure that you'll have a place to sit!
The Treehouse Vineyard is the perfect place for a quick weekend getaway. It is located in Monroe, NC and is about 45-50 minutes away from Charlotte. This vineyard offers and host wine tastings, tours, light refreshments, non-alcoholic beverages such as muscadine juice or cider and the most popular, treehouses. Some of their speciality wines and goodies are made from muscadines. I'm not a huge fan of muscadines but I did enjoy other wine selections they offered such as the Her Way Cabernet.
The Treehouse Vineyards have three treehouses on site. The first one is the Date Nite Treehouse, this tree house is not available for overnight stay and is ideally used for date night or hanging out with friends. This tree house holds up to six adults.
Hourly Rental Rate: $25/hour
I had my first experience at this vineyard in the Papa's Dream Treehouse; it is ideal for an overnight date night! This treehouse is equipped with everything you need to enjoy a peaceful getaway. I would suggest planning in advance and booking early, this treehouse tends to book up fast.
Nightly Rental Rate: Sunday - Thursday $125/night; Friday & Saturday $175/night
Lastly, the Horsefeathers Hideaway. This is the newest and biggest treehouse, it holds 2-8 people.
Nightly Rental Rate: Monday - Thursday $175/night; Friday & Saturday $350/night; Sunday $200/night
Hours of Operation:
April - November
Monday - Thursday 12-7PM
Friday & Saturday 12-9PM*
Sunday 12-6PM
December - March
Sunday - Thursday 12-6PM
Friday & Saturday 12-9PM*
Address:
Treehouse Vineyard
301 Bay St
Monroe, NC 28112
* Note that if there's a private event schedule the Treehouse Vineyard is closed to the public. Check their events calendar before planning a visit! Due to COVID-19 there are no wine tastings or tours.
Other Locations:
Chateau Elan is a winery and resort located outside of Atlanta, Georgia. This is the perfect place for a date or to spend the day with the girls. Before visiting, reservations were booked in advance which is required for tastings. During the tour and tasting, the group had the chance to do a mini tour of the vineyard as the guide talked about how the vineyard came about and showed us where and how the wine is made. Once the tour was over, we participated in a wine tasting where we tried five of the wines that is made at Chateau Elan.
If you’re from the south then you know that the soil here is a hard red clay and it can be difficult to grow things, especially, grapes. Chateau Elan imports all of their grapes but makes their wine in house. Like most vineyards in the south, one thing that does grow in red clay are muscadines. My favorite wine from the tasting ended up being the Scarlet Reserve, 100% Syrah grapes with a full bodied fruity profile of watering, sweet spices and cedar that. The aroma ranges in flavors from smoke, bacon, herbs, red and black fruits, white and black pepper, to floral violet notes.
More Info:
Tasting Room Hours of Operation:
Monday to Thursday: 12PM-7PM
Friday to Saturday: 11AM-8PM
Sunday: 11AM-6PM
Address:
Chateau Elan
100 Rue Charlemagne Drive
Braselton, GA 30517
Malibu Wine Safari is located in Malibu, California and is about 50 minutes from Los Angeles. In 2018, I had the chance to celebrate my birthday in LA and decided to rent a car to spend a day at the Malibu Wine Safari. It was my first wine experience and one for the books.
At the time they only offered the the safari ride through the vineyards with the options of the Explorer Tour and Private Tour and Malibu Wine Hikes. The wine tour consist of a jeep ride through the vineyards, wine and cheese pairings and time to feed the animals throughout the vineyards. Now, they offer Vintner Tour, Vineyard Lunch Tour, and Pizza + Wine Tour!
Malibu Wine Safari also offers Other Experiences including Malibu Wines & Beer Garden, Malibu Wine Hikes, Weddings & Events, Salvaje, Saddlerock Gardens, and Malibu Family Wine.
Malibu Wine Hikes - Jan 2018
Yellow Cab - Jan 2018
More Info:
Hours of Operation:
**Malibu Wine Safari is temporary closed due to COVID-19
Address:
Malibu Wine Safari
32111 Mulholland HWY.
Malibu, CA 90265
Michael Angelo's Winery is a cafe style winery 25-30 minutes outside of Cleveland in Richfield, Ohio. The winery offers a wide variety of food, pastries and desserts from their in-house bakery, and wine! The seating at Michael Angelo's Winery is first-come, first serve, so, once you arrive, you'll find the first available table. Each table has a number for you to use when ordering wine and food.
I visited my family in Cleveland for the first time and they made the few days I was there very special. Michael Angelo's Winery was a highlight of the trip, from the wine to pastries and ambiance, we had a great time!
More Info:
Hours of Operations:
Monday - Thursday: 11AM-10PM (Kitchen Closes @ 9:00PM)
Friday & Saturday: 11AM - 11PM (Kitchen Closes @10:00PM)
Sundays: 12-6PM (Kitchen Closes @ 5:00PM)
Address:
Michael Angelo's Winery
5515 Broadview Rd
Richfield, OH 44286