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The 3 Best Wine Tastings in Gatlinburg, Tennessee
YEEHAW! It’s time to go to Gatlinburg! Google doesn’t tell you the millions of wine tasting you can do while you’re on the Parkway strip. Sounds like the weekend (or weekday) forecast is 100% chance of WINE. When I tell you, you can try about 17 different wines for $5 at each place… you better call yourself an Uber because the only place you’re going to be is on your ass. Since there are so many wine tastings in Gatlinburg, you could find yourself wandering and wandering for the best ones. Which one has the best wine? Best overall experience? Both? Here are the top 3 places that are worth trying and some places you’ll survive if you just skip it.
I would also like to preface this by saying: If you do end up buying a bottle of wine, you can leave it at the winery until you’re done exploring the strip. As long as you come before close, you can leave it with them so you’re not lugging it around all over town.
Little Bear Winery: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Let me just say… I went here twice and each time was such an incredible experience. They are the only winery in Gatlinburg that gives you actual wine glasses for their tastings! The other wineries you can expect little cup glasses that you take during communion at church. Anyway back to the good stuff. You usually go in with a big group, and the bartenders have jokes for days, any quirky comeback you can think of they have it! Ask for Cody is you end up going, he was truly one for the books.
I 100% recommended tasting all 17 of their wines for $5. They start you off explaining each one and giving you time to actually enjoy the sips you’re taking. On top of that.. Who doesn’t love a good palette cleanser? They give you crackers after each tasting to make sure your palette is ready for the next one.
Maybe tasting all 17 wines on a weekday isn’t your thing, but trust me I got you on that too.
Since they let you try 4 free tastings (they have a bonus round too) here are my must trys when visiting Little Bear!
Sweet Watermelon: Grape and Watermelon (my absolute favorite, taste like summer in a sip. I may or may not have bought a bottle)
Two Berries: Blackberry-Blueberry
Peach Bellini (you can receive this in the bonus round if you only do 4 free tastings! It comes as a slushy and it is 10/10)
Grape Expectations
All That Razz: Apple, Raspberry and Grape
A little spoiler thought… when you go, ask for the “warm wine” you won’t regret it!
Elkmont Winery ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
When it comes to wine, it’s not something I can ever turn down! While this one might have not been my favorite overall experience, it has Galtinburg’s most favorite wine… the peach cobbler. As I previously mentioned.. Little Bear is the ONLY winery that does actual glasses, so Elkmont has little tiny shot cups which is basically equivalent to a sip and a half. Regardless though, the peach cobbler wine was getting the hype it deserved and I will not tolerate anyone telling me otherwine… see what I did there, HA. The servers were friendly, but will not beat the comedic experience you are looking for here, but the best thing about this place is you get to try 5 wines for free!
If you’re looking for the sweetest wines always get the bottom 5, if not you’re going to end up with a sour mouth and a whole lot of bitterness.
If I had to rank my top 5 from the list it would have to be
Peach Cobbler
Huckleberry Moscato
Watermelon Moscato
Grapefruit Moscato
Blackberry Moscato
All equally great… but TRUST ME on the Cobbler!
Tennessee Wine Cellar ⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Okay... I will admit I did end up buying a bottle from here, but out of all the wineries this tasting did not have an experience tied to it. If I'm being honest, it was a little awkward! Not because of the wine, (lets be real free alcohol is the best alcohol) but because of the set up. The sections are dividied by group, so when you go and do your tastings you stand right in front of the bartender while they pour your drink in the little communion cup. So they are basically starting at you behind a clear screen (covid precautions) watching you try your wine. So that was a little uncomfortable, but the wine was AMAZING here. Unfortunately, you only get to try 3 kinds for free.
I will say, the packaging on this bottle was my FAVORITE and probably the cutest one out of all the wineries. Just look at that bear, adorable.
As far as the tastings go, the 3 I tried were: If you're going to try anything from here the birthday cake flavor is the BEST. It tastes exactly like a birthday cake should with that extra kick to get you a little tipsy.
1. Cotton Candy
2. Birthday Cake
3. Niagara
I hope your trip to Galtinburg was just as boozy as mine, and that your wine tasting experiences are everything and more. Don't forget to purchase your bottles!