You might have noticed over the past month that there was this “10BEST Readers’ Choice” contest going on with the popular and national news agency, USA Today. One of our companies, Asheville Wine Tours, was part of this competition and you might have seen us promoting this a little bit over the past month (sorry if it was a little too much!). We were super honored to be a part of this contest as we were competing against companies from very well known and more popular wine regions like Napa, Sonoma, and the Finger Lakes of New York. This was actually our fourth year in this competition and in previous years we have always placed in the top 10; specifically 7th in 2022, 5th in 2023, and 3rd in 2024. For a small “Mom and Pop” shop in Western North Carolina, operating in a developing wine region, we thought we were doing great by having been nominated in the competition let alone placing in the top 10 each year, what an honor!
We were excited to make the list again this year (2025)! After being significantly impacted by Hurricane Helene, we weren’t sure if we’d have the energy to stay positive and ask for your vote. While it seemed unlikely to win we were hoping to remain in the top ten again this year, we believed that any visibility showing the world that Asheville is open for business and returning to normal would benefit not only us but the entire hospitality industry.
Our customers often do more than just visit vineyards and wineries; they also stay in local accommodations, dine at local restaurants, go on other tours, and enjoy everything else this wonderful area has to offer. Therefore, making this list again was great for us and for the entire region. Placing in the top 10 would be good for us, good for Asheville and while winning seemed out of reach this time around, the competition helped us refocus on hospitality, which this region excels at.
The People Have Spoken…
Much to our shock, surprise, and sheer happiness, we got the results and Asheville Wine Tours placed first this year! This achievement, nominated by USA Today and voted on by readers, is truly a remarkable accomplishment for our entire team. This recognition is wonderful news for our entire region, including the local vineyards and winemakers. Given everything our region has experienced in the last year, we believe this positive news couldn’t have come at a better time.
Our hope is that these results will help highlight the progress we are seeing in Asheville, demonstrating that we are “Always, Asheville Open and Ready.”
Book Your Wine Tour
If you want to see what all of the hype is about, we invite you to book a wine tour with us. Our tours are a little different (and apparently better!) than others. For starters, I believe we are the ONLY wine tour company in North Carolina with actual certified wine experts on staff. All of our tours are custom for each group and we provide convenient door-to-door service. Picking you up and dropping you off at your location is so important so you don’t have to worry about driving. This means everyone in your group can fully enjoy the day. Furthermore, we have the connections that enable us to setup behind the scenes tours that nobody else can touch. Our relationships set us apart. We are passionate about wine and are happy to delve as deep into the world of wine as your interests take you. We are more than happy to lead or follow you down the rabbit-hole of wine nerdiness! And have you seen our area vineyards and wineries? They are gorgeous! We obviously could not have won this award without there being a great bunch of North Carolina vineyards to visit, beautiful vineyards, with talented winemakers who are making great wine. We see ourselves as the bridge to these amazing places where the magic of winemaking happens.
A Special Thanks!
We could not have done this without a lot of people helping to get us over the finish line. There are too many people and too many organizations to list here but if you are one of them and you are reading this (you know who you are), thank you! Everyone here at Van in Black and Asheville Wine Tours appreciates you and thanks you for your votes and for your continued support. We know we would not be successful without you.
If you want to get more information on Asheville Wine Tours you can visit our website at www.AshevilleWineTours.com. You can also contact us directly if you have questions or would like additional information on our wine tours, we’d love to host you. There is also a plethora of information on this website via blog articles and various other pages (check out the FAQs).
Congrats to you and your family and your team! Top notch and super friendly and professional!