Stony Mountain Vineyards

This is my favorite winery in NC. Yes the views are nice, and yes the staff is very helpful, but for me it all comes down to the wines. This winery produces some of the best red wines in the state. They use both local and California grapes to make luscious red wines that compare well with California wines. I particularly love their Pinot Noir. The white vinifera wines are also really good. I usually buy a case a year of something from Stony Mountain depending on what I like when I visit.

Family owned and operated hidden gem that offers great wines and a relaxing patio view of the NC Mountains. So glad we did not base our decision on reading just a few reviews. The woman that helped us was very kind, patient, and an expert into the various flavors they offered. The establishment offers inside and outside seating to enjoy with large groups.
Short drive from Charlotte but well worth it. They offer a wide variety that I am sure will handle any sophisticated palate.
The bartender /​Family answered well, all of our questions and being passionate about their wine carried with the level of her professionalism.
Thank you for the wonderful time we had and great tasting sweet and muscadine wines. We will be sure to be back with family.

The road up is taking your own life in your hands. Watch the pot hole. The tasting room was very nice and we had a groupon. The tastings were very skimpy (Napa no long uses the pour stops at one once guys). The wines were ok, but I really do find it hard to believe you can’t upgrade buy paying the difference in the price of the bottle you are to receive and a better one with cash. We had to leave with a wine we will not drink because we could not pay the 2 dollar upcharge. The girl who served us the tasting was really not ver generous. The wines were OK, nothing special for the long drive. I think I have come to the conclusion that there is a reason they offer groupons to these way out of the reach places.

My gals & I had a wonderful time at the winery. Devin was a great host and he took us on a tour of the family winery. The wines were delicious & we even brought few bottles to enjoy at home. I cant wait until our next visit!

This venue is a beautiful scenic location and nice outside-​the atmosphere is inside is a little less inviting! Per previous reviews, Laura, the blonde bartender/​owners daughter has the demeanor of a some sour grapes (no pun intended). One of my best friends was having her wedding there at 6pm on a Saturday and me along with the bride and two other bridesmaid arrived by 2 to set up and decorate in hopes of having at least a few hours left to get ready-​little did we or the bride for that matter know we would have to work around a LARGE group of wine tasting and tour guests. The female owner seemed agitated with us because we had stuff in the kitchen and couldn’t move it until we could decorate although I will say she was helpful in fix the massive bee situation going on outside where the wedding was going to be. Then the room we were given to get ready in had a see through glass door and also a window to the entrance of the building-​also this room was where the two public bathrooms were-​the room was big enough for maybe 3 people and in my opinion if you are going to offer services like hosting weddings there should be a private area that the bride and her bridal party can get ready in. Laura got angry and said someone from our party had moved a picture from the bathroom and also questioned me as to why I took a mirror down and used it. I had asked her dad (the owner) if I could use the mirror outside of the bathroom in the room and he said yes-​the whole thing was a cluster of inconvenience! Due to having to work around all the wine tour/​wine tasting patrons, the small space to get ready in, and just the overall inconvenience-​the wedding didn’t start until almost 6:45 which prevented us from having any outdoor pictures with the vineyard in the background because it had gotten dark by ceremony end. The whole reason you get married at a vineyard is for wine and beautiful pictures-​I won’t say the wine isn’t good because the blackberry wine was GREAT!
The bride was never asked if she needed anything throughout the day, the groom was given attitude by Laura throughout the night along with SEVERAL other guests including myself when she said I was showing a lot of stupiditiy when I didn’t take a full trash can out and threw something on it, then she kept on with her rude antics and when I decided to say something to her she basically blasted me and told me «take my diva butt out the door and not ever come back on her property”-there were plenty of witnesses to this little blow up between her and I and I told her that her customer service and etiquette overall SUCKED. Also she spent a good bit of the night away from the bar and was in the kitchen area eating the salad the BRIDE bought for her guests and complaining to the person we had help with food that «tea was the only non alcoholic beverage and that was stupid”-another guest told me she was sitting outside when Laura came outside and asked her why she was being anti social and that she wouldn’t blame her for being anti social «with that group in there». This is the OWNERS DAUGHTER for goodness sakes is there no filter?! Honestly after that experience I would never recommend this place to anyone I care about due to the hostile service and unprofessional demeanor and presentation for a wedding. As a part-​time weddings and event planner I have been to a lot of different venues including wineries and none where a bride has to get dressed in a bathroom with a urinal or have her wedding party treated with such disrespect!
Do not get me wrong the vineyard overall is gorgeous and worth seeing but I’d recommend going when a friendlier staff is there otherwise don’t waste your time, money, or gas!!!

