Round Peak Vineyards

The Location, Setting, Land, and Market Area:

Round Peak Vineyards (RPV) enjoys an easily accessible setting nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, and is the northernmost vineyard-winery in the renowned Yadkin Valley AVA and sits at an average elevation of 1,300 ft. ASL—a very desirable “therma-clime” for wine-grape vineyards which helps maintain healthier plants, and production of higher quality fruit year after year than vineyards at lower elevations in NC.  The vineyard and the winery property comprises about 29 +/- acres overall.

The site elevation and the westward orientation of the covered patio at the main winery/tasting room building ensures that RPV guests can enjoy spectacular views of the Blue Ridge Mountains—especially at sunset, where almost every evening there is a magnificent light display as the sun goes down over the majestic Blue Ridge, and enjoