The Grove Winery & Vineyards

This week’s destination is also in the Haw River Valley; located north of Gibsonville, NC. Once again, the decision was made to stay on the back roads rather than enjoying the pleasures of traveling on I-40. Coming from Raleigh, meandering the byways to Hwy 87 North, then left on Osceola Rd which becomes Osceola - Ossipee Rd; finally, a right on Brooks Bridge Rd. After a short trip down this road you arrive at a great little place: The Grove Winery and Vineyards.

Set on some 44 acres of land, the winery has a large outdoor patio which overlooks a beautiful small lake. Folks are welcome to sit outside after purchasing a bottle or glass of wine to enjoy musical entertainment. Although food is not served other than special event dinners, visitors are welcome to bring their own food or enjoy some local snacks for sale in the tasting room.

Once inside, you're struck by the intimate setting and the very large number of wines produced here.  The owner is a local resident who not only embarked on a new career to not only build the winery, but become as the resident winemaker as well.

I choose the $4.00 tasting option that included a selection of six wines and a souvenir logo glass. Sandy, my wine hostess provided me with not only my wine choices, but a wealth of information about winemaking, wines and grapes. Now, not all the Groves wines are on their tasting list.  This is no doubt due to the sheer number of varieties they bottle; all of which are made on location. 
The winery prides itself on its support of local businesses by selling products and using caters from the area.

Tours are available, as well as a variety of events.  Most recently, a wine dinner took place at the Avenue Restaurant in Greensboro, NC. My interest is in the Kayak tour this spring; which runs down the Haw River and ends up at the wineries patio. The winery has also found a home with many in the biking community who use it as a base for charity rides and events.


As our journey comes to an end, it would not be complete with out mentioning a special strawberry wine that is produced according to the owner’s father’s special recipe. It's made in limited amounts and tends to go quickly, so if you’re interested, call or go online to check availability. My palette is not conducive to sweet wines; those of you that are like-minded will have plenty of choices from a Reserve Chardonnay, Merlot, Traminette, Cabernet Franc, and many more. Check the website link on our blog for events, and more information.