Testimonials

We could not have picked a more picturesque, perfect place to get married this past fall. The staff at Banner Elk Winery worked tirelessly behind-the-scenes to make sure our event ran smoothly and was a total success. The event coordinator Kali is just fantastic! She went above and beyond the regular call of duty to make sure we always had everything we needed. We got married on the lawn just outside the Tuscan-inspired villa onsite, which has eight spacious bedrooms and was large enough to accommodate our wedding party—as well as our rehearsal dinner of 70 people, followed by a large brunch gathering on Sunday morning. We also had a large bonfire just outside the winery's tasting room after our rehearsal dinner, which was a total hit among our guests. Our wedding reception was offsite at The Barn at Cornerstone Cabins, which came highly recommend by the good folks at Banner Elk Winery. The best part about getting married in the High Country is witnessing how all of these talented vendors and purveyors work together as a community and support each other's businesses. We formed real and genuine relationships with these amazing people and cannot wait to go back.

We recently had our son's rehearsal dinner at the Winery and rented the villa for our family. The Winery staff is prompt, professional and so eager to make each event just what you envision. Kali is eager to offer suggestions, keeps your plan moving forward and an absolute delight to her customers. The bar staff were so kind and attentive to our guests and handled things before an issue could arise. If you are looking for a wedding or party venue, Banner Elk Winery is the best spot in the area. The villa was beautiful, so convenient, and had a breakfast fit for a king. It is the perfect complement to the Winery and our guests loved the porch views. Thank you for a wonderful weekend and we will stop by soon to sample your new wines.

Wonderful afternoon at the winery. Beautiful location! Thoroughly enjoyed our visit!
Great cocktails · Live music

It was a beautiful Sunday to relax with friends and enjoy some great wine!

Nice sommialer, very knowledgeable, gave us some great insider tips on other places to hike and local knowlodge of un- marked waterfall hikes.

Love this place!!! Great service and great wine! The scenery is beautiful and love the guy that sings!

I attended my cousin's wedding here and the view was breathtaking! The staff went above and beyond and our family had an amazing time! No complaints! The venue is so beautiful! As a wedding photographer I've been to dozens and dozens of venues, but this one is definitely at the top of my list!

AMAZING. Our favorite winery by far. Great wine. Great employees. We come here every time we are in the area! :) Lisa is wonderful and always remembers us ❤
Rare wines · Friendly bartenders · Large wine list

perfect little place. even for the whole family. they have little things to keep the kids entertained and huge outdoor space and a small pond. It's absolutely magnificent on the outside and the view is beautiful. The only thing would be parking is a little wacky if there are more than a handful of people there but nothing to bad. Would 100% recommend!!

Love this place!! The chairs around the pond were an added touch. It was relaxing to sit by the water, enjoy some wine and listen to the young man who entertained us yesterday. His voice was amazing!

Great wines, friendly staff and beautiful views. Great spot!
Good for groups · Friendly bartenders

What a lovely winery! We spent a few hours here today. The wine was delicious, the weather was beautiful, and our dogs had a grand time getting in the water and being showered with attention by the other patrons and their children. Best day we've had here this weekend. Thank you!

A must visit everytime we are in the area. The outdoor space is gorgeous between the views, pond, large fire pit (with commentary marshmallows & roasting sticks all the time), and covered porch area. The inside is warm and inviting with a gorgeous tasting bar. We have always had exceptional service with the staff really taking their time through the tastings, conversating throughout on local suggestions, and very attentive throughout your stay. The wine list is more slender than most but once you taste it, you'll see why only a select few are needed. We had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Wolf, head winemaker/ part owner, and the stories of the wines only made it better.

These are GOOD people who make fantastic wine. Banner Elk Winery supplied the wine for Spirit Ride's first fundraiser, a Kentucky Derby Party. Because of their generosity, we were able to raise funds to continue to provide therapeutic riding services free of charge to children with special needs. They could not have been kinder or easier to work with. Thank you for supporting our mission and for being such an important part of our community!

