Venture just about an hour and a half north of the Queen City into a town called East Bend and you’ll find llamas and miniature horses at Divine Llama Vineyards–did somebody just say spend an afternoon hanging out with llamas and drinking vinos? Sure, wine not?!?
Part of the Yadkin Valley Appellation, DLV has sprawling vineyards and pastures were you can enjoy tasting wine and then roam around the property to see llamas, miniature horses, and a variety of chicken in their coop.
Our group’s favorite were the Traminette and Cabernet Franc. We originally planned on just a bottle of each but it was such a pretty afternoon…we definitely had more! Pro tip: pack your picnic and build your own charcuterie board to enjoy on their patio! (I’ve put together a Pinterest board of our favorite products and some guides on how to build the perfect spread! Click here to check it out! Your next trip to a winery or your next party will be a hit when you have a solid platter of cheeses and meats!)
The DLV taproom team is very knowledgeable of their wines and is super friendly. They will also encourage you to tour the grounds–just make sure to stay on the paths and don’t go into the main house of the owners. Our little guy, Grayson, loved all of the animals–and even fed the fluffy llamas!
We had a really great time at DLV during our last trip a few months ago. I’m sure my cousin, Daphne {IG: @queenoflazers}, and brother from another mother, Jomel, probably had the best time though, as he finally popped the question! DLV is the perfect backdrop for that special proposal moment! Even with other guests enjoying the vineyards and the farm, DLV has so much land that you can get away from everyone to have a private moment–just make sure to check out the ground before getting down on one knee. You may just find yourself in llama poop if you’re not careful. Now that would be a great engagement story!
In case you didn’t know there are over 400 vineyards and about 200 wineries in the state of North Carolina. Luckily, there are several wine trails to choose from to make a day or weekend trip out of that are within two hours or less of Charlotte! DLV is just one of our favorites that we’ve been to recently, but we’ll be sure to share about others! Here is a short list of our must visits:
- Silver Fork Vineyard and Winery – settle into an Adirondack chair, savor their wines and enjoy sweeping mountain views.
- Overmountain Vineyards – we have been visiting the Lilly family and OVM for many years now, and even as they’ve grown, this place still holds the same welcoming charm every time!
- Laurel Gray Vineyards and Winery – in addition to the wine, be sure to stock up on the balsamic and butt sauce!
- Raffaldini Vineyards and Winery – you will feel like you’ve been transported to Tuscany as you sip from your wine glass and look out across this expansive estate with its rolling hills of vines.
- Woodmill Winery – the owners were inspired by research around the health benefits of resveratrol, so you can find a variety of sweet muscadine wines–go ahead, sit back, and enjoy! They say that a glass of red wine daily is good for the heart and soul and muscadine seems to pack a bigger punch of that heart healthy goodness!
Visit the official North Carolina wineries website for more information and to pick out your next trip. Click here for the main site and here for the list of wine trails. If you stop by any of these places, let me know what you end up enjoying–and also let me know if your favorite winery is not on our list!
These winery tips and post recommended by Kriska!
cltremedy.com 