Rocky Top Wine Trail: Smoky Mountain Wineries, Tastings & Tours

Whether you’re a connoisseur of crisp dry whites or have a sweet tooth for Southern fruit wines, the Rocky Top Wine Trail offers a premier tasting experience in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains. Comprised of five official stops (plus several local gems nearby), the trail is completely self-guided and free to join. Pick up a passport at your first stop to collect stamps; three stamps earn you a commemorative wine glass, and completing the full trail scores you a special surprise gift.

• Total Stops: 5 official trail locations, with several additional partner wineries and cider houses in the immediate area.
• Total Drive Distance: The main stops are clustered within a 12-mile radius along the Parkway connecting Sevierville and Pigeon Forge.
• Suggested Itinerary: A half-day (3–5 hours) is perfect for hitting the highlights, while a full day allows for a leisurely lunch at the Apple Barn and shopping at each unique gift shop.
• Transportation: To fully enjoy the tastings, book a VIP Shuttle Tour (which offers a designated driver and behind-the-scenes access) or utilize local rideshare services like Uber or Lyft which are active throughout the Parkway.

Hillside Winery is the perfect way to start your Smoky Mountain adventure. Its red roof and wrap-around porch are a sure giveaway that fun is about to commence. Once inside, you’ll notice a large retail space to sip and shop or for your designated driver to peruse while you head back to the tasting room to savor. Banked by a bird’s eye view of the wine making process, the tasting room offers limited free tastings seven days a week. Make sure to try the bubbly sweet Muscadine Spumante wine which is made with 100% Tennessee Muscadine and sports a beautiful Pipevine Swallowtail on its label. On top of it all, they buy nearly 80% of their fruit locally.

• Signature Wine: Black and Blue, a rich, award-winning blend of local blackberries and blueberries.
• Tasting Fees: Free limited tastings daily; wine slushies available by the glass.
• Hours: Daily 9 a.m. – 8 p.m. (Jan–March: Sun–Thu closes at 7 p.m.).
• Tour Availability: Educational tours are held daily, showcasing the Italian-style crushing and bottling process.
• Standout Pairing: Italian-inspired snacks and sparkling wines.
• Accessibility: Fully wheelchair accessible with wide aisles in the wine shop.
• Parking: Large, free on-site parking lot directly in front of the winery.

Producing apple-based wines onsite since 1994, Apple Barn Winery is just across the road from the Little Pigeon River and is part of a whole apple mecca of sorts. On the hill behind the winery, there is a trellised orchard of four apple varieties – Jonathan, Macintosh, Granny Smith and Winesap. After crushing the apples and blending them with juice and yeast, the fermentation process begins. The dry apple wines are aged up to a year in American, Hungarian and French oak barrels, while the sweet ones are fermented in stainless tanks up to 60 days prior to bottling. Unlike grape-based wines, apple wines do not require lengthy periods of aging.

• Signature Wine: Apple Pie Wine, a nostalgic pour featuring cinnamon, spice, and local orchard apples.
• Tasting Fees: Free samples; $8 for a full-menu tasting; or $19.99 for a "Tasting Pass" covering three Apple Barn locations.
• Hours: Sun–Thu 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Fri–Sat 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
• Tour Availability: Offers a video tour experience that explains the farm-to-bottle history of the orchard.
• Standout Pairing: Fresh apple fritters from the adjacent Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant.
• Accessibility: Accessible entrance and tasting bars located within the Apple Barn Village.
• Parking: Extensive free parking throughout the Apple Barn Village complex.

Mountain Valley Winery opened in 1991 and is Tennessee’s largest winery. Just beyond the Titanic Museum headed toward Gatlinburg on the right, you can’t miss the flagstone rotunda from the road. Scoot on in to the tasting room to sample a host of French and German-style sweet wines. Try the Mountain Valley Red which has been their most popular wine since the winery’s inception and is made with 100% Tennessee concord grapes and other native varieties. They offer several gift baskets filled with wine and cheese for purchase or you can select your favorite combo to be enjoyed out back on their patio. Free tours of the production facility are available noon to 5 p.m. every day.

• Signature Wine: Muscadine (available in Red, White, and Blush), a classic sweet Southern staple.
• Tasting Fees: Free wine tastings; $5 for dry/semi-sweet flights; $8 for the full library.
• Hours: Sun–Thu 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.; Fri–Sat 9 a.m. – 9 p.m.
• Tour Availability: Personal tours of the winemaking area are offered daily between Noon and 5 p.m.
• Standout Pairing: Local Tennessee cheeses and crackers available in the gift shop.
• Accessibility: Wheelchair-accessible parking, entrance, and tasting counters.
• Parking: Free on-site parking shared with the nearby theater and shops.

