Spend a Weekend ‘Wine-Hopping’ in Asheville, NC
Trade Asheville’s famed IPAs for something a little more unexpected: a thriving wine scene. From pét-nats and crisp rosés to mountain-grown varietals, this guide maps out the perfect weekend of winery hopping in and around Asheville, with a luxe lodge stay, standout tastings, and Blue Ridge views that feel straight out of Europe. Image: Henderson County Tourism Development Authority
A weekend of craft beer and breweries? In Asheville? Groundbreaking. While Beer City USA gets plenty of hop heads indulging in IPAs and brewery tours, you might be surprised to find that Asheville has a wine scene that’s stepping into its own with nods from Wine Spectator and the James Beard Foundation.
Consider the city your home base for exploring the Crest of the Blue Ridge — North Carolina’s very own wine country. Thanks to the area’s scenic bluffs and rocky, mineral-rich soils, spending a weekend exploring North Carolina pours feels like a European vacation right in your own backyard. Check out these Asheville wineries!
Home Base: Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville
Check in: The Grand Bohemian Lodge feels like the poshest hunting lodge this side of Europe, a place the Windsors might retire to when life at Buckingham gets too staid. The property was freshly renovated last year, and you’ll find that reflected in the Bavarian lodge-inspired architectural elements, like the intricate carved wood paneling and the grand stone fireplace with a roaring flame.
There’s an onsite spa if your travel day worked up a few knots in your back, but also a mini fine-art gallery, where you can bring a glass of wine and immerse yourself in the intricate oil paintings, birchwood sculptures, and handcrafted jewelry from local and international artists on display.
Dinner: You won’t have to go far after check-in — the Wine Spectator-recognized Red Stag Grill at the Grand Bohemian has a level three sommelier at the helm and an elevated wine vault stocked with more than 700 bottles. The restaurant has a sultry night vibe, with racy red walls and furnishings, and a collection of local artist Mitch Kolbe’s moody paintings of North Carolina adorning the walls.
It’s hard to go wrong with any of the Continental-meets-Carolina fare: from a rich bone marrow dish with bison tartare and caviar to a thick-cut Delmonico ribeye, there’s plenty to fuel you for the weekend ahead.
Day One: The Biltmore and Addison Farms Vineyard
Stop one: The Grand Bohemian is situated in the heart of Biltmore Village, so a natural first stop on a wine tour of the area is the Biltmore Estate. The wine room doesn’t open until noon, leaving the morning free to explore the gardens or take a tour of the house and grounds.
The property is massive (it clocks in at more than 8,000 acres). So while it might be tempting to walk from the Grand Bohemian to the Biltmore, getting to the shuttle that takes you to the house itself is easily a 10- to 15-minute drive. Tours run on reserved time slots, so booking a morning spot in advance is a smart move.
Once you’re on the property, you can take the shuttle (or drive) from the main house to Antler Hill Village, a town square made up of shops and eateries where you’ll find the Biltmore’s winery and tasting room. Formerly a dairy processing plant, the winery produces 150,000 cases annually of whites, reds, bubbles, and rosé, and tasting is free. You’ll have the option to sample five wines of your choosing at the tasting room, along with the orange muscat and North Carolina rosé.
Stop two: About 40 minutes from the Biltmore in Leicester lies Addison Farms Vineyard, a family-run winery that keeps six acres under vine with five varieties of grapes. But what Addison is particularly proud of is its petit manseng. The varietal flourished in the North Carolina climate and is the grape used in Bottle Rocket, the winery’s out-of-this-world pet-nat with notes of tropical fruit and a bright, mouth-puckering acidity.
Jeff Frisbee, the fourth-generation owner, lives on the property and personally offers tours and tasting sessions of Addison’s boutique wines on Saturdays, even during crush, arguably the winery’s busiest season.
Dinner: If your wine-soaked palate hasn’t been fully saturated yet, hit up Leo’s House of Thirst. This cozy neighborhood eatery isn’t just Michelin-recommended; it was also nominated for its outstanding wine program by the James Beard Foundation in 2025.
If the weather’s dry and balmy, take your dinner to the patio and order one of the most decadent grilled cheese sammies in the South — a delightful gooey and stringy mix of Beemster Gouda, aged Tillamook cheddar, and Looking Glass bear wallow on French bread. Pair it with bubbly Lambrusco di Sorbara or a sparkling chardonnay, where the acid and carbonation cut right through the rich fattiness of the cheese.
Day Two: Crest of the Blue Ridge Wineries
After a light breakfast at Red Stag, set your coordinates for Crest of the Blue Ridge, North Carolina’s breathtaking wine country. There, you’ll find eight wineries whose vines flourish in the rocky, mineral-rich soil, warm days, and cool nights during the growing season.
Souther Williams Vineyard is one of those wineries, a scene-stealing 35 acres of gentle rolling hills, slopes, and valleys that you can tour with Ken Parker, the owner and caretaker of the property, along with his wife Angela Adams and his granddaughter Ashleigh. Eight different varietals grow on Souther Williams’ land, most of which hail from Central and Eastern Europe.
While the vibrant and fruity Vidal Blanc is a particular standout (it won double gold in the 2025 Great Northwest Platinum and 2026 San Francisco Chronicle), don’t miss a chance to taste the Rebel Red. A claret-red rosé, the wine’s color is the result of a happy accident, but it brings home all the lush strawberry and watermelon notes of an exceptional rosé.
And after a few glasses of that Rebel Red on the vineyard’s massive covered patio, you just might want to put one of those cabins to good use, especially if there’s a live music performance. It’s easy to lose yourself in the views of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains and Souther’s incredibly sippable wines.
Fun fact: The property has three cabins for overnight stays, and you can also take a helicopter tour of the wine region!
Dinner: Potential New Boyfriend is the kind of place where you sit down for “just a glass,” and suddenly it’s two hours later and you’re ordering one more bottle. Recently named one of Eater’s best new restaurants in America, it’s part listening lounge, part wine bar, with a killer roster of heavy snacks and dessert.
Come for the fun lineup of classic and aromatic wines — you’ll find that petit manseng from Addison, along with a fruity and herbaceous bobal — but stay for the snacks … and definitely the dessert. The luscious coconut tres leches and the torched ice cream brûlée are so good you might really start considering them as possible boyfriend material.
Day Three: Asheville-Style Pampering
After a weekend spent walking among the vines, bring your aching feet back to life with some pampering at a spa. Grab an espresso and some sourwood honey-topped Danish pancakes from local roaster Rowan (it sits in a repurposed Greyhound station downtown), and then head to Wake Foot Sanctuary. The spa specializes in soaks and massages for your feet, but you can also have them include your hands, neck, and shoulders.
The session begins with an individual pot of tea and a foot soak, which your therapist is more than happy to continually refill with fresh buckets of warm — or hot if you’re feeling feisty — water. After letting the soaking powders do their work, the therapist gets to work on all the tiny muscles throughout each foot, blissfully kneading out any aches and pains from the weekend and setting you up with a rejuvenated start to your trek back home.
Happy travels!
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Jackie Gutierrez-Jones
Jackie Gutierrez-Jones is an award-winning lifestyle journalist who has covered food, drink, and travel for local and national publications for over 15 years. She currently resides in Nashville with her husband, daughter, and three very human-like doodles who share an insatiable appetite for cheesy beef treats and pets.