Banner Elk Winery & Villa

This review is for the Banner Elk Villa. The villa, including our room, was in fact very nice. Unfortunately managment has not invested the same level of attention and detail into the customer experience. As indicated below, we had a very poor experience. That being said, I should note that the B&B honored our request for a partial refund – although surprisingly there was no return communication to our email with a note of apology.
Having stayed at a number of bed and breakfast inns, we were not only surprised but also disappointed by the level of service (or lack thereof) that we received during our stay. Upon arrival at the villa, we were briefly greeted in passing while exiting our vehicle in the parking lot. No time or effort was taken to walk us into the villa or to show us where our room was located. Once inside, we noticed that our room was dimly lit, primarily due to several inoperable light bulbs that had not been replaced. We also found a used towel in our bathroom, which had been missed by the cleaning staff.
During the extent of our stay, we had absolutely no interaction with any form of staff. No one asked whether we needed anything or if we had been enjoying our stay; the B&B was completely devoid of any full or part-​time help or management, no innkeeper. We were left to our own devices, which included finding extra towels and basic toiletries.
One of our biggest disappointments was the «chef-​prepared gourmet breakfast,» which is touted highly on the villa’s website. This expectation was a major factor in our decision to stay at Banner Elk, as the «breakfast» in «bed and breakfast» is ultimately half of the experience. We had expected to receive our «chef-​prepared gourmet breakfast» during both days of our stay, but unfortunately we did not. It was not until we arrived and read our welcome letter that we learned our Sunday breakfast would consist of self-​served store bought, boxed pastries and a pot of black coffee. Our Monday morning breakfast included nothing more than a small amount of reheated frozen biscuits, cold scrambled eggs, and a few slices of cold bacon – again, entirely self served. Neither experience could or should be considered gourmet, nor the «chef,» as we learned, who also served as the cleaning staff for the B&B.

Our best winery experience of 3 in this area! Perfect for winter or summer. We went when it was snowing and were able to snuggle by a lovely fire surrounded by beautiful Christmas décor.
Our tasting was $ 10, BUT they gave much much more wine than most wineries we’ve been to. The serving size was a lot! They also give you chocolate and crackers.
Staff is SUPER friendly, felt like I was at home in the best way possible.
I highly recommend stopping in for a tasting or to simply sip on a glass and enjoy the atmosphere and hospitality!
(P.S. We stayed in Boone on our trip, this is a short drive from Boone or Blowing Rock)

We stayed at this lovely villa during our Fall trip 2015 this past October and we had the «Bordeaux» room with a nice lake view. As guests we were offered a complimentary wine tasting of their good wine. Enjoyed the homemade breakfast.
Charming villa.

Wonderful setting. Friendly winemaker! It was nice to have him come greet us and make us feel welcome! We are definitely come back!

A great destination spot to take guest and enjoy a glass while listening to great 70 & 80 tunes on the porch.
Walk the property and see the vines and beautiful landscape around the winery and tasting room.
I’m looking forward to sitting by the fire this winter and tasting a fortified wine.

We stayed at the Villa the last few days of our honeymoon on our way back to Chicago and enjoyed ourselves so much. Customer service is top notch. By the end of our first day we felt like we were friends with the entire staff. They were knowledgeable and so fun!
We stayed in the Alicante Barrel Suite and it was beautiful & spacious. We had a fireplace and private patio with a gorgeous view which we utilized the most. Breakfast served each morning was delicious! We were unsure how we felt about a «B & B» but it was anything but typical. We had as much privacy as we wanted. It was so laid back and exactly what we wanted on our honeymoon!
We enjoyed listening to the music Dylan played all 3 days we were there
The entire staff was just awesome. Truly made the our stay more enjoyable.
We will be back again, sooner than later!

Beautiful location! A group of ladies and I visited for a girls day and they had perfect seating areas outside nestled around a firepit and pond. The wine was very good and tastings only cost $ 10. I would definielty come back :)

Wonderful wines. Beautiful location. Had an acoustic guitar player. Really beautiful.

