Winery Tours – Van in Black

Why Have an Elevated Wine Experience?

April 15, 2022 by Yellymary Montalvo

You might be wondering what is an “elevated wine tour”? Let’s start with some important facts: North Carolina boasts more than 200 wineries and 2,300 grape-bearing acres producing more than 1.1 million cases of wine each year and generates around $1.97 billion per year in economic impact and 10,000 jobs. Almost 2 million tourists a … Read more

A Day in the Cellar

March 30, 2022 by Christine Vincent

Sure Spring weather can be fickle –a little sprinkle of rain, intermittent sunshine, some clouds, and maybe some serious gusts of wind that send you running for that jacket buried somewhere in the depths of your car, and now you are seriously rethinking the plans you made for a weekend of enjoying wine and the … Read more

Some of our Favorite Food Trucks

March 11, 2022 by Ryan Watts

As one of the leading providers of wine tours (maybe even THE leading provider) in Western North Carolina, we end up at wineries often, very often and we’re super stoked about it! We have vehicles at the wineries constantly from the vineyards around Asheville, Hendersonville, and Tryon up to the Appalachian High Country, and way … Read more

It’s Pruning Time at the Vineyards!

August 25, 2022February 1, 2022 by Christine Vincent

The Tryon Foothills experienced several inches of snow and freezing temperature during the month of January. As a consumer of wine, WSET Level 1 Certified, and having a budding interest in vineyard management, I was curious as to how weather, specifically, the latest blast of winter, has impacted the local vineyards and what vineyard management … Read more

WSET Level 1

January 11, 2022 by Ryan Watts

Congrats to our three employees (myself included) who have successfully completed their WSET Level 1 in Wines certification. What is WSET and what does this certification mean to our customers? I am glad you asked! What is WSET? WSET in an acronym for the Wine & Spirt Education Trust. This is a global organization, headquartered … Read more

Charlotte Wine Tours

August 25, 2022October 25, 2021 by Ryan Watts

Charlotte, the largest and most populous city in North Carolina, has a number of great wine tour options available to anyone who wants to start a wine tour originating from the Queen City. The city is a crossroads to the two very different wine styles contained inside the state; you can easily get to wineries … Read more

Autumn Wine Tours

September 30, 2021August 27, 2021 by Ryan Watts

I know. The title of this blog post is enough all on its own. I really don’t need to say much beyond this as you already have wonderful images, feelings, and thoughts in your mind that evoke those “Fall Feelings”. If you have visited a Carolina winery in the Autumn, you already know. There is … Read more

Asheville Urban Wineries

August 25, 2022May 12, 2021 by Ryan Watts

There are a number of great wineries available to visit from the Asheville area. These are wineries with attached vineyards (the traditional “winery experience“) and we have written about them here. But what if you want to stay inside the city or don’t have time for a full day excursion? You will be happy to … Read more

North Carolina Wine Tours

August 25, 2022April 27, 2021 by Ryan Watts

The wine industry in North Carolina is exploding in terms of both growth (the number of wineries) and popularity (the number of people visiting the wineries). It is a huge economic boom for the state having almost a 2 billion dollar impact on the economy and supporting over 10,000 jobs. While all of this sounds … Read more

A Complete AVA Tour

August 25, 2022February 4, 2021 by Ryan Watts

Western North Carolina currently has a unique opportunity for a wine tour and the Van in Black can deliver on it. With the introduction of the latest American Viticultural Area (AVA) in North Carolina, which occurred in the Summer of 2019, the “Crest of the Blue Ridge” AVA currently has six wineries around Hendersonville, NC that can technically be visited on a single wine tour. We fully acknowledge that visiting six wineries in a single day is a lofty goal, but with the hours that the wineries are open during the busier months, it is entirely possible for the responsible drinker. How you say? We are glad you asked!