St. Paul Mountain Vineyards

Location & Atmosphere:  St. Paul is located not far off of I-26 just outside of Hendersonville, NC. They have a second wine tasting location in Flat Rock, NC, nearby. They grow 14 varieties of grapes in two locations, at 2,300 feet and 3,000 feet elevation, and have been farming the land for nine generations. They have a beautiful farm with a great patio for enjoying a glass of wine.

 
The Wines:  St. Paul offers several dry white wines, including a nice Barrel Chardonnay, Traminette, Chambourcin, and Riesling. They offer a semi-sweet Chardonnay, Rachel Katherine, and a similar Vidal Blanc. For reds, they have a Merlot, and a Petit Verdot (pricey at $61), but some excellent blends, Chestnut Gap (predominantly Cabernet Sauvignon), and our favorite, Queen, (mostly Cabernet Franc). They also offer a number of sweet, Blackberry wines, and seven different hard apple ciders, including Peter Arly, a hard cider with brandy.

 
Tastings & Tours:  Tastings cost $10 for a taste of 4 dry wines, 4 reserve wines, and 4 dessert (sweet) wines.

 
Events/ Shopping/ Other Amenities:  St. Paul has a consistent offering of music and food trucks on the weekends from spring through the fall, and they have a great patio with a nice view (unfortunately it was raining on the day of our review). They seem to get decent crowds. Their website is not kept totally current, but their Facebook page has constant entries. They also need to add more winery items for purchase. They do participate in events such as the Great Grapes Wine Festival in Charlotte.

 
Value:  Priced between $21 and $60 per bottle, the wines of St. Paul are very good to excellent in quality, but tend to be a little on the steep side. The quality was solid throughout, but for the quality of wine, they were a little pricey.

 
Rating:  St. Paul Mountain Vineyards is a wonderful winery, with great wines, and a beautiful tasting room and large patio overlooking the vineyard. We enjoyed the strong sense of family, as a nine generation farm, reflected in the old photos of family members around. The only drawback was that the wines are a bit pricey. If you are in the Hendersonville/Asheville area, you need to stop by. This winery makes a great loop if you are going to visit Biltmore and BurntShirt Vineyards on the same day.