This Tennessee Wine Trail is Perfect For A Leisurely Day Trip
By Meghan Kraft|Published January 15, 2018
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Meghan Kraft
Author
Meghan Kraft loves to travel the world, but she makes her home right here in Nashville, Tennessee. She holds a degree in English, and has worked in the digital marketing realm with companies such as Apartments.com, USA Today and HarperCollins Publishing.
The Rocky Top Wine Trail is one of the most overlooked attractions of the foothills of the Smoky Mountains. It features five wineries and a distillery that collectively offer some of the best drinks that you will ever find this side of the Mississippi. Don’t believe us? Check them out for yourself. Every stop on the trail is open every day but Christmas, and if you visit them all you get gifts! And who doesn’t want gifts, right? If we still haven’t convinced you, maybe these details will give you some more incentive to go.
Hillside Winery is a must on any tour of Tennessee wineries. They offer limited, free tastings of their Italian and bubbly wines every day and offer tours from noon to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. (229 Collier Drive)
Just down the street is the Apple Barn Winery, and as you could suspect, they make all kinds of apple and apple-infused wines. They also have the Apple Barn Farmhouse Restaurant right next door, which is the perfect place on the trail to stop for a bite to eat.
Continuing down the trail, Mountain Valley Vineyards specializes in French and German wines, including their award-wining rhubarb wine. It's one of the largest wineries in the state and has made over 500 award-winning wines since opening in 1991.
Mill Bridge Winery is another great spot to stop and relax a while on the wine trail. You can mix it up here by getting one of their famous hard ciders and taking it to their outdoor patio that overlooks the Little Pigeon River.
Moving on to downtown Gatlinburg, Doc Collier's is the spot to grab some good, old-fashioned 'shine. You can sample their different flavored moonshines and even see the some of the equipment that the Collier family has been using for years to make their famous moonshine.
The final stop on the trail is Sugarland Cellars, and this is a spot you definitely want to plan for a tour. They only offer them Thursday through Saturday afternoons, but they tours are full of local history (as well as history of wine and wine making).
