Smoky Mountain Wine Trail

#1
BearCat204

BearCat204

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#1
Going to Gatlinburg this weekend and for long as I have been going up there multiple times a year, I have never tried this. Anyone done the wine tasting tour? Which wineries are the best on the trail, might not have time to visit all 5 on a saturday.
 
#2
#2
Oh, I gotta make sure I get a good seat for this. I can't for the wine snobs to come in here and rip muscadine wine or any wine made outside of Chile/Spain/France/etc.
 
#3
#3
Rasputin_Vol said:
Oh, I gotta make sure I get a good seat for this. I can't for the wine snobs to come in here and rip muscadine wine or any wine made outside of Chile/Spain/France/etc.
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I have only drank two TN wines and like both.

Robertson King by Sumner Crest is very good and Stonehaus makes a nice red--little too sweet though as they add sugar.

Had the Muscadine from Stonehaus and it is way too sweet.

The wine snobs may rip Muscadine as it is not considered an elite grape but it is what grows in the TN areas so it's going to be used here if you are making regional wines.

Sumner crest actually brings imports their grapes from another winery so the grapes are not actually local.

As far as the wine trail, I don't have a clue LOL.
 
#4
#4
Rasputin_Vol said:
Oh, I gotta make sure I get a good seat for this. I can't for the wine snobs to come in here and rip muscadine wine or any wine made outside of Chile/Spain/France/etc.
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Oh I get that, but I am interested in something different from what I've always had as far as wine. Pretty much the main reason I wanted to check it out.
 
#5
#5
<p>
Rasputin_Vol said:
Oh, I gotta make sure I get a good seat for this. I can't for the wine snobs to come in here and rip muscadine wine or any wine made outside of Chile/Spain/France/etc.
Click to expand...

FYI to those snoots.. The GA wine trail around Dahlonega will turn you on to some of the best wines available, anywhere, period. Had some really nice TN wines too. Live only 10 minutes from one in Baxter outside Cookeville and haven't been yet. Actually, can't think of name right now.
 
#6
#6
I've only been to one of the five - Hillside Winery. We have been given Apple Barn wine before, but that's it. Hillside was good, I think we ended up buying a couple bottles there - definitely remember the cranberry one since I don't think I've seen that anywhere before.
 
#7
#7
NEOCON said:
I have only drank two TN wines and like both.

Robertson King by Sumner Crest is very good and Stonehaus makes a nice red--little too sweet though as they add sugar.

Had the Muscadine from Stonehaus and it is way too sweet.

The wine snobs may rip Muscadine as it is not considered an elite grape but it is what grows in the TN areas so it's going to be used here if you are making regional wines.

Sumner crest actually brings imports their grapes from another winery so the grapes are not actually local.

As far as the wine trail, I don't have a clue LOL.
Click to expand...

I love Stonehaus, they have a nice variety of sweet and dry wines. I made sure we stopped by there on our way to the Ole Miss game.
 
#8
#8
Went to the winery in Gatlinburg and it was okay. The guy that worked there tried to convince me that muscadine was the same as merlot. I prefer dry wines so the sweet isn't my thing. My biggest complaint is the wineries have no competition. I wanted a bottle of wine for dinner and had to pay over $20 for a bottle that was worth probably $10. If people like sweet wine that's cool but at least let me buy a merlot or cab at Kroger.
 
#9
#9
tri_vol said:
Went to the winery in Gatlinburg and it was okay. The guy that worked there tried to convince me that muscadine was the same as merlot. I prefer dry wines so the sweet isn't my thing. My biggest complaint is the wineries have no competition. I wanted a bottle of wine for dinner and had to pay over $20 for a bottle that was worth probably $10. If people like sweet wine that's cool but at least let me buy a merlot or cab at Kroger.
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Well crap........not a huge fan of sweet wine, more of a port and merlot fan. Thanks for all the inputs, we'll probably try all of the places out that are on the trail so I can get a souvenir glass.....that and catch a cheap buzz before dinner.
 
