Dinners, tastings, tours: Hendersonville's annual Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend
HENDERSONVILLE – More than a dozen local wineries and cideries are gearing up for Hendersonville's annual Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend, which is now less than a month away.
According to a news release from the event's sponsor Visit Hendersonville, there will be approximately 50 events scheduled for the event, which will be held April 21-23 and will feature pairing dinners, tastings, tours, picnics, new releases, vineyard hikes and also live music.
“It’s fun to see all of these local, craft producers come together for a weekend of events,” said Michelle Owens, executive director of Visit Hendersonville, in the news release. “Each one does an excellent job on its own, but when they pair their beverages with local foods, local bands playing music and other outdoor activities, it elevates the experience for visitors.”
According to the release, the weekend is designed to encourage patrons to get out to the vineyards, orchards and tasting rooms and see where these wines and ciders begin their journey from field to bottle. Participating wineries are part of the Crest of the Blue Ridge AVA, North Carolina’s newest wine region. According to past Times-News reporting, there are currently eight wineries in Henderson County, with 160 acres of vineyards in production.
The cideries draw on decades of apple-growing heritage and a bounty of fresh fruit from the county's 4,300 acres of apple orchards in production.
More: Answer Man: How many wineries are in Henderson County and what's their economic impact?
Among the wineries and cideries participating is Souther Williams Vineyard, which will be celebrating its one-year anniversary this spring. It will host hike-and-sip tours throughout the day on April 21, when guests can explore the NC Bicentennial Farm, which has been in owner Ken Parker’s family since 1800.
Marked Tree Vineyard is another one of the local wineries participating. It will feature four courses paired with a Marked Tree wine, produced from European vinifera and French-American hybrid grapevines in surrounding vineyards.
More: Seven wineries to visit in Henderson County
On April 22, Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards will be showing guests its new on-site winery, where guests can sample wines straight from the barrel. Across the road, guests can listen to live music while sipping dry, European-style ciders and overlooking a hillside orchard at Appalachian Ridge Artisan Hard Cider.
For the finale on April 23, participants will be treated to live music with a Celtic band and also be able to explore a variety of meads and wines at the mountaintop tasting room of Point Lookout Vineyards.
Events are both free and ticketed. For more information go to www.VisitHendersonvilleNC.org/cider-wine-dine-weekend or call (828) 693-9708.
Below is the full schedule:
2023 CIDER, WINE & DINE WEEKEND
APRIL 21
10 a.m.- 6 p.m.: Wine and Cheese Pairing at Stone Ashe Vineyard
11 a.m.-6 p.m.: Hike & Sip Tour, New Release Wine Tasting at Souther Williams Vineyard
11 a.m.-6 p.m.: Wine Tasting at Saint Paul Mountain Vineyards
Noon-6 p.m.: Local Chocolate and Wine Pairing at Sawyer Springs Vineyard
Noon-6 p.m.: Cider Tastings at Appalachian Ridge
2-5 p.m.: Live Music at Burntshirt Vineyards
2-6 p.m.: Wine Tasting at Hoopers Creek Wine Market
4-8 p.m.: Friday Night Flights at Bear Falls Wine Company
6-9 p.m.: The Big Throw Back at Bold Rock
6-9:30 p.m.: S'more Friday Night and Live Music with Monticello Road at Appalachian Ridge
6:30-9:30 p.m.: Spring Vintners Dinner at Marked Tree Vineyard
APRIL 22
All day: Luxury Picnic Setups by the Vines at Sone Ashe Vineyard
10 a.m.- 6 p.m.: Wine and Cheese Pairing at Stone Ashe Vineyard
11 a.m.-1 p.m.: Sip and Hike at Stone Ashe Vineyard
11 a.m.-3:30 p.m.: Luxury Picnic and Wine by the Vines at Souther Williams Vineyard
11 a.m.-4:30 p.m.: Vineyard Tour at Saint Paul Mountain Vineyard
11 a.m.-6 p.m.: New Release Wine Tasting at Souther Williams Vineyard
11 a.m.-6 p.m.: Wine Tasting at Saint Paul Mountain Vineyard
Noon-6 p.m.: Cider Tastings at Appalachian Ridge
Noon-6 p.m.: Sipping Sunset and Strawberry Wine Release and Sean Jarman Music at Sawyer Springs Vineyard
1 p.m.: Vintners Tastings at Marked Tree Vineyard
1-9 p.m.: Live Music at Bold Rock
2-5 p.m.: Live Music with Arvie Bennett Jr. at Souther Williams Vineyard
2-5 p.m.: Live Music from License to Chill at Stone Ashe Vineyard
2-6 p.m.: Wine, Chocolate, and Cheese Pairings at Bear Falls Wine Company
3-6 p.m.: Live Music and Giant Apple Sling at Appalachian Ridge
3-6 p.m.: Three Shades of Gray and Cousin’s Maine Lobster Truck at Saint Paul Mountain Vineyard
5:30-8 p.m.: The 5×5 with Jeter Mountain Farms at The Horse Shoe Farm
APRIL 23
Noon-2:30 p.m.: Vineyard Tour at Saint Paul Mountain Vineyard
Noon-5:30 p.m.: Spring Festival & Market at Sawyer Springs Vineyard
Noon- 6 p.m.: Wine and Cheese Pairing at Stone Ashe Vineyard
Noon-6 p.m.: Cider Tastings at Appalachian Ridge
Noon-6 p.m.: Wine Tasting at Saint Paul Mountain Vineyard
Noon-6 p.m.: New Release Wine Tasting at Souther Williams Vineyard
Noon-6 p.m.: Lobster, Music and Wine Oh So Fine Cousins Maine Lobster Truck at Souther Williams Vineyard
1-3 p.m.: Sunday Sangrias and Meet the Owners at Bear Falls Wine Company
2-5 p.m.: Live Music from 3 Shades of Gray at Stone Ashe Vineyard
2:30-5:30 p.m.: Live Music by Brian Ashley Jones Straight from Nashville & Food Truck at Saint Paul Mountain Vineyard
3-6 p.m.: Live Music with Downtown Trio Deluxe at Souther Williams Vineyard
Dean Hensley is the news editor for the Hendersonville Times-News. Email him with tips, questions and comments at DHensley@gannett.com. Please help support this kind of local journalism with a subscription to the Hendersonville Times-News.
This article originally appeared on Hendersonville Times-News: Hendersonville's Cider, Wine & Dine Weekend: Dinners, tastings, tours