I just wanted to send my utmost regards to the most fabulous winery and customer service I have ever received. I had visited during spring break and came across the most fabulous and humble abode. My family owns a vineyard in Napa Valley, CA., so I am quite familiar with this business. First, I must say that your wine is quite impressive. I not only was impressed by your customer service but also impressed with the way your staff knew about each and every wine offered at the tasting. I intend to come back to experience the quaintness and humble character intrinsic to this property. Thank you for everything! I am waiting for the wine subscription to launch so that I can receive the most interesting and existing wine in South Florida! Again, thank you for your expertise in wine development and harvesting. You now flavor and scents beyond compare. I do hope to visit again soon and to see your growth. Please inform me if there is an opportunity to donate to the wonderful staff and company. My absolute respect!

Wife and I visited yesterday and had a great time. Have a good mix of different wines and not one that I hated. Wife enjoyed 2 if the red wines and she is typically never a fan. Thanks for a great experience.

We absolutely love this place! Visited every afternoon of our 5 day getaway trip!
The service is awesome and the staff remembered us everyday we came! We will definitely be back!

Amazing atmosphere and great wine! We had a wonderful time yesterday and can't wait to visit again. The sangria was incredible! The young lady doing our wine tasting was very pleasant and knowledgeable.

Great wines and friendly and knowledgeable staff! Plus they are pet friendly which is a huge bonus!

Another excellent trip there. The service, wine and surrounding never fail to be perfect.

Fantastic wine tasting paired with Girl Scout cookies and amazing service by Lisa. We will definitely be back!

We spent a few nights with Terri and company at the Banner Elk Winery and it was glorius!! Beautiful facility, town, grounds and the BEST staff. Friendly and courteous guest services. They treated us like family and we totally enjoyed our stay. Don't know how it could have been better and the wine was amazing! We are going to have to make another trip to restock the wine rack. Thanks to everyone at Banner Elk Winery for a wonderful stay!!

"Sangria"
That was the best wine tasting I've been to before. I like the young guy who was just learning but he did excellent job. The place was cozy and nicely decorated and the fireplace made you feel comfortable. Kids had a fun by making s'mores outside at the campfire. I liked the sweet and spicy sangria which one of the staff made. Definitely will come back next time visiting Boone.

This is the second time we have come here and have enjoyed it so much! The service is always amazing! The staff is so knowledgeable and friendly. The wine is great; although, the jalapeño sangria is my favorite! Scenery is perfect and today they even had a fire pit and s'mores! If you're going to visit a winery in the area this is the one!

Wonderful experience and super friendly staff!! We got caught in the snow on the way up to Banner Elk so we called to ask if we could still come in even though we would be there just before closing. Not only did they tell us to come on up, they took their time with us and we tasted all of their wines. Emily was awesome! We will definitely be back with the puppies next time!

"Wonderful location"
There is a huge fireplace inside and ample comfortable meeting around tables or in front of the fireplace. They let you taste wine from wherever you are seated, and you can bring your own food to eat as you taste wine and homemade sangria. We thoroughly enjoyed our tasting and bought wine to take home to family.

"wonderful wine tasting"
We went there to buy a bottle of wine, but decided to stay for the wine tasting. The wine tasting was fun and we tasted a variety of their wines. The property itself was spacious and relaxing. We would definitely go back.

"Lots of fun with girls group"
I always bring my my friends here during our girls weekend in Boone. We like the paired chocolate tasting best! Nice music and fire pit. Friendly staff and it's a scenic drive to get there. What more could you want?

"Super Sunday on the Vineyard"
While at local restaurant, Sorrentos Bistro, we spoke with Geri. She shared family history of the restaurant and Banner Elk Winery, which she encouraged us to visit.
The site is a beauty nestled in a mountain valley with rolling hills, rocks and pond. Staff were friendly, informative and fun. We later enjoyed some of our wine purchases, chatted with customers lounging around and listened to live music.
Stayed on site at the Villas. Lovely property with amazing views. Concierge was warm and welcoming.