Best muscadine wines. Blackberry and strawberry is really good. And the owners are nice.

We bought the recent groupon for a winery tour, tasting with two glasses and take home bottle of wine ($ 12 value). We decided to take the parents while they were here for Thanksgiving.
The ride was about 45 minutes and was really scenic as we got close to the winery. When we parked and got out, there were lots of «Oooo’s» and «Aaahhhh’s» for the spectacular view! I can only imagine how beautiful it would’ve been a couple weeks ago when the leaves were in fall colors!
We walked inside to the lodge-​y building and walked around for a minute. Then talked to the lady behind the tasting bar and she suggested we start with our tasting since we were early for our tour (we booked that online from their web site). You have the option to do a dry or a sweet tasting — which was great for us since we liked different wines. There were 6 – 8 wines each — shocked that I can’t remember haha! For the dry wines, we liked all of them — and there were a couple we really liked!
Then the tour started — I have to say this was one of the more thorough tours I’ve been on at a winery. The owner’s son led the tour that day and he was quite the comedian! The tour was informative and we didn’t get bored during it. It was supposed to last 30 min, but I think it was more like 1 hr — important to note in case you’re in a hurry!
After the tour we had a glass of wine on the heated & enclosed porch. It was a really fun place to go and I definitely recommend it if you’re looking for something to do with out-​of-​towners or you just want to get some fresh air (and wine!).
P. S. you can bring a picnic to enjoy out on the porch! would love to do that some day!

My visit provided me not only with a few bottles, but a very memorable experience, and I will definitely return, bringing other friends along to enjoy.
Wine ³⁄₅: Both vinifera and muscadines, including a blend of Merlot and Muscadine (Very Berry) which was unique and very tasty. All grapes grown on property… I think, the muscadines are excellent.
Tour ⁵⁄₅: Show entire (though small) process, they take you through grounds, makes a memorable experience.
Owners/​workers 4.5÷5: Family and tour giver makes you feel right at home. Had one off-​putting experience with a worker, who just did not seem to know about wine.
Property/​Views: ⁵⁄₅: STUNNING! Back outdoor porch overlooks the Uwharrie Mountain Ranges, Morrow Mountain State Park and Badin Lake. Very large inside seating and grand windows to look out too.
Ultimately? 4.375÷5
Drive-​worthy? Yes. Make a day trip out of it and go to nearby Morrow Mountain or Badin Lake for hiking and boating. Pack a picnic, bring friends and enjoy the beautiful views at the winery.

My girlfriend and I have been here twice and have very mixed feels about this place. The family run vineyard is topped by cute country-​style building with a great view of the surrounding mountains, the valley, and small vineyard. The large balconies and tasting room sits on top of their wine making facility and looks down on to the vines. Their staff however covers the spectrum from energetic and excited to cold and indifferent. On a practical note, their wines are only partially made from their own fruit. They ship most of it in to be processed.
Visit 1 — We booked using a Groupon deal we were given and drove up on the weekend for the tour.
Tour: It was longer than expected but the guide was full of energy was more than willing to explaining everything… sometimes in too much deal. The guide was the son out of the father-​son partnership and was proud of his work and he kept the tour lighthearted, fun, and interesting. We both enjoyed the personality he brought to the tour.
Tasting & Staff: After the tour we were led to the tasting room where we could sample the different wines. There were two people behind the bar, a grumpy distant blonde women and a spirited barely legal to drink guy (literally, he told us he had just turned 21). We end up with the young guy, and while he was entertaining, his wine tasting etiquette needs a lot of work. The tastings had no order, dry wines followed sweet dessert wines and it was often difficult to tell if you were still tasting the last wine or the new one. After the tastings we bought five bottles but they were primarily for their novelty (non-​grape wines like raspberry and blackberry).
Presentation: We ended up ordering a cheese plate while enjoying their view from the patio after the tasting. They gave us a knife, a roll of Ritz crackers, and a block of store-​brand cheese both of which were still in their original wrappers. Not what you’d expect in a winery-​level presentation.
Visit 2 — My father was visiting and we scheduled a tour because we were planning to visit the nearby state park. We didn’t have a Groupon this time so we paid the $ 7/​person tour fee when we arrived.
Tour: This time it was run by the father and he wasn’t nearly as charming as his son. The tour covered some new info but the presentation was a little cold for my taste.
Tasting & Staff: After the tour the father took us upstairs and directed us to the tasting bar where the grumpy blonde from last visit was working alone setting up glasses for everyone. As we approached the bar she barked, «Dry or sweet wines? Seven samples only.» She repeated the mantra as she walked down the bar again, «SEVEN SAMPLES ONLY!» Every part of her demeanor said she didn’t want to be there. Again their was very little rhythm or reason to the order of the wines and they were all over the place.
In the end we only ordered two wines but the unpleasantness didn’t end after the order. When she rung it up the price was wrong and when I pointed it out she said there was an additional $ 7/​person tasting fee! We called Shenanigans on their ploy… we just paid that amount for a mediocre tour that ended at the tasting bar with the guide inviting us to try their wines. No where did it clearly say it was an additional charge and no one mentioned it. The discussion was heated and we refused to pay the additional $ 7/​person and told them we didn’t want any of the wine.
To their credit, after some time she relented and cancelled the entire charge and gave us a free bottle of wine.
Overall — It’s a cute place but the mix of staff rudeness and inexperience makes it a sub-​par experiences. They should seriously consider visting Europe, Napa, or the Finger Lakes to get some pointers on how to present their wines and treat customers.

