Tennessee's Most Popular Wine Trail Samples Uniquely American Luscious Wines In The Picturesque Countryside

Have you ever found yourself stuck for ideas on where to take your date? It would be nice to impress your special someone with an outside-the-box idea. Whether they have the refined palate of a master sommelier or not, the Rocky Top Wine Trail will prove to be a pleasant surprise.

Nestled in Pigeon Forge in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, the trail comprises five award-winning wineries with around 100 locally produced wines and hard ciders to choose from. The fun begins when you receive your Rocky Top Wine Trail Passport, guiding you as you sip your way through entertaining wine tasting experiences. Visitors can sample up to four types of wine for free at each stop — to keep it light — and collect a stamp every time they visit a winery, with a free gift awarded at the third location and when the tour is completed. For those not eager to play the role of appointed drivers, a shuttle will drive you and your friends to three of the region's most famous wineries, including a cheese tasting at Hillside Winery, ending with a dessert at Apple Barn Winery.

To fully enjoy the trail, Mountain Valley Winery and Hillside Winery offer guided tours of their wine cellars and tank rooms, giving you the option to plan your visit on different days. Besides the traditional wine experience, you can choose a wine tour with lunch and cider tasting, or opt for a whiskey and bourbon degustation, coupled with a meal and striking views of the Smoky Mountains.

With your Wine Trail Passport, you can taste and shop favorite local wines, ranging from dry to sweet, finishing the experience with dessert wines infused with apple brandy. At Mountain Valley Winery, Cantina Bianca is a blend of Italian moscato and muscadine grapes. A sip of Red Velvet will remind you of the famous cake with its rich, smooth taste of red berries, dark chocolate, and vanilla. Don Rosso, largely produced at Hillside Winery, is a semi-sweet wine best paired with steak or risotto. For those drawn to fruity flavors, Watermelon wine is a sweet, fresh wine that becomes summer's best-loved. Meanwhile, Apple Barn Winery focuses on apple-based wines instead of grapes. Prior to fermentation, the apples are mashed and soaked in juice and yeast. These dry wines rest inside a barrel until one year, whereas the sweet variety undergoes fermentation inside stainless steel vats for two months.

People may flock to Nashville's oldest winery (a sanctuary for Southern hospitality), but the Rocky Top Wine Trail is well-known for its distinctive Muscadine wine: a sweet, fruity drink, with notes of citrus or cranberry that ripen from summer until fall. With over 100 varieties of muscadine grapes cultivated across the U.S., the wine can reach your table as a full-bodied red, a crispy white, or a delicate rosé. Despite the challenges presented by climate change, Tennessee is still blessed with juicy muscadine grapes, thanks to a well-balanced combination of soil and temperature. But what truly makes this wine special is its connection to local memories and deep-rooted fondness people have for their territory, making it an essential part of the Southern community. 

Pigeon Forge is considered one of the best mountain towns for peaceful hiking trails and a dose of country charm. If you are curious about the origin of its name, you must know that the word Pigeon derives from a bird species that once flew over the Pigeon River in East Tennessee. The name Forge, instead, has its roots from the iron forge introduced in 1820 that supported the manufacturing of iron goods to support and improve people's lives in the region.

With deep roots in Southern Appalachian culture, the town is cherished by locals who celebrate their heritage through music, festivals, and traditional food. The town has a strong connection with the country music icon Dolly Parton, who contributed to the tourism industry by establishing Dollywood theme park — an amusement park offering live entertainment inspired by the singer's life and the surrounding Smoky Mountains.

Thanks to its closeness to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, one of the most breathtaking national parks on the East coast, visitors can enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking, horseback riding, ziplining, as well as whitewater rafting. Wildlife spotting is another exciting activity where animals like black bears, foxes, and raccoons may roam around you. Between October and November, the bright fall colors of sugar maples and other trees will create a mesmerizing landscape, with shades of gold, orange, and red painting the path. For a well-deserved escape, locals and tourists alike can enjoy accommodations ranging from wooden cabins and hilltop retreats to hotels, with some boasting fireplaces, hot tubs, and breathtaking panoramic views.