The Banner Elk Winery

When we arrived at the Blue Ridge Village resort in Banner Elk, NC, we high-tailed it up to the lobby to see what area attractions would tickle our fancy. We were somewhat surprised to see that the area is host to a number of wineries - something we did not expect!

Although there was a list of several in the area, including Chateau Laurinda, Thistle Meadow Winery, Laurel Gray Vineyards, Raffaldini Vineyards, Buck Shoeals Vineyard, and Blueberry Villa - home of the Banner Elk Winery, we realized we could not realistically visit them all during our short stay.

Having passed the Banner Elk Winery while we were driving to the nearby historic town of Valle Crucis, we decided to give it a try - especially since we already knew where it was - right next to the Blueberry Villa Inn on Deer Run Lane.

We are so glad we stopped by! Not only are the people extraordinarily friendly (who isn't down south?), the shop was delightful.

We wound up staying far longer than we had anticipated, chatting with staff. We wound up talking longest with Sally, who was presiding over our wine tasting. Turns out she was originally from Whitefield, NH - just 20 minutes down the road from us! What a small world. And again, what friendly hosts. We ran out of camera battery power while there, unfortunately, so we did not get moving video of our visit to their very attractive store. When you visit the winery (www.bannerelkwinery.com), please tell them we said hello!