Although it may not be as well-known as Northern California’s Wine Country, the Great Smoky Mountain area is a wonderful destination for anyone who enjoys a nice glass of red, white, or rosé. Gatlinburg, TN and the surrounding cities are home to an incredible collection of wineries that offer free tastings for visitors to enjoy! While there are plenty to choose from, we wanted to share some of our favorites with you to guarantee you don’t miss the best stops while you’re in town. Take a look at our guide to the top wineries in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains with free tastings:
1. Old Mountain Wine Company
Old Mountain Wine Company is one of the top wineries in Gatlinburg. All of their wines are crafted with farmed fruits. It's conveniently located near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and has easy access to parking. When you do a tasting at this winery, you'll be able to sample sweet wines that pay homage to the generations of farmers and mountain folk who've worked on the lands. Sample everything from Mountain Apple Wine to Blackberry Lemon Wine!
2. Tennessee Homemade Wines
If you’re searching for the best sweet wine in the Smoky Mountains, you can find it at Tennessee Homemade Wines . This winery has two locations, one in Gatlinburg and one in Sevierville. Both locations offer free tastings of their Southern sweet wines. All of the wines are produced locally in their winery, bringing ingredients from the hills of the Smokies straight to your glasses. Enjoy flavors you won’t find anywhere else, from their Apple Orchard and Passion Fruit to their Mountain Chocolate and Cotton Clouds. Once you visit you’ll realize why it’s at the top of our list of wineries in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains!
3. Mountain Valley Winery
Mountain Valley Winery has been a can’t-miss destination in the Smokies since 1991. This excellent winery specializes in French and German-style wines and also features a superb selection of sweet fruit wines, such as muscadine. Mountain Valley is a great place to learn about the winemaking process, as guests can see the barrel room, where the wines are matured, and the bottling operation. If you visit during the fall, you might even see locally grown grapes being crushed at the winery!
4. Apple Barn Winery
As you may have guessed by its name, the Apple Barn Winery is famous for its apple-based wines. Located in the Apple Barn Village, this winery makes its wines from the apples grown in the orchard next door. Some of the most popular varieties sold at the Apple Barn Winery include the Orchard White, Apple-Raspberry, Apple-Peach, and the Apple-Pomegranate.
5. Hillside Winery
If you’re a fan of Italian-style and sparkling wines, you’ll love Hillside Winery . Visitors to Hillside will find spectacular Pinot Grigio, Sangria, Sauvignon Blanc, and Raspberry Blush. This winery gets 80% of its fruit from Tennessee farmers, mostly from within a hundred miles of Sevier County. In an average year, Hillside presses nearly 1.4 million pounds of grapes!
6. Smokin' Banjo
Smokin' Banjo is the place to go for delicious free tastings of unconventional sparkling wines and ciders. Each sip you take will showcase the unique taste of their wines and introduce a new era of winemaking excitement. It's conveniently located right on the Gatlinburg Strip near Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies! When you do a tasting here, you'll be able to sample flavors like Cotton Candy, Wicked Grape, Dreamsicle, and Transfusion Cider. It's unlike any tasting experience in town!
More Wineries in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains
These are just some of the many great wineries in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains! Other popular choices are the Gatlinburg Winery and Currahee Vineyards. We recommend trying the Rocky Top Wine Trail or Gatlinburg Wine Trail for a free tasting tour at select wineries throughout the area.
When you stay at our Gatlinburg hotel, you will be near all of these phenomenal wineries in Gatlinburg and the Smoky Mountains. Located right on River Road, our hotel is just minutes away from all of the fun in town and the spectacular scenery in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To start planning your getaway, browse our selection of Gatlinburg hotel rooms !