I love bringing friends and family to Stony Mountain Vineyards! It’s a beautiful location with a excellent wine selection and friendly staff! They also host great events and tours of the vineyard. My favorite wine is their Cabernet, it’s reasonably priced and delicious! They also have various sweet wines that are great!
The best location at the vineyard is sitting on the deck that overlooks beautiful Lake Tillery tucked away in the Uhwarrie mountains. Eagles regularly fly over the lake that are often visible from the deck.
Stony Mountain Vineyards is a hidden gem and it is only a short drive from Charlotte or Albemarle. It’s also a great stop after a hike at Morrow Mountain State Park that is only minutes down the road or any of the nearby hiking or biking trails in the Uhwarrie National Forest!

Stony Mountaiin is a absolutely beautiful location. The staff was friendly and gave us theiir full attention. Every wine that my friend and I sampled was delish. We purchased a glass and a cheese plate and enjoyed the patio. I took home several bottles of wine to enjoy wiith my hubby!

The beautiful view from the winery definitely makes this place great to check out. However, I did not care for their European-​style or muscadine wines.
I have to say, this place is absolutely GORGEOUS! You have a great view of the vineyard and the Uwharrie Forrest from up on the hill. I love the rustic cabin look, but it is a little dark in there. They have a fabulous patio to sit on and enjoy a glass of wine and a picnic lunch.
However, the staff person working was a little… prickly. She started off a little hostile but that went away. She never friendly, per se, but she did a great job of explaining the wines.
Luckily, I did find one wine I really loved: their Blackberry wine! It’s not too sweet, with a good berry flavor, and it’s even a little sparkling. That is probably my favorite part. Their peach wine wasn’t bad either, with a strong and natural fruit flavor. The strawberry was good too, but very, very sweet. I felt like I was drinking a glass of strawberry preserves. I am not sure I could see myself drinking a whole glass of that, but a small bit was great. I don’t remember the wine prices, but I think they averaged about $ 13 – 18 a bottle.
As far as the wine tasting goes, it was $ 6 (I think) and you got a free glass, but you only got to taste 6 wines. This is a little pricey, in my opinion, especially given the size of the samples. They could be a little more generous with the tastings at that price.
If you’re looking for someplace quiet and pretty to sip a glass (or bottle) of wine, this place is pretty decent. Overall, I’d give it a 3.5 rating.

I hate giving unfavorable reviews. Unfortunately, I don’t have as many positives as I have negatives for Stony Mountain.
The positives are recognizable right from the moment you pull up: great mountaintop location (and therefore, beautiful scenery), very nice building (the interior has a nice rustic-​cabin feel to it), and some of the wines have great flavor (I was a fan of the semi-​dry Riesling and the Syrah.)
Another positive: You can tell that the family behind this family-​owned and operated winery knows their stuff! They have been making wine for decades (and generations) and they seem very knowledgeable as well as passionate about wine-​making.
Now, on to the negative. First, I will admit that we chose this vineyard because we had a Groupon for a wine tasting/​tour. We showed up (with an appointment) for a tour… well, so did about 75 other people with the same Groupons and Living Social deals. I hate to say that my review may be influenced by the fact that Stony Mountain could not handle the number of people there that day, but it is a possibility that I want to throw out there to be fair.
Anyways, the wine bar was packed when we walked in, so we grabbed a table and waited. I would have liked to get a glass of wine while waiting, but the wine bar was lined with patrons shoulder-​to-​shoulder, so I chose not to fight the crowd. We waited a while and our tour began late. The tour, hosted by the owner’s son, was way too long. A winery tour at a vineyard like this should last 15 – 30 minutes. Our tour went on well beyond the 45 minute-​mark! Most of his rhetoric was about his family’s personal history, and less about the wine-​making itself. Needless to say, we were very ready for our wine-​tasting at the end of this tour.
After the tour, we crammed in next to each other at the wine bar. (The wine bar is big, but again, a lot of people had Groupon/​LS deals.) The three people working behind the wine bar definitely soured the wine-​tasting experience. There was an overdose of attitude coming from the other side of the bar (from one person, in particular). Not necessary. (You’ll read in other Unilocal reviews that they had similar experiences with the staff.)
Of the seven «dry» wines I tried, I did not get a full pour once. There was no way I could fully examine the wine when less than an ounce was sloppily poured into my glass (at one time, I think more landed on the outside of my glass than on the inside). I know they were trying to get to everyone as quickly as possible, but again, their lack of care really made it a poor experience.
Two stars overall (although I was convinced when I started writing this review that I would only rate it one star). Would I come here again? Most likely, not.

