North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley Wine Country
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The Yadkin Valley Wine Region is nestled in the foothills of the famous Blue Ridge Mountains along the meandering Yadkin River. An easy-to-follow trail allows you to navigate your way through the heart of North Carolina’s Yadkin Valley wine country.
The Surry County Wine Trail is showcased in a full-color map brochure highlighting 16 wineries in and around Surry County, along with five breweries and distilleries. The map simplifies the experience of spending a day or two tasting wines and touring vineyards.
“It is great for people utilizing GPS in their cars or on their mobile devices to have a guide with addresses, phone numbers and websites for all the wineries,” says Jessica Roberts, executive director of the Tourism Partnership of Surry County. “That was the main reason the trail was created – as a navigational tool.”
The map gives a good geographical overview of all 14 wineries in Surry County, as well as two wineries just outside the county that work closely with their Surry counterparts. It has addresses for use in GPS devices, as well as phone numbers and websites for all stops on the trail.
The trail brochure details the varieties of grapes grown in the Yadkin Valley, along with information about lodging in wine country and a listing of annual events.
Photo of tim wahl by Bill Russ
“Our tourism partners, including wineries, breweries, distilleries and lodging partners, like having a brochure to give visitors to help them navigate,” Roberts says.
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.”
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.
“We are proud to be the birthplace of the Yadkin Valley AVA, and this is an exciting time for visitor growth in our wine industry,” Roberts says.
To request a free map by mail, or to download a copy, visit www.YadkinValleyNC.com.