Davesté Vineyard and Art Gallery

Davesté Vineyard and Art Gallery, http://www.daveste.com/ located in Troutman, North Carolina, has the honor of being the first winery to be established in Iredell County.

A beautiful tranquil spot set on 52 acres of country side, this winery is the brainchild of David and Ester DeFur. They began the vineyard in 2005 with the winery opening in 2008. David, the dav of Daveste,’ had ancestry in the wine business as his grandfather had owned a winery in Providence in the country of Georgia. Ester, the este of Daveste,’ is an artist and has her studio on the grounds as well. An artwork is chosen each year to adorn the bottles of wine as the featured label.

The well appointed tasting room and art gallery offers rocking chairs on the large wrap around porch perfect for relaxing, The walls inside are adorned with works by North Carolina artists. The paintings and prints are for sale, in addition to a large variety of wine. The day we stopped by we were greeted by the winery’s tasting room and marketing manager, Ms. Stevie Frye. Following a long career in the spirits business, Ms. Frye was hired by the DeFurs in time to oversee the opening of the winery.

 Extremely knowledgeable and welcoming, she shared the story of Daveste’ with us while taking us through a tasting of their signature wines. Tastings are $5.00 and include the logo glass. Wine by the glass is also available.

Outside we found a pond, hiking trails, large outdoor picnic area, and exquisite patio.
The patio is home to the signature event, Thirsty Thursdays which features music and munches. There is no charge to attend the event and wine, snack plates, bottled water and sodas are available for sale. Art events are planned regularly at Mrs. DeFur’s studio. You can find all the happenings listed on the events section http://www.daveste.com/scripts/eventPg.cfm of Daveste’s website.

Bywayandvine route: From Greensboro Hwy 158 SW to Mocksville then Hwy 601S to pick up Hwy 801S. Go through the towns of Cooleemee and Woodleaf turn right onto Hwy 70W/801; cross under I40 and grab a left onto Hwy 21/115S. One in Troutman look for Talley St on your right; when you come to a Y in the road go left onto Lytton Rd, you will see the winery by then.

This is not the quickest way, but as you know our choice is the most peaceful and scenic route. Just as a side note, the winery is very close to Lake Norman if any are interested in visiting the lake.

Davesté Vineyards
155 Lytton Rd
Troutman, NC 28166
704-528-3882

Hours of operation:
Weds-Fri. 11am-6pm
Sat. 10am-6pm
Sun. 1pm-6pm

Please visit one of our facebook pages to view our complete photo album of Davesté Vineyards. They are Byway and Vine or The Weekend Winers, Byway and Vine.

Elk Creek Vineyards in Owenton, KY

From time to time The Weekend Winers travel outside our comfort states of NC and VA to visit special wineries that come highly recommended by one of our fans or friends. Such was the case for our visit to the Elk Creek Vineyards http://www.elkcreekvineyards.com/located in Owenton, KY; which is about forty-five minutes north of Lexington off I-75. Of the fifty plus wineries in the state, Elk Creek is the largest. The winery is part of a much larger Elk Creek resort organization, which consists of the Elk Creek Lodge, Hunt Club, four retail tasting room locations, and the winery and vineyards.

Garden Gate Vineyards

 The phrases “mom and pop” and “down home feel” may not be terms some would prefer used when describing their winery. After all, aren’t wineries all about swirling, sniffing and sophistication? Well, maybe for some, but for Bob and Sonya Whitaker, it is about a down home feel for their mom and pop winery, Garden Gate Vineyards, http://gardengatevineyards.net/index.html