Have you explored the Rocky Top Wine Trail? The trail is made up of 5 wineries located from the heart of Pigeon Forge to Sevierville, just up the road. All locations along the trail are open 7 days a week, and each winery offers free samples. As a bonus, some also offer tours of the cellars and tank rooms in the afternoons.
You can pick and choose which wineries to visit and when, and they don’t all have to be on the same day. You can pick up a passport at your first stop (or download it in advance from the Wine Trail website) to get stamped at each stop in the trail. You can travel self-guided at any time or book the VIP Tour in the colorful shuttle, which offers multiple extras including expedited service, private peeks in the back rooms, and Swag!
Image courtesy of the Wine Trail
Several of the wineries have souvenir shops and eateries attached or nearby, so you can make a relaxed day’s outing out of the experience. All of them are pet friendly and also offer vegan and gluten-free products.
Featuring over 70 varietals, many of them award-winning, and including honey wines, apple wines, and the famous sweet southern Muscadine, the Wine Trail is perfect for those who like to sample new wines before buying.
The Wine Trail believes in these simple principles: support local farms, provide exceptional quality wine, and offer only the very best southern hospitality to each and every visitor.
And if that’s not enough, try the various events throughout the year. There’s the Berries & Chocolate tour that happens around Valentine’s Day, the Breakfast Wine Trail in spring, the pure Chocolate Wine Trail in fall, and the Picnic Wine Trails during summer. Scattered in between throughout the year are multiple other special events, ranging from several different Balloon Festival tastings to Muscadine Madness, Dinner With the Winemakers and of course the Wine Festival Wine Trail.
The Wine Trail runs from the Old Mill center of Pigeon Forge north to Sevierville and features:
- Mill Bridge Winery, Pigeon Forge
- Mountain Valley Winery, Pigeon Forge
- Apple Barn Winery, Sevierville
- Apple Barn Cider House, Sevierville
- Hillside Winery, Sevierville
Mill Bridge Winery anchors the southern end of the Wine Trail in the famous Old Mill center of Pigeon Forge. The winery features a variety of local wines and also handcrafted Hard Cider. Try the cheese trays and relax on the patio overlooking the Little Pigeon River.
Mountain Valley Winery on Parkway is the next stop, one of the oldest Tennessee wineries, and winner of over 1,000 medals for the more than 200 varietals it has produced – including its acclaimed Rhubarb wine. German and French wines are the mainstay here, with a lot of sweet fruit wines and of course Muscadine.
Apple Barn Winery is further up Parkway and into the little town of Sevierville. It’s located on the Little Pigeon River at the Cider Mill, surrounded by restaurants and shops selling gifts and ice creams. This winery crafts its apple-based wines by hand from its own apples on the same land. The winery also uses grapes and produces its own Merlot, as well as other fruits, and of course its own Muscadine. There’s a glass viewing area to watch some of the operation.
Apple Barn Cider House is right next door and puts the Apple Farm to good use with its varieties of Hard Cider. Taste the crispness and freshness of these ciders and you may be amazed. Berries and apples form a number of distinctive blends, including of course the southern Muscadine. With a restaurant on site and outdoor seating, you may want to linger here a while.
Hillside Winery in the heart of Tennessee wine country completes the northern end of the Trail. Also offering afternoon tours, the winery specializes in Italian wines from dry to sweet, as well as bubbly wines – try the Muscadine Spumanti. Also check out the Wine Freezers.
For more information, see the Rocky Top Wine Trail website, and also the Facebook page for latest news and events in this exciting and rapidly growing scene.