Super cute winery! Really enjoyed the experience. The wine tasting was fun, the man helping us was very knowledgeable, professional but laid back. I am so in love with the High country rose wine! Really wishing I had bought a few more bottles!

Kind and knowledgeable staff. A nice, solid local red and white award-​winning wine offering. Nice sitting area with fireplace, live music and view of mountains!

I visited here with a group of 10 friends to celebrate a close friend’s Bachelorette party. We visited the winery and stayed in the villa, so we had the full experience of what is offered here.
Banner Elk is a charming, small town in the mountains of Western NC. At the time of our visit in mid october, the leaves were changing and the environment was just absolutely beautiful. We arrived around 5:00 on a saturday afternoon, but unfortunately the winery is only open until 6:00 PM, so we didn’t have as much time as we wanted to spend here. Totally our fault for not arriving sooner.
When we parked and walked up to the winery, we noticed groups of all ages and types, from families to couples, enjoying the bonfire and live music out front. We entered the door to the winery and found it to be a cozy, warm and inviting atmosphere. There was plenty of comfortable seating around the fireplace and the mood was just perfect. It took a while for us to be greeted by the staff as they were quite busy at the time of our arrival. Finally, the wine tasting began. The server explained to us which kind of wine we were sampling before pouring each one. We each received 7 –1 oz. samples of various wines made on the property. Unfortunately, this experience was not as developed or thorough as I would have hoped for. The explanation was very quick and the whole thing felt a bit rushed. Seemed like the staff consisted of a couple of young 20 somethings who didn’t have much knowledge or motivation as to how to deliver a top notch experience. They served small soup crackers with the wine samples, but it was really lacking something else. Perhaps a small cheese or fruit platter served along side it would have been a nice accompaniment. Overall, I enjoyed trying all the wines, although I am not a wine expert by any means, they were all tasty and the sampling included a nice variety.
Next, we checked into the villa for our stay. It is absolutely charming and perfect in every way. The big fireplace with the comfortable couches down in the lobby arranged around the big screen TV were a perfect hangout place for everyone in the group to meet up. Our group of 10 stayed in 3 rooms, which were each uniquely decorated and quite comfortable. The bed was plushy, the closet space was plenty and the bathtub was one of those deluxe large jacuzzi tubs with jets. Heavenly. The only thing that could have made our experience better was if they offered cots or air mattresses to accommodate our large group. We had to fit about 4 people per room due to the other rooms being booked up, yet the bed was only big enough for 2 people. So 2 others had to sleep on the floor in each room. Although this was probably a lack of planning and organization on our behalf.
We were told that they did offer breakfast each morning around 9 am and a certificate to get brunch at one of the nearby restaurants, but unfortunately we slept in too late to make use of it.
Overall, this was a beautiful venue and a pleasant experience in an outstanding town. I had a great time and would recommend it to others looking for that small town winery feel.

So now I can say I also stayed at the Villa. You guys, it was just awesome. This place is so beautiful and the villa is absolutely immaculate. I never would have known there were others staying at this B&B if we didn’t see them at breakfast or on the grounds a couple times. You have tremendous privacy and access to everything you want/​need. The place was decorated beautifully, the beds were comfortable and we all agreed the sheets were the softest sheets we have ever slept on!!!
They don’t really have an «Innkeeper» so you are somewhat on your own which can be refreshing and nice. The actual winery is right on the property and a free wine tasting comes with your stay. Their wines are award winning so spending some time at the winery, taking in the beauty of the surrounding area, came easy for us.
The breakfast was made fresh every morning and it was SO good!!! We had potato hash with cheese, eggs, bacon, fruit, pancakes, yogurt, biscuits, pastries, orange juice, etc. Everything was wonderful!!!
We played games, picked blueberries, sat outside and just enjoyed everything this place had to offer. We hiked at Grandfather mountain and Julian State Park, both were amazing with such perfect views! Majestic!!!
The owners of the Villa/​winery are super friendly and there are some great restaurants in town. You will for sure feel the comfort of your own home at this B&B. I HIGHLY recommend it whether it is a business trip, romantic get away or a girls weekend!!!

