Estate Overlooks Watauga Lake
The 35-acre estate Linda and Wayne Gay purchased in 2002 overlooks the Watauga Lake valley in Butler, Tenn.
In the vineyards, you can see Pioneer Landing, the easternmost marina on Watauga Lake.
As the name of their vineyard might suggest, the couple has a connection to Italy.
They used to deal in Italian imports. Today, they run the decade-old Watauga Lake Winery and, more recently, the Villa Nove Vineyards Farm Winery.
Both of the wineries are members of the new Appalachian High Country AVA, which is explained in more detail towards the bottom of the article.
The farm winery distinction is unique in that all of the grapes used to produce a wine must be grown at the wine’s vineyards – and not bought elsewhere.
“It is truly estate wine,” Linda Gay said.
In 2005, the couple planted more than 4,000 grapevines on 7 of those acres.
While their main winery is named after the 6,430-acre lake in eastern Tennessee, the Villa Nove Vineyard and Farm Winery is named after a small town where their imports business began in Italy.
The Watauga Lake is a “wonderful tourist destination,” Gay said. And the wineries are complimentary. The majority of the winery’s guests are visiting the Watauga Lake and drop by before, after or during a day on the water.
Watauga Lake Winery features about a dozen wines in the four categories: Red, White, Fruit, and Dessert. The winery has medaled in the following wine competitions: Wines of the South, Winemaker Magazine, Asheville International Wine Festival Competition, Mid-Atlantic Southeast Wine Competition and Western North Carolina Wine Competition, among others.
One of their award-winning wines even pays homage to the Watauga River, which along with the Elk River, is a primary inflow to Watauga Lake.
The Watauga River 2018 wine is a two-medal winner.
Here’s the description: “Fermented and aged in stainless steel, this Traminette wine has floral notes of white blossoms and honeysuckle. Crisp and off-dry finish similar to an American style Gewurztraminer.”
See the label below:
Wood-fired Pizza and Wine at Watauga Lake Winery
Several years after planting thousands of wine grapes, the Gays transformed the historic Big Dry Run Schoolhouse into Watauga Lake Winery. After the extensive renovation, the 5-room schoolhouse features an elegant tasting room and event center that can seat up to 100 guests.
With a full caterer’s kitchen, the space hosts food and wine pairings, gourmet dinners and cooking classes. Checkout their events page for special food or brunch events throughout the year.
“Our guests enjoy visiting both Watauga Lake Winery, especially on Sangria Saturday with our wood-fired pizza and our award-winning Sangria, as well as Villa Nove Vineyards,” Gay said.
Haunted Old Big Dry Run Schoolhouse
The space is also spooky.
Built in 1948, the old Big Dry Run Schoolhouse is officially haunted by the Heritage Hunters Society.
While Linda won’t divulge much about the hauntings to save the suspense for visitors, guests are allowed to roam the halls and rooms of the old schoolhouse while visiting the winery.
“We offer our guests a ‘Walk through History,’ Gay said. “There is a wall of remembrance with photographs of the way it was as well as a unique story of the ‘ghosts’ that still roam the hallways of the old school.”
The old school’s gymnasium is the wine-production facility and tours are available. The winemaker, Wayne Gay, has enrolled in viticulture and enology classes in California, Washington and North Carolina, and on visits to the winery, you are likely to see viticulturists or winemakers in action.
‘Tuscany in Tennessee’ at Watauga Lake
Here Linda Gay sets the scene of a visit to Watauga Lake Winery and Villa Nove Vineyards:
“Experience Tuscany in Tennessee” when you visit Villa Nove Vineyards. As you drive through the iron gates and proceed to the beautiful pavilion, complete with tower, you will leave the cares of the world behind. As you sit and sip some true Appalachian High Country wine at the vineyard pavilion the majesty of the surrounding mountain ranges and the vineyard-laced hills will truly relax the soul! Stroll through the vineyard and observe the difference in more than 8 varieties of wine grapes grown on the estate. Perhaps you will meet a viticulturist working away or even one of our winemakers.”
The winery is located at 6952 Big Dry Run Road in Butler, Tenn.
For more info, click to www.wataugalakewinery.com or call 423.768.0345.
Wine in the Appalachian High Country AVA Region
This is similar how to American Viticulture Areas work.
To receive an AVA medallion on the bottle of wine, all of the wine bottled must be produced from grapes grown within the AVA region.
The Watauga Lake Winery and Villa Nove Vineyards are members of the Appalachian High Country American Viticulture Area (AVA) and helped to establish that distinction, which took years to achieve.
The federal government approved the Appalachian High Country AVA in 2016 and establishes the area as a grape-growing region. The High Country AVA is a 2,400-mile region in 8 counties in eastern Tennessee, southwestern Virginia and northeastern North Carolina.
It encompasses the entire Watauga River and Watauga Lake.
The High Country AVA features 21 vineyards amidst 71 acres of planted grapes and 10 wineries in the region at the time of the approval. That doesn’t count 37 acres for 8 more planned vineyards.
Due to the colder season in the High Country, local vineyard owners tend to plant cold-hardy hybrid varietals like:
- Marquette
- traminette
- seyval blanc
- cabernet franc
- vidal blanc
- Frontnenac
Linda Gay told me recently that the AVA has impact their business significantly
“The wines created from the fruit of the Appalachian High Country are different than anywhere else in the country. Of course, this is due to the soil, weather conditions and altitude,” Gay said. “Many guests like to taste the differences in the more than 200 American Viticulture Areas across the country.”
Click to the High Country Wine Trail website for official information about the Appalachian High Country AVA or click here to read an extensive magazine article I wrote about the establishment of the AVA in 2016.
More Wineries On the Waters of Watauga
Wineries on the Watauga
The waters of the Watauga feature more award-winning wineries!
- Grandfather Winery and Vineyard, located on the banks of the Watauga River near Banner Elk, N.C.,