A Tasted of Autumn: WNC’s Vineyards, Breweries & Meaderies

By Gina Malone

Chasing after all of that summer fun can be exhausting. Taking to the road for a leisurely exploration of vineyards, meaderies or breweries on a beautiful autumn day in the Southern Appalachians—well, that’s more like it. How relaxing to unwind with a glass while our mountains spread out their tapestry of fall colors.

Among the WNC destination spots taking advantage of scenic mountain beauty, a welcoming climate, rich land for the cultivation of grapes, hops and honey, and an abundance of clean, pure water are Stone Ashe Vineyard in Hendersonville, Marked Tree Vineyard in Flat Rock, Mountain Brook Vineyards in Tryon, and Keeper’s Cut Meadery in Marion. All produce high-quality products by taking care of the land, overseeing processes to the minutest detail. Both Marked Tree and Stone Ashe were named to USA Today’s list of the ten “Best New Wineries” in the US for 2022, and award-winning products are something each of these businesses has in common.

Stone Ashe Vineyard
When Craig and Tina Little established Stone Ashe Vineyard in 2013, they put a lot of thought into location. “We were very particular about a specific site, as all land is not created equally and we wanted to mirror those iconic vineyards in France,” Tina says. “We have chosen to produce wines that could be found in the towns and villages of Bordeaux and Burgundy.”

Wines produced at Stone Ashe are natural, she adds, because “each is created each growing season by the climate and weather that nature provides for that season.” Hot, dry seasons make for good Cabernet Sauvignons, and cool, wet seasons are favorable to Merlot.

Stone Ashe prides itself on its Sauvignon Blanc. “It is a difficult grape to grow,” Tina says, “and we have a very specific site that is producing phenomenal renditions of those produced in the Loire Valley of France.” Their Sauvignon Blanc, which she describes as offering a “complex tasting profile that starts with citrus leading into melon, nectarine, white peach and, of course, that tartness on the finish of classic Sauvignon Blanc,” has won the Crystal ShowCase award from Fine Wines of NC for two years.

With their chardonnay vines maturing, the Littles are also moving toward French oak barrel fermentation and aging. “This is a time-consuming process which has been ongoing for the last several years,” Tina says, “and those wines will be released in the spring of 2023.”

For enjoyment of fall colors, their tasting room offers seating outside or inside by the fire. Stone Ashe wines are sold at Metro Wines, South Slope Cheese Co. and the aventine wine bar, and are also available through the website, StoneAsheVineyards.com. “We want people to connect wine with the local agriculture spirit in this area,” Tina says, “and, more importantly, to think of pairing wine with food, family and friends.”

Marked Tree Vineyard
Tim Parks and Lance Hiatt also had terroir foremost in mind when they located Marked Tree Vineyard on the Eastern Continental Divide. Their brand-new favorite fall wine, Watershed, a blend of two vinifera varietals—Lemberger and Cab Franc—will be released at the estate’s Octoberfest celebration October 1–2.

“At Marked Tree, our grapes are 100 percent NC grown with a large majority grown on the estate versus shipping them across country from California or Oregon,” Parks says. “We are proud to say we have a very low carbon footprint.”

They grow Vidal Blanc and Chardonel, French-American hybrid varietals, in addition to vinifera grape varietals, and make their wine in a dry European style. Plans are under way to release two sparkling wines—a hybrid and a vinifera. “The first sparkling is done with our estate-grown hybrid Vidal Blanc in the méthode champenoise (using the technique liqueur de tirage) and is called Bubble Swarm,” Parks says. This wine will be released in November in time for the holidays. “The next sparkling, also done in méthode champenoise, is made with a German vinifera named Muscat Ottenol.” It will be released in November, 2023. For the past two years, Marked Tree wines have been part of the NC Fine Wine Competition’s Showcase Box.

Additional October events at Marked Tree include a concert with bluegrass band The Well Drinkers on Sunday, October 9, and yoga on Saturdays throughout the month. In addition, Marked Tree Vineyard will be at the Smoky Mountains Bluegrass Festival in Maggie Valley on Saturday, October 29. Find information on events at MarkedTreeVineyard.com.

Marked Tree wines are also available at their location at 14 Aston Street, in downtown Asheville; and at The Wisdom Table, in Elkin.

Mountain Brook Vineyards
Situated in the Isothermal Belt, Mountain Brook Vineyards taps into a long history of growers there benefiting from milder temperatures than other mountainous areas because of temperature inversion. “This long growing season provides pronounced flavor and quality of grapes,” says Tim Smith, a certified sommelier and general manager of Mountain Brook. “Our winemaking and vineyard team have worked in some of the most prominent wine areas in the world and bring their knowledge to the Tryon foothills.”

Smith calls the Mountain Brook BDX their flagship wine. “The blend varies per vintage,” he says, “but stays true to the classic Bordeaux blends of France. A blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a meaningful amount of presence in our oaked program.”

Cultivating ideas for new blends and planting new vines to different varietals is ongoing at Marked Tree. “We are in the works of producing a port-style wine,” Smith says. “Our goal is to help strengthen the entire Foothills wine region.”

The vineyard hosts food trucks and live music every weekend, and also offers a wine club, with the next Club Release Weekend on November 11–13. For more information about the club, upcoming events or to order wine online, visit MountainBrookVineyards.com.

Keeper’s Cut Meadery
Located in the historic depot section of Marion, Keeper’s Cut Meadery boasts a 3,000 square-foot facility whose deck is surrounded by hops plants used in some of the award-winning meads it produces. Among its fall releases are Autumn, a spiced mead that is a People’s Choice and Gold Medal winner and is recommended as a perfect mead to accompany a Thanksgiving meal; Amarena, a tart cherry mead that is a Double Gold Medal winner and was a finalist for Our State magazine’s annual Made in NC awards; and a red currant mead yet to be named.

“We are currently expanding and adding a larger kitchen area in order to expand our food offerings,” says co-owner Kathryn Curran. “Our plan is to introduce a new enhanced menu to complement our meads in early December—just in time for the Christmas season.”

At the meadery, products are served by the glass and bottle, and growlers of carbonated products are available for purchase as well. Bottles are available online at KeepersCut.com, where information may also be found about upcoming events.

Stone Ashe Vineyard is located at 736 Green Mountain Road, Hendersonville; Marked Tree Vineyard, at 623 Deep Gap Road, Flat Rock; Mountain Brook Vineyards, at 731 Phillips Dairy Road, Tryon; and Keeper’s Cut Meadery, at 175 West Henderson Street, Marion.