The Apple Barn Dessert Wine Shoppe is a unique stop for wine enthusiasts. Located in the Apple Barn Village in Sevierville, you'll find apple brandy-fortified dessert wines that are rich and indulgent. Stop in for a sample including fan favorites like Apple Pie, Blueberry and Blackberry dessert wine.

• Signature Wine: Apple Pie Dessert Wine, a decadent, high-gravity wine fortified with local apple brandy.
• Tasting Fees: Complimentary tastings focused on small-batch, fortified fruit wines.
• Hours: Mon–Thu 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Fri–Sat 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Tour Availability: Retail and tasting focused; no production tours.
• Standout Pairing: Pairs perfectly with vanilla bean ice cream from the Apple Barn Creamery.
• Accessibility: Fully accessible; located within the walkable Apple Barn Village.
• Parking: Free village parking; short walking distance from the main winery.

Home of the unique and world-famous cotton candy wine, Gatlinburg Winery creates sweet wine flavors you won't find anywhere else. Cotton candy wine comes in original (a sweet grape wine with a push of vanilla), blueberry and peach flavors. The winery also has a white wine Mountaingria that has splashes of mango, peach and lemon flavors; Key lime cheesecake that is sweet, creamy and refreshing; a muscadine Great Smoky Red and the sparkling Mystic Moonlight with a hint of honeysuckle.

• Signature Wine: Cotton Candy Wine, famous for its nostalgic, sugary aroma and light finish.
• Tasting Fees: Free 3-wine sampler; $10 for the Gatlinburg Wine Trail pass (includes VIP samples).
• Hours: Daily 10 a.m. – 11 p.m.
• Tour Availability: No tours; focused on a "stroll-in" tasting experience.
• Standout Pairing: Seasonal wine slushies and "boozy" slushie flights.
• Accessibility: Flat, Parkway-level entrance; easily accessible for pedestrians on the strip.
• Parking: Paid private lots nearby (typically $15–$20) or city-operated parking garages.

Enjoy some time on the patio and sipping local wine at the family owned and family grown winery, Tennessee Mountain View Winery. Set against the Great Smoky Mountains, you'll find one of the largest selections of wines including sweet, semi-sweet and dry wines. Try an assortment of four wines paired with local cheeses or savor a local cheese board with your wine of choice, featuring three different cheeses, three salamis, sweet fig spread and a variety of crackers. It's a great way to spend a long afternoon in the mountains.

• Signature Wine: Mountain Mist, a floral and crisp wine crafted from Catawba grapes.
• Tasting Fees: Complimentary wine and juice tastings (family-friendly).
• Hours: Mon–Thu 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.; Fri–Sat 10 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
• Tour Availability: Relaxed atmosphere with lawn seating; no formal production tours.
• Standout Pairing: Local Cheese & Charcuterie boards and specialized Chocolate Wine Flights.
• Accessibility: Accessible deck and indoor tasting area; pet-friendly outdoor spaces.
• Parking: Free on-site parking in a gravel lot; easy access for larger vehicles.

While traveling the Rocky Top Wine Trail, you may want to stop for a bite to eat. There is Applewood Farmhouse Restaurant, conveniently down the road from Apple Barn Winery. Housed in an expanded 1870s farmhouse, the restaurant was started in 1986 and still retains its home-sweet-home charm to this day. It’s why so many folks have made frequent returns for more than 30 years in an attempt to relive fond childhood memories. The restaurant is divided into several rooms much like the old house, but with two special tables outfitted with porch swings on the original porch. There’s always a wait for these, but folks don’t seem to mind. No matter where you sit, apple fritters are served with apple butter sourced from next door at the Apple Barn and Cider Mill along with non-alcoholic juleps as complimentary starters all day, every day. Don’t miss the Famous Fried Chicken or maybe Momma’s Country Meatloaf is more your jam. Regardless, save room for apple cobbler.

A great way to end your day is with dinner at Anakeesta. Escape the hustle and bustle of downtown Gatlinburg by hopping aboard the world’s only chondola which is half chair lift, half gondola. You’ll ride up the mountain for about 20 minutes before experiencing what can only be called nature’s ultimate theme park and a first-rate, open-air dining hall, Cliff Top Grill and Bar. Sip on a local beer paired with perhaps a burger sourced from farms in the area, all while soaking up those stunning panoramic views.