McRitchie Winery & Ciderworks

Location & Atmosphere: The property is located just off of U.S. 21, 15 minutes north of Elkin, North Carolina, near Stone Mountain. The winery sits high on a hill. While approaching the property, you realize that in front of you is not a grape vineyard, but an apple orchard. McRitchie produces a collection of wines and hard apple ciders, which we understand are very popular with millennials.

The Wines: The wines McRitchie produces are generally dry, including an unoaked chardonnay and a few red blends. They do not seem to have a lot of variety in their wines. However, there is a strong emphasis on their hard ciders. If you only like dry wines, their wine is fair to good. This is a relatively new winery, which we understand seems to be improving over the years. Our children, who are in their 20’s, think the cider is pretty good, so if you are a cider fan, you will rate this winery a 4 or a 5.

The Tastings & Tours: The tasting includes a few wines and a few hard ciders. There is no tasting for just wines. The tasting area is nice, with an interesting bar top, but rather small. On one of our visits, it was extremely crowded. There is a second tasting bar, but it feels like an overflow idea.

Other Amenities: Since McRitchie is in the category of a “mom and pop” winery, it does not have other amenities. There is a porch where you can have a glass of wine, but the view is only okay, since it does not look out over the vineyard.

Rating: McRitchie winery rates as three stars, which we hope will improve with age and experience. We wish their porch that overlooks the vineyard from the top of the hill could be more prominent, since it is a pretty spot.