"Our Wedding Week = AMAZING!"
Our life stories and relationship came to head in this place. Events in our lives are, in my opinion, connected by a series of dots. Those dots create the story of our lives and are not usually seen until you look back on those events and see how God orchestrated them. Sometimes it happens at the end of our lives but for us God showed himself even before we (my wife and I) met.
Reading these ratings on TripAdvisor can be dry but you might be asking what does this have to do with the winery? Probably a valid question. But for us this place connected us and now has bonded us for life. My wife's cousin (basically like her brother) sent us this place as an option that he found online and God told him to share it with us...8 months before we even finalized out dates. We forgot about this place and even the mountains as an option for our venue. It wasn't until the month before we were able to set a date, based off of family availability, that we decided to get married in the mountains. In the summer, NC mountain homes and places can fill up fast and we had to find somewhere to fit almost 20 people. We had no luck and thought back about the Banner Elk Winery...the only week that was available was the week ALL of our family could be there. Whatever your religion, etc that was a moment for us and builder of our faith in what we are trying to accomplish - merge our families under God's direction.
Once we arrived to the Villa we were amazed with the cleanliness and just the utter beauty in the look. It is located in the center of the property on top of the hill to overlook the winery, grape vines and pond. We chose to have the ceremony in the barn which had a huge window which allowed beautiful light in for our afternoon wedding.
So, with all that said we and our family had an amazing time in Banner Elk and everyone there helped make "our week" AMAZING! This was one of the best life experiences our family has ever had and to share that together was so special.

“Great time hanging with girlfriends”
Love this place! Beautiful setting with relaxing views, Friendly staff, live music, great wine/sangria! Will take the family next time in Banner Elk as they have bocci and corn hole! Would highly recommend for a girls getaway, family, or couple/s.

“An afternoon to remember”
This winery is worth a drive if you find yourself in the area. To start, the grounds are lovely and a joy to view with a glass of wine in hand. Second, the staff is attentive and knowledgeable about their product. Finally, there is often love music, a dog running around, and plenty of space for your large group.
My group had the pleasure of meeting the owner and he was quite a character. Even if all the wines aren't to my liking, it's an afternoon that my friends and I will remember with fondness for years. We will certainly be back.
Stayed April 2017, traveled with friends

We had the best time staying in the Villa and hanging at the winery! Amazing wine + AMAZING people = AMAZING STAY AND EXPERIENCE! Thanks for a wonderful, fun-filled weekend...we will DEFINITELY be back

“I just wanted to say thank you to your winery and staff. I was there in January to meet regarding booking my wedding at your venue and tasting and we couldn’t say enough about Lisa then. When I brought a friend of mine back this past weekend for tasting (because she had to taste the best wine in NC!) Lisa looked at me and said –“you’ve been here before” lol well I don’t know if that was a good thing or a bad thing to be remembered but….. She was so pleasant and wonderful to work with and we love new tastes we discovered and of course we left with a few. It was such a beautiful day and we liked the addition of live music.”

Great atmosphere! The Blueberry and Sangria wine are Outstanding! Must visit if your coming this way.

Husband and I went for a tasting for our anniversary, it was great! Friendly staff, good wine and a beautiful location. Couldn't ask for more.

“Awesome experience!!”
Lisa was awesome in our wine tasting experience. She is extremely knowledgeable & a great host!! What a great wine adventure. Great wines with wonderful tastings of chocolate pairings. This is a must visit if you are a wine enthusiast!!

“Best Winery in Banner Elk ”
Wonderful winery in Banner Elk. Close to skiing and shopping. Great wines. Love their blueberry wine and their jalapeño sangria. Wine tastings available or buy a bottle/ glass and just enjoy listening to live music. Great place for all ages. Wonderful service, great staff. Great way to relax and spend the afternoon.

“Romantic getaway located within minutes of shopping, Dining, skiing, exploring Etc...”
This is a very special place. My wife and I stayed with some friends and several other couples at the villa. The villa is huge with spacious rooms and a very relaxing atmosphere. The hot tub is a plus also. We walked over to the winery often and were surprised to taste some of the finest wine anywhere in the world. The prices are very reasonable as well. We explored many attractions all within a few minuets drive.The whole setting was simply amazing. Cannot wait to go again.

Had an amazing time! We were here for the first time this Sunday, Feb. 11 and decided to try the Wine and Chocolate tasting/pairing. Jansen was very helpful, friendly and informative! We had a wonderful selection of wines to taste and enjoyed them all! Besides taking home a bottle of the blueberry ice wine, we took home a small box of the local homemade salted chocolates. Dillon was performing that night and did a fantastic job! The place was clean and decorated beautifully. We will definitely be back for another visit in the future! Thanks so much!

