Hendersonville, NC
Sip wine and cider, enjoy delicious food pairings and explore the countryside during Hendersonville’s Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, April 22-24. The three-day celebration of wine, cider and culinary delights showcases artisan producers in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Almost 60 events take place throughout the weekend, including specialty tastings, dinners, tours, and lots of live music.
“Visitors enjoy spending the weekend hopping from one winery and cidery to another,” says Amy Boswell, with Visit Hendersonville.
“They have favorites that they return to each year, but the weekend also gives them an incentive to check out newcomers they haven’t experienced.”
Souther Williams Vineyard holds its grand opening Friday, April 22. Souther Williams becomes the seventh winery in the Crest of the Blue Ridge AVA, which received federal designation in 2019.
The vineyard features eight acres of grapes and an open-air tasting room on land that’s been in the Souther family since 1800. Grape varietals include well-known names like cabernet franc, riesling and vidal blanc, and lesser-known grapes, such as blaufränkisch, grüner veltliner, regent and saperavi.
“At 2,500 feet in elevation, the growing season is more challenging, so we want cold-hardy grapes,” says Ken Parker, who owns and operates Souther Williams.
“We also don’t want to do the same thing as other wineries. We want to educate people about different wines and bring a different winery experience to this part of the state.”
Souther Williams invites visitors to check out the 35-acre estate with a hike-and-sip tour on Friday and Sunday, and a picnic in the vineyard with live music by the Stormin’ Norman Band on Saturday.
Stone Ashe also plans a vineyard hiking tour of its hillside property. Sawyer Springs encourages the whole family to take part in a cornhole tournament with barbecue and live music.
Returning favorite Point Lookout once again hosts its annual Celtic Festival featuring mead tastings and Irish music.
Marked Tree presents a Friday evening dinner with a local chef set against a mountain backdrop at sunset. And live music at Burntshirt and Saint Paul with bands on Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s pretty special to be part of this AVA and join this group of existing wineries,” Parker says. “I’m quite pleased with what we’ve been able to do here in Henderson County.”
For area cideries, the weekend highlights apple blossom season and the hope for a bountiful harvest.
Appalachian Ridge Artisan Ciders hosts an orchard breakfast and guided farm tour on Saturday and Sunday, while Bold Rock Hard Cider welcomes families to its kid and dog-friendly cider garden for live music all three days, cider tastings and food from the Bold Bites food truck.
Weekend events are both free and ticketed. For a full schedule and additional details, go to www.VisitHendersonvilleNC.org/cider-wine-dine-weekend or (800) 828-4244.
