Piccione Vineyards

Location & Atmosphere: Established in 2010, Piccione Vineyards borders Raffaldini Vineyards, and has a similar Italian style to the buildings and experience. The Piccione property sits on a high ridge, from which you look across the Yadkin Valley to the Blue Ridge Mountains. The family/owners are from Chicago, but their roots are in Sicily. As of early 2018, they are building a large tasting villa, which will replace the temporary building they have been using since 2015. It is a small winery, having about 15 acres planted, but they grow a number of varietals.
The Wines: The wines grown on the estate include the traditional Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Nero Amaro. White varietals include Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio and Vermentino. We liked the wines, and rated most of them in the good to very good category. We suspect that with a few more years of maturing vines, we will be able to rate them as excellent.
Tastings & Tours: Tastings are a fun event, given by knowledgeable folks, and they cost $7 for the red tasting, $7 for the white tasting, or $14 for both. Tours are offered, but we were not able to take one.

Events/ Shopping/ Other Amenities: Piccione has a constant stream of events, including musicians such as James Vincent Carroll and Shelley Ruffin and Soul Revival playing on the patio on certain Saturdays from 2 to 5, along with various food trucks. They throw an annual anniversary party in October with food trucks and musicians as well. The fantastic valley and mountain view combines for a great place to relax and enjoy a glass of wine.
Value: We consider Piccione’s wines to be a good solid value, since almost all of their wines sell for $18 to $24 per bottle, and are of good to very good quality.
Rating: We wish that the only two Italian- themed vineyards in North Carolina were not literally next door to each other!!! However, they are both great venues with a fantastic view of the valley and mountains, giving a feeling of being in the Napa Valley, or maybe even Tuscany. Though similar, you should visit both of these wineries. The lack of true amenities is compensated by the weekend food and music events. This wonderful relaxing venue with very good wine makes for a solid four-star visit. With their new villa/pavilion, and some age on their vines, this clearly has the potential to soon be a five-star experience.