Our story begins by getting lost. Really lost. Passing the same mailman twice kind of lost.
So anywhoo, we had a Groupon for Stony Knoll Vineyards in Dobson, NC that we had been trying to use for ages. (What kind of winery isn't open on Sundays? But enough about that.)
Once we actually found the place, we were super impressed with the drive in. But when we walked inside...woof. This place was decorated in the 90's and the fake foliage could have used some pruning. Fortunately, Stony Knoll quickly redeemed itself with the wine.
We tasted 10 wines with our Groupon. Normally the price is $5 for 10 wine tastings (and the glass isn't included - a big no-no in our book). We lined up at the tasting bar with another couple, also using their expiring Groupon. The wine-ista--that's a fancy term we invented for a wine server-was all that you can ask for: not too talkative, fast, and didn't use a poury spout (aka a portion-controlled spout..why would you even do that to us?)
Their "fun" wine was a hot mulled wine. It was yummy, and would be perfect for the holidays.
We ended up buying a couple bottles apiece, but they didn't sell us enough for the case discounts.
Overall, we truly enjoyed our visit to Stony Knoll Vineyards! As long as you don't get lost on the way in, it's a great place to grab a glass of wine, nurse your hangover from the night before, and chow down on the free oyster crackers.
Here are The Wine Nine (aka The Wine Mouths' Scoring Rubric):
- Staff: Nice, not pushy - 3
- Outdoor ambiance: gorgeous scenery -4
- Indoor ambiance: enough with the fake plants, people! - 2
- Regular wine tasting: good, dry reds - 4
- Specialty wine tasting: sweet wines and mulled wine were pretty good, if you're into that sort of thing - 3
- The story/history of the winery: no one ever filled us in - 1
- Amount/selection tried: we tried 10 wines ranging from dry whites, reds, and sweet - 5
- Cost: the most expensive bottle was $20 and the wine tasting price was reasonable - 5
- Location: out in the boonies, but still convenient to several other wineries - 3
Average score: 3 1/3