Whether you’re coming to the Smokies for a family reunion, a corporate retreat or a bachelorette weekend, everyone loves a good wine trail! When you visit East Tennessee, you’ll have access to authentic Appalachian wines and distinct flavors you can’t find anywhere else. If you embark on a wine trail, you’ll even get to sample some incredible drinks from around the world. Here is everything you need to know about the Rocky Top Wine Trail:
1. The Featured Wineries
The Rocky Top Wine Trail is made up of 5 fantastic Smoky Mountain wineries, including Hillside Winery, Apple Barn Winery, Apple Barn Cider House, Mountain Valley Winery and Mill Bridge Winery. On the trail, you’ll be able to sample over 75 unique, high quality wines from both local vineyards and all over the world. You can start at any of the wineries and begin making your way to all five! Many of these wineries have award-winning wines that you have the option to take home with you if you so choose.
2. The Trail is Free to Do
One of the best parts of the Rocky Top Wine Trail is that it is 100% free to do! At your first stop, request a wine trail passport and you’ll get a stamp at each location you visit. After your third stamp, you will receive a free souvenir wine glass. Finish the whole trail and earn another free gift at your last stop! This budget friendly activity is too good to pass up! You can choose to buy select bottles at your stops, but by exploring the trail first, you won’t have to break the bank on a bottle you aren’t sure if you’ll like.
3. The VIP Experience
If you want to elevate your wine trail experience, check out the VIP wine tour. With the VIP Experience, you’ll receive a private tour of 3 wineries, extra samples, great discounts and a personalized Smoky Mountain experience that you won’t forget any time soon! They’ll even chauffeur you around to the 3 included wineries in their wine trail bus! The current wineries included on the VIP tour are Mountain Valley Winery, Hillside Winery and Mill Bridge Winery.
4. You Can Shop Direct Online
If you find a bottle that you want to take home to enjoy and remember your time in the Smokies, they can make shipping easier for you. The trail offers fan-favorite and unique wines from all five locations on their online store and they can ship anything directly to your doorstep! Choose from Hillside’s Black and Blue, Apple Barn’s Muscadine and much more. You may even find your new favorite red or white at one of these Smoky Mountain wineries.
Other Wineries in Gatlinburg
If you’re interested in exploring a few more of the wineries that the Smokies area has to offer, check out the top wineries in Gatlinburg, including Sugarlands Cellars. Gatlinburg is full of incredible wineries, distilleries and more that guests 21 and over need to see for themselves!
Now that you know all about the Rocky Top Wine Trail, you can begin planning your trip to experience these wineries for yourself. Looking for other fun things to do in Gatlinburg? Check out all the upcoming events and start making your Smoky Mountains itinerary. We look forward to seeing you!