#11
#11
BearCat204 said:
Well crap........not a huge fan of sweet wine, more of a port and merlot fan. Thanks for all the inputs, we'll probably try all of the places out that are on the trail so I can get a souvenir glass.....that and catch a cheap buzz before dinner.
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NeylandStadiumBum said:
If you like port then you're a fan of sweet wine.
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Here we go... :popcorn:
 
#13
#13
It's actually called the Rocky Top Wine Trail and have to say it was a lot of fun. Spent the whole day with a wine buzz and ended up buying from each location (5 of them). Each place had a few dry selections and of course the semi-sweet and sweet. Bought a bottle from one and took it to dinner at the Peddler without a corkage fee. Pretty cool that at the third location, you get a couple of stemmed wine glasses with the little emblem on them and at the 5th location you get a couple of non-stemmed wine glasses. Would do it again.
 
#14
#14
My wife loves Cades Cove Cellars, but she loves super sweet wines.

Not a wine guy, but what I've had seems pretty good.
 
#15
#15
Thanks for bringing this up Bear. Do you plan it yourself (like as far as what time you visit the first one, etc) or is there a schedule you follow?
 
#16
#16
vollygirl said:
Thanks for bringing this up Bear. Do you plan it yourself (like as far as what time you visit the first one, etc) or is there a schedule you follow?
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No, just basically show up at noon and you can hit each place in any order you want to. No set schedule and I think they stop doing tours around 5 pm. If you end up doing it, make sure you ask for a passport at the first place so you can get your stamps at each place to get your wine glasses. We stay in Gatlinburg and made the mistake of hitting Sugarland Cellars first, which is close to light #10. Going from there back through pigeon forge then going back to Gatlinburg, was a pain with the traffic. So depending on what direction you are coming from you can start at the Eagle Spring one thats off exit 407 on 40 and work your way through pigeon forge to gatlinburg. The whole thing is free of charge, but if you're like us, you'll end up buying some bottles while you are there. We bought one from each winery.......but only ended up coming home with one......

Home Page - Rocky Top Wine TrailRocky Top Wine Trail | Five Wineries Within 12 miles.
 
#17
#17
BearCat204 said:
No, just basically show up at noon and you can hit each place in any order you want to. No set schedule and I think they stop doing tours around 5 pm. If you end up doing it, make sure you ask for a passport at the first place so you can get your stamps at each place to get your wine glasses. We stay in Gatlinburg and made the mistake of hitting Sugarland Cellars first, which is close to light #10. Going from there back through pigeon forge then going back to Gatlinburg, was a pain with the traffic. So depending on what direction you are coming from you can start at the Eagle Spring one thats off exit 407 on 40 and work your way through pigeon forge to gatlinburg. The whole thing is free of charge, but if you're like us, you'll end up buying some bottles while you are there. We bought one from each winery.......but only ended up coming home with one......

Home Page - Rocky Top Wine TrailRocky Top Wine Trail | Five Wineries Within 12 miles.
Click to expand...

Awesome. My wife has to burn some PTO in January so this sounds like something she would love...
 
#18
#18
BearCat204 said:
No, just basically show up at noon and you can hit each place in any order you want to. No set schedule and I think they stop doing tours around 5 pm. If you end up doing it, make sure you ask for a passport at the first place so you can get your stamps at each place to get your wine glasses. We stay in Gatlinburg and made the mistake of hitting Sugarland Cellars first, which is close to light #10. Going from there back through pigeon forge then going back to Gatlinburg, was a pain with the traffic. So depending on what direction you are coming from you can start at the Eagle Spring one thats off exit 407 on 40 and work your way through pigeon forge to gatlinburg. The whole thing is free of charge, but if you're like us, you'll end up buying some bottles while you are there. We bought one from each winery.......but only ended up coming home with one......

Home Page - Rocky Top Wine TrailRocky Top Wine Trail | Five Wineries Within 12 miles.
Click to expand...

Awesome! Thank you!
 
#19
#19
Bump.

Did the trail over the weekend...and wine snobs be damned, we enjoyed the hell out of it.

Came back with 4 glasses and several bottles. Dry to ridiculously sweet stuff my wife likes.

Really enjoyed it. Most of the tasting bar folks were pretty cool.
 
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