The 9 of us had a great time, 5 tasting wine, 3 drinking wine... Busy day with good music too. Met Dr. Wolfe, the owner, as he made his rounds visiting his guests.

I can't believe anyone would give this winery anything but 5+. This place is extremely classy and the staff is top notch.

The most beautiful winery I've been to in a while. Amazing wine, beautiful sunsets, great atmosphere, staff very sweet and knowledgeable, doggy friendly and family oriented. Great experience!

I have never been to a winery before my trip to Banner Elk,NC for my 40th bday on January 18th! We toured a few wineries in NC but none even came close to Banner Elk winery. The ambiance, staff, knowledge of the staff , excellence of wine and how kid friendly it is is bar none to anywhere else in our opinion. We live in Florida and having some wine shipped to us because of how good the quality is. I just want to go back to Banner Elk for the Winery! Amazing , Amazing , Amazing!!!! And our 3 year old son loved the bachi ball, cornhole, and walking around the water! Just beautiful

It was my 1st experience there and it's really nice ....loved the wine verity and the young lady that helped us was very knowledgeable about the Wine selection....

"Relaxing fun and kid friendly" Decided to stop at Banner Elk Winery and boy was it a great idea. The staff is super knowledgable about the wines. We had the wine tasting for two. The scenery is great outside with a bonfire and they also had a little bag of gram crackers, marshmallows and chocolate for the kids to make s'mores. We meet some great people and had a blast. Highly recommend stopping here next time you are in the area.

This place was awesome. It was snowing quite a bit while we were there and it was beautiful. I typically don't care for wine all that much, but I must admit, this wine was pretty good. We had multiple selections and they all had a nice smooth and balanced taste. Oh yeah, the staff was really cool too. I got some good snowboarding tips!

"Great place to relax and enjoy!" We went to this winery during the 2016 holidays. Very nicely decorated and quite cozy and festive. The staff was fantastic and knowledgeable. The wine was very good but not inexpensive. I would definitely recommend this winery! Beautiful location with outdoor seating and lake. Outdoor games and pet-friendly too! Live entertainment was relaxing and quite good.

The staff are friendly and knowledgeable and made our tasting a nice experience. I highly recommend the blueberry ice dessert wine and their jalapeno sangria was sooooo delicious! I would recommend this winery to anyone!

Pleasantly surprised! Fun and knowledgable staff.

Great place especially apres ski... loved the smore kits and bonfire and mulled wine. Great ambiance!

What a great place to taste or just get a glass of wine. Sit by the fire or converse with the friendly staff. Been there many times and always visit when we go to the NC mountains

"Great visit" We found a Groupon for the wine tasting. Had 6 tastes and got the glass. The environment was beautiful and relaxing. The decor was awesome. The staff was friendly - although very busy guy, he still was a great host. The wine was delicious. There were places to sit outside and enjoy a glass of wine. There were yard games if you wanted. Glad we stopped in.

A beautiful afternoon at a wonderful winery. Very relaxing, my wife and I loved being there. The fire pit outside, listening to the acoustic guitar singer with good wine in hand...doesn't get much better.... The girls serving the wines inside were all pleasant, friendly, and knowledgeable.

"Great tasting!" The tasting was great and the 2 Sangria selections were a nice bonus! The staff was extremely knowledgeable. The grounds were very scenic. It is a little bit off the main highway but on my next trip I will definitely be back.

I am not a wine guy, at all. But, the wife wanted to go to a tasting since we were visiting Banner Elk as she's a wine person. I was very pleased with the selections to taste along with the very pleasant staff. The scenery around the place is gorgeous with plenty of comfortable seating both inside and out. They also have cornhole and bocce to pass single time. I'm still not a wine guy, but I'd have no problem coming back here to hang out. They did also have beer from the local brewery down the street.

Relaxing Afternoon “Great little winery in a relaxing setting. The staff was outstanding and very knowledgeable of the wines bottled and sold here. The grounds are well maintained and provide a great setting. Want to try some very good local wine in a pleasing and relaxing setting, I would highly recommend!”

“We come to this winery every time we visit the area and it is a beautiful place. It is our favorite winery that we have ever been to! Well this year we came down for our last minute wedding. This venue was breathtaking! The staff bent over backwards for us. It was just magical. Thank you so much Banner Elk!”

