Uwharrie Winery and Vineyard

When you find yourself on the trail, you like to think your destination makes the trip worthwhile.  The four wineries of the Uwharrie Mountain Wine Trail do not disapoint; and Uwharrie Vineyard in Albemarle, NC was our trail destination this past week.

This winery sits across from a residential area on an 85 acre tract of land that doubles as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. 

As we drove up, we were impressed by the size and style of the main building.  It covers around 14,000 square feet and includes a banquet hall that seats about 200 for business meetings, weddings or event dinners.

As we settled in at the tasting bar for a sampling, we poured over a large selection of wines, and were offered crackers and chocolate to complete our tasting.

Wine can be purchased by the bottle of course, but it's also available for purchase by the glass.  We also noticed that Uwharrie keeps bottles for sale in a wine cooler.  We imagined taking advantage of that on a warm day on their patio.

For a business that only started operation in 2001, the winery boasts a staff of experts for every role you could imagine to handle a variety of client needs.  Uwharrie has a professional winemaker (one of the owners), but also offers the services of an executive chef, wedding consultant, graphic designer and an event planner.

There's a large gift shop with local crafts, wine accessories, vineyard logo items, a grand tasting bar, a visitors center and a large outdoor patio area. 
The interior of the winery resembles a high end boutique with countless items to choose from in every category.

Those categories include the standout work of  local craftsman like Lantern Hill Pottery and Calloway’s Country Collections.

Hours of Operation:
Tues-Fri.: 10:00AM-6:00PM
Sat: 9:00AM- 6:00PM
Sun: 12:00PM-5:00PM

Getting There:
Uwharrie Winery and Vineyard is located on Austin Road which runs between HWY 52 and HWY 73 West of Albemarle.