I enjoyed my time here at Stony Mountain Vineyards. It makes for a great day trip from Charlotte (about an hour drive), and really provided a beautiful view (via the back deck) especially during the fall months.
We walked in and approached the tasting table. The lady at the table did not strike me as much of a people person. She seemed like she would rather be just about anywhere else and didn’t do much in terms of explaining the wine or anything about the winery itself. No smiles and a lot of staring off into the distance… I know she is a family member (the sister) and perhaps she was just having an off-​day, but someone who is a bit more personable would be a better fit to work the tasting table (just a suggestion).
We were told that we should wait to have our tasting until after our tour because she would have to stop several times in the middle and help others. The problem here was that we had a half hour to kill and wanted to purchase a glass but didn’t know what we liked. We decided to take our chances with the Cab which was good but after our tasting we realized there were other varieties we liked better.
The tour was given by Dev and he truly did a great job. He gave us a comprehensive tour and kept it funny and up-​beat. I will say this was one of the first wine tours where I haven’t felt like rushing through to get to the good part (the tasting!). The sister broke through at the end and announced the next tour was here. I felt this was a bit unprofessional and she should have said something quietly to him… it made us all feel a little rushed toward the end.
The wine itself was good though be aware that many of their grapes are not from NC. That being said, they were able to offer some dry varieties as well which I really appreciated as sweet wine is off-​putting to me. They offer many events such as weddings and even spa days which is a great idea.
We used a Groupon which allowed us to receive one bottle. My only complaint here is that we were limited in what we could choose. I liked a $ 15 bottle and could only choose from the $ 12 options, I was also told I could not pay the difference which was kind of a bummer honestly. They most likely do this to go through inventory but really they are losing out on that secondary purchase as most people will go home and drink a bottle they like reminding them to come back again to buy it whereas I took home a bottle I thought was so-so…you see where I’m going with this?
All and all it was a very nice winery. The place is a little crafty– (more of a country wine maker) than a trendy Napa-​Valley type but it was cute and worth the day trip.

WINE: 2 STARS. Stony Mountain Vineyards has a variety of European grape wines, some muscadine wines (the only wines for which they grow their own grapes) and some wines with added fruity flavor. The fruity ones were very sweet, as such things usually go. The European style wines were not that great to my palate, they all had aromas that I don’t usually expect in wine.
LOCATION: 5 STARS. Although for most people this place will be kind of a far drive, it’s really beautiful out here. The winery overlooks the hills and vineyards, and Stone Mountain is a really interesting place in itself. It’s worth bringing a picnic up here and spending an afternoon, maybe with some hiking.
STAFF/​SERVICE: 1 STAR. Not a happy camper here. We were rudely greeted and asked if we had an appointment (the website stated that we did not need one on that day) and received heavy sighs when we said we had no such thing as an appointment.
UPDATE: An owner of Stony Mountain Vineyards has since contacted me to assure me that changes have been made to the customer service and that it should be better next time around.

Went here a few days ago with my daughter who was visiting from MI and we loved it. We were pleasantly surprised by the drive up to the place, and the property is breathtaking. The owners are beautiful and were outgoing and friendly. Wine tasting was reasonable with only a $ 5 charge and you get to keep the glass. Plenty of variety with my favorites of fruit wines (peach, strawberry, blackberry, red rasberry). They allow you to bring in outside food (picnic) just take back out what u bring in. They have a variety of homemade spread cheeses with crackers available.(olive, pimento etc) They have indoor and outdoor seating, even have a dance floor. Would make a great small wedding or quaint party location. I will definitely return with my husband. Truly one of my favorite places now. Short drive from Asheboro, NC.

Honestly, this was the last place on my wine tour. I have no idea how good the wine is, but the view is amazing. In fact the best view we saw all day! Perfect place to end the tour to take pictures of you and your drunk family. LOVE IT!