“Lisa was most hospitable, great service and a whole lot of knowledge. The wine was spectacular, shipped a case back home in NJ......not to mention the jalapeño sangria. How did you guys come up with this?..... It was simply delicious. We shall return next time in Banner Elk.”

Great Escape to relax and enjoy the beautiful countryside “Beautiful and peaceful grounds..Excellent experience with wine presentation .Love the fire pit outside and the serene pond surrounded by Vineyards .We had our children with us and they explored as we enjoyed a bottle of Banner Elk Red Wine Enjoy”

“The wines were tasty and our server was very knowledgeable. The Sangria was awesome! !!”

“Banner Elk Winery is an excellent place to just slow down and absorb the HIGH COUNTRY. They have fantastic wine, a knowledgeable and friendly staff, excellent entertainment, and of course landscapes to calm the soul.”

“I have stayed here, had wine here during every season, I am always drawn back for a relaxing glass of wine or two!”

Too fun “We never go to Banner Elk without going to this place! The entire staff is truly amazing! For the last four years we go on Saturdays to hear Dillon Cable sing. The grounds are great. They have a gorgeous fireplace and comfortable seating inside and out! I can't wait to go back again and try the new wines this Fall. Lisa is the GM and she does a spectacular job!”

Dreamy Wedding Here “My son's wedding was here. We stayed 3 nights, our party filled every room and all were impressed with their accommodations. The site is lovely with multiple areas (balcony, patio, large porch) for family members to relax and mingle. We were especially impressed with Terri and how she worked beyond the call of duty to arrange other activities (women's tea, wine tasting for guests, farewell brunch) in addition to help with the wedding. I highly recommend this site.”

“We just booked Banner Elk Winery & Villa for our wedding. After driving all the way from MA to tour the facilities, we were greeted with open arms, wonderful southern hospitality and a glass of wine. Lisa and Terri stayed with us through the entire day and completely exceeded our expectations. As a former guest relations employee for a Forbes Five Star hotel in Boston, I can absolutely spot a hidden gem and priceless customer service from 1000 miles away! Needless to say, Banner Elk Winery, Carolina Cabin Rentals (for the Villa) and our photographer (Jean Moree) have absolutely provided peace of mind during our planning process. I have no doubt our October wedding will go smoothly and be full of fun! Thank you Banner Elk Winery for a fabulous site tour and visit!”

Great Family Time “Wow What a weekend! Beautiful accommodations, big spacious rooms. Breathtaking views and most importantly, Relaxing ie. Hot tub, fire place, pool table. A great time was had by all. All ready planning our next visit for Thanksgiving.”

“Loved everything about the winery. The hospitality was amazing. Meeting Richard Wolfe was amazing. If you are ever in this area -it is a must stop.. You will have a great day there.”

“We had an amazing time here. The staff was super friendly and taught us a lot on both the tour and tasting. My biggest regret of my whole vacation was not having time to go back! Next year for sure!!”

Great getaway! “We decided to get away for a couple of days in the mountains. When we arrived at Banner Elk Winery and Villa, we were pleased to find that Terri had upgraded us to the Cabernet Suite. It is a huge room overlooking the lake and tasting room with a nice mountain view. Breakfast was really nice. The tasting room staff were great. The owner joined us one afternoon as we relaxed on the porch and told us about his experiences in winemaking and life. He is quite an interesting character. Very relaxing weekend.”

Beautiful and relaxing! “We stayed for 4 days in the Cabernet Fireplace Suite and it was perfect. The room is huge with beautiful views overlooking the pond. So quiet and gorgeous just sitting down there by the water. The winery is also fun to be ale to walk down there. And Boone and Blowing Rock are only 20 mins or so away. Elk River Falls was beautiful and about 15 mins away. Great house and location and breakfast was great each morning. You can see millions of stars at night. Great place to unwind and just relax!”

“My husband and I just got married here this past weekend, and everything was simply amazing! Our ceremony was at the Upper Vineyard and our reception was in the Enchanted Barn. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful venue! The winery staff is top notch! Everyone was so accommodating, helpful, and courteous! The villa was the perfect place for hosting our family and friends! This is definitely a wonderful place to visit or host a special event! We cannot wait for our next visit! Thank you Banner Elk Winery for an amazing and unforgettable weekend!”