Uncorked and Poured Up: Inside Gatlinburg’s Annual Wine Fest

This sponsored post is written in collaboration with Gatlinburg Tourism. All opinions of the stay and my experience in the inn are my own.

This April, I attended the 2018 Gatlinburg Wine Festival, and I’ve never been so eager to fill my suitcase with so many bottles of wine! The annual Gatlinburg Smoky Mountain Wine Festival has drawn hundreds of travelers from around the country for a yearly gathering of Tennessee wineries since the festival’s inception in 2013. The event is organized by the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and coordinates with 17 of Tennessee’s best wineries to give festival-goers a taste of Tennessee’s wine industry. The two-day 2018 Gatlinburg Wine Festival consisted of a happening party bus, learning and tasting experiences, and a vino-filled main event right in the heart of downtown Gatlinburg.

Every year, Gatlinburg's Annual Wine Fest is a popular event in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. This event showcases some of the best wines from the region and beyond, along with local food and live music. The festival typically takes place in the fall, when the leaves change colors, and the weather is mild and pleasant.

The Gatlinburg Wine Fest is held at the Gatlinburg Convention Center, which provides plenty of space for vendors to showcase their wines and food. Attendees can sample wines from over 20 wineries, many local to Tennessee. The festival also features artisanal cheeses, chocolates, and other food items that pair well with wine.

In addition to wine and food, the Gatlinburg Wine Fest features live music and entertainment throughout the day. The festival typically features several musical acts that play a variety of genres, from country to rock to blues. There are also plenty of other activities for attendees, such as arts and crafts, wine seminars, and cooking demonstrations.

One of the Gatlinburg Wine Fest highlights is the annual Grape Stomp competition. This is an entertaining event where two teams compete to see who can stomp the most juice out of a bucket of grapes in a set amount of time. The winners of the Grape Stomp competition receive a prize, as well as bragging rights for the rest of the festival.

Tickets for the Gatlinburg Wine Fest typically sell out quickly, so it's recommended that attendees purchase their tickets in advance. Several different ticket options are available, including general admission and VIP packages. VIP packages typically include access to unique wine tastings and other exclusive events.

Overall, the Gatlinburg Wine Fest is a fun and entertaining event celebrating the region's wine culture. With great food, live music, and plenty of wine to sample, it's a great way to spend a fall weekend in Gatlinburg.

Here is a recap of my wine-filled weekend at Gatlinburg Wine Fest and a list of some of the best wineries in Tennessee. Despite being an avid wine connoisseur, this was my first time attending the festival, and it was my favorite. This year, I’ve been trying to get to know more southern brands; this event was no exception. Gatlinburg Wine Fest featured some of the best local wines from around the city and the state of Tennessee. So if you thought the Smoky Mountains were a lovely place to vacation, you should try the wine...

Getting there

I’d never been to Gatlinburg before but had heard such great things about the mountain town that it was on my shortlist of locations to visit before summer. One of the best reasons its many raving fans have given me for returning often is proximity. G-burg is a breezy 3.5 hr drive from Charlotte, NC; 2.5 from Greenville, SC; and an easy 1.5 from Asheville for southern dwellers. If driving isn’t your thing, you can hop on a plane and arrive before you’ve had a chance to finish your magazine. I’m a road tripper, so I opted for the drive. I also knew I would want to bring back lots of wine and didn’t want TSA to interfere with my plan to restock my wine shelves at home. So that Friday night, I arrived in the beautiful mountain town of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, with a wine opener in my bag and a suitcase full of bubble wrap to protect my precious bottles from rolling around. Shortly after arriving in Gatlinburg, I checked into the Courtyard Marriot, just a few steps away from all the action downtown. I hung out in the rocking chairs and contemplated retiring right then and there...until it was time to grab a glass.

Winery Tours

We kicked off on Friday night with a private winery tour and tasting event hosted by the Courtyard Marriott Downtown Gatlinburg. Blogger Patrick T. Cooper and I met with Gatlinburg CVB PR Genius Marci Claude for registration and wine pre-gaming before boarding the party bus. Once onboard, we jetted away to 3 wine shops for education about the wine in the Smoky Mountains. The highlight was a taste of delicious wines from various Tennessee wines and small dishes from some of the best restaurants in the Smoky Mountain region. Our rag-tag wine group on Party Bus 1 consisted of an all-girls birthday party, two obnoxious bloggers asking a million questions (guilty!), and couples from Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Jim Downs, director of events for the Gatlinburg Convention and Visitors Bureau, explained that more than half of the festival’s tickets were sold to visitors who traveled outside the state to explore wines from across Tennessee.

Winery #1

Sugarland Cellars

1133 Parkway, Gatlinburg Sniff, Swirl, and Sip. The key to a great wine tasting is in these simple directions. Being a huge wine lover, my immediate instinct was to fill up my glass and start chugging, but with so many wines to choose from, pacing myself was the way to go. Sugarland Cellars is a more traditional winery that does a great job educating the customer about wines. This space was the largest of the three, with a bar, souvenir shop, and event space.

Winery #2

Gatlinburg Wine Cellar

702 Parkway, Gatlinburg Creativity is the game’s name at Gatlinburg Wine Cellar. If you ever wondered what cotton candy would taste like as wine, this is the place for you. GWC had the largest sampling selection of the most diverse wineries, and most crazy concoctions were served in communion-style cups. They’re starting a new wine religion, and I volunteer to be the Pope! Although they didn't participate in the wine festival this year, they were among the most talked about around town. I'll be hosting my home wine tasting soon since my friends are dying to taste the cotton candy bottles I greedily snapped up.

Winery #3

Tennessee Homemade Wines

643 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN The most casual of the three, Tennessee Homemade Wines is an excellent place for a laugh with a funny and friendly staff. Being a Georgia girl, I'm partial to anyone with a Georgia peach-inspired product, and this was another that I snatched up happily. I must have swirled my way through a dozen Tennessee wines. But I’m not complaining! Once the fun got going, I was reluctant to leave and return to the hotel.   

Smoky Mountain Wine Fest

Saturday was the big day to kick off the main event. The wines we sampled the night before were a precursor to the number of wines and wineries present during the festival. Held at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, next to Anakeesta, the Saturday event lasted from 1 – 6 pm. Check-in for visitors included an id check (must be age 21 and older for a wristband), a wine bar, and a complimentary wine glass with a necklace holder for sampling. Guests could also purchase bottles of Tennessee wine to take home and wine-related merchandise like tees, additional glasses, and cheese plates to accompany the wine. The festival was a blast, although the sudden humidity and sunshine stunned us. We were pouring buckets of sweat by the end! The sacrifices you make for the things you love. I wore a long-sleeved shirt and sweater earlier in the morning, so I ducked into a shop and bought the lightest shirt I could find. That was a smart move on my part. At some point, I stopped noticing the heat. The wine may have something to do with that...Patrick and I chatted up the locals in true influencer style, took many photos, and even danced with Zeno, the bear. Gatlinburg is such a friendly and open city that it felt like we had always been a part of the community. Despite being a more minor event than those hosted by large Metros like Atlanta and Charlotte, the Gatlinburg Wine Fest was far more communal and fun. I never felt lost in the shuffle or unable to fill my glass and have one-on-one conversations with the vendors. Along the way, we met people that came back every year from farther than NC for this event, and now I see why. Cheers to a super successful festival. I know where I'll be in 2019. Be sure to check out the website of 2018 Vendors for the event, including

Amber Falls Winery

Apple Barn Winery

Beans Creek Winery

Cades Cove Cellars

Goodwater Winery & Vineyards

Grinder’s Switch Winery

Hillside Winery

Keg Springs Winery

Mill Bridge Winery

Mountain Valley Winery

Natchez Hills Winery

Paris Winery

Sugarland Cellars

Sumner Crest Winery

Tennessee Homemade Wines

Wyile Cider

Trazo Meadery

Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the gate.

Smokey Mountain Wine Weekend

Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts

556 Parkway, Gatlinburg, TN 37738

 865-277-8989