A free guide is available to help visitors navigate through the heart of North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley wine country.
The new Surry County Wine Trail debuted in January with a full-color brochure map highlighting 15 wineries in and around Surry County, as well as five breweries and distilleries. Many Charlotteans may be surprised to learn that fantastic wine country getaways are just over an hour and a half north of Charlotte in Surry County.
The idea for the trail is to simplify the experience of spending a day or two tasting wines and touring vineyards in the Yadkin Valley.
“We’ve heard for years that there is not one brochure or map that provides a comprehensive list of wineries in and around our county,” says Jessica Roberts, executive director of the Tourism Partnership of Surry County.
The map provides a geographical overview of all 13 wineries in Surry County and two wineries just outside the county which work closely with their Surry counterparts. The map includes physical addresses for use with GPS devices, as well as phone numbers and websites for each place on the trail.
The trail brochure also includes details about the many varieties of grapes grown in the Yadkin Valley, along with info about lodging in wine country and a listing of annual events. Several wineries have lodging options on property.
Click here for a complete list of wine country lodging options.
Surry County wineries have a tradition of sending visitors to neighboring wineries, which is now much easier thanks to the trail map.
“Maybe people came to see us because of a recommendation from one of our neighbors, and then we’ll recommend another neighbor,” says Tim Wahl, winemaker and co-owner of Adagio Vineyards in Elkin. “That’s something you don’t always get in other states, where there can be an hour between wineries. People really like to visit three or four within a day.”
Wahl likes the fact that visitors receive an up close and personal experience while visiting wineries in Surry County.
“The personal stories behind the wineries are interesting,” Wahl says. “We try to be there in person to give them a tour of the production facility and go through, step by step, how we make the wines and let them know why our wineries are unique.”
Yadkin Valley wineries specialize in classic wines made from European vinifera grapes and French-American hybrids. The Yadkin Valley became North Carolina’s first federally designated American Viticultural Area (AVA) in 2003 thanks to the efforts of owners Charlie and Ed Shelton of Shelton Vineyards in Surry County.
To request a free map by mail, or to download a PDF copy, click here.
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