North Carolina is home to more than 100 wineries, and several standouts for group tastings and off-site events reside near the Triad.
According to Amy Scott, director of marketing for the Greensboro Area CVB, Stonefield Cellars Winery, located in Stokesdale, is an award-winning wine purveyor that offers an on-site tasting room and tours. It also has space to accommodate private parties of up to 70 people indoors and larger groups outside on the lawn during the warmer months.
Stonefield’s wines include Mountain Mama Madness, a chardonnay, and Dread Pirate Robert’s Bloody Red Wine, a blend of barbera, sangiovese and merlot.
Italian, French and Spanish grapes thrive at Grove Winery & Vineyards, which is located a few miles northeast of Greensboro in Gibsonville.
Small groups meeting in the area at the same time might check out the fun activities hosted monthly at Grove Winery, including a cooking demo/dinner, rodeo and art class. The tasting room, where groups can sip award-winning cabernet sauvignon, merlot and chardonnay, is open daily from noon to 6 p.m., and there are patio, winery, lakeside and vineyard locations available for private events.
Winston-Salem, according to Christian Schroeder, director of sales and services at Visit Winston-Salem, is the gateway to the 1.4 million-acre Yadkin Valley, North Carolina’s first and largest American Viticultural Area.
More than 40 wineries make up the Yadkin Valley, and in addition to traditional wine tastings and tours, Schroeder says groups can trek with the llamas at East Bend-based Divine Llama Vineyards, which also hosts group gatherings, and zipline at Boonville-based Sanders Ridge Winery, which hosts private events for up to 325 people.
The wine list at Divine Llama includes Mustang Sally, a white, and In a Heartbeat, a red blend; and at Sanders Ridge, sauvignon blanc and cabernet franc are ready to pour.
Or, enjoy the scenery of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the patio of Raffaldini Vineyards & Winery’s Tuscan-style villa while sipping sangiovese, Schroeder suggests, adding the winery also accommodates corporate dinners, meetings, luncheons and private tours and tastings.
Groups may also stop by Carolina’s Vineyards & Hops, Winston-Salem’s downtown destination for local wine and craft beer.
According to Schroeder, it’s the first in the state to exclusively offer North Carolina wine and beer via a self-serve craft beer wall and wine stations.
“Enjoy a private setting in their secluded tasting room or on the outdoor patios,” he adds.