The Banner Elk winery is my favorite selection of wines in the area! Their Banner Elk white was delicious! We stayed in the villa and each room is so luxuriously different and unique. Not to mention stunning views of the mountains from everywhere on the property. They offer in room massages and everything needed for the perfect romantic getaway. Cannot wait to get married there next summer!

I have been to many wineries over the years, so I guess that I expect a certain experience. Some of the staff seemed disinterested. We waited what seemed like an eternity to be greeted when there was no one else having a tasting.
The selection and taste of wines was pretty good. I actually preferred their whites over reds which is a first for me. We did get the Rosie because it was a good summer wine.
The prices were a little bit much, but I understand supply and demand. I would have given 4 stars if the staff was more interested.

Very nice winery. Had a great time tasting! Enjoyed the comfortable cozy seating area inside. The wine was very good. They tend to have a drier selection, and while they had everything available during our visit, they mentioned they simply run out or certain varieties sometimes! Nature of the business!

Let me start my review by first stating to the people saying that they didn’t like the wine or the price, wine is a personal thing. People have different tastes therefore not liking the wine should not necessarily be a reason to poorly review any place.
That being said my wife and I went there for the evening and stayed in the villa. We were in the smallest room Pinot Grigio. Teri was awesome in offering us a larger room as one was open upon our arrival, but we really liked our room and kept it. We enjoyed the live music while tasting then drinking some wine. The place was packed, everyone including us enjoyed some good wine and the people we met.
Having daughters we also toured the barn for events (like weddings), and walked the villa to see other rooms. Our morning consisted of a great eggs, bacon and a really good hash brown casserole. We had coffee, orange juice. Fresh pastries were also available that everyone seemed to love (I can’t eat gluten) Teri and Lee served the 5 couples who ate. They also provided a nice assortment of yogurts.
I truly believe that it is all what you make it, our phone conversations for booking and interactions with all employees were very positive.
We will be returning for another visit.

Got there at 4pm on a Saturday and they were all out of wine for tasting except for a couple of reds. She clearly wasn’t interested in getting/​opening any more bottles. At least she didn’t charge us for the two glasses she gave us. No offer of tour of facilities or a wine-​tasting lists or anything.
Of the reds one was a cabernet and the other was a foch. Both tasted very similar (but shouldn’t!) and were sweet with high tannins… I applaud them for opening up a winery in a new place trying to see if they can make decent wines from there. We tried wines other NC vineyards in the area and just aren’t convinced the climate is suitable for wine-​making.

Beautiful little place. Service was good. 7 wines for $ 7, but I just didn’t care much for the wines… too sweet for me.

I love wineries but this place was disappointing. Don’t get me wrong, it’s CUTE as can be and the view was amazing but the wine was just ok and the prices are ridonkulous for the quaility.
I typically buy something at most wineries that I visit but I just couldn’t justify paying $ 24 for an ‘ok’ bottle when I could run down to Erick’s wine shop and get a bottle of Sterling Cab for that.
I was also disappointed that there was not any sort of food (cheese, crackers, bread) or munchies for purchase in case I did want to buy a bottle, hang out and enjoy the grounds.
Nice stop but I won’t be back.

These days wineries are popping up everywhere. As we were on our way from (someplace) to (someplace else), we found a sign pointing to the Banner Elk Winery, and decided to check it out. As luck would have it, we were actually able to find this one, just a short drive off the highway.
Unlike some of your more impressive winery structures (Childress, Château Morisette, Shelton), Banner Elk appears to be little more than a prefab building. The good news is that it is in a rather nice setting, complete with a nice pond in case you would like to take your purchase outside for an impromptu picnic.
Perhaps the most important thing about this winery is the staff. While many other places will give you your space, and are only too happy to collect your money in return for a tasting, giving you the feeling that you are taking their lifeblood from them in return, the people at Banner Elk truly seem to have a passion for both wine and people, and seem really happy to have you there, while not overwhelming you in the process.
The only problem? Because of the people, the setting and even the wines themselves, they may actually run low from time to time on some vintages. Understandable for a small operation, but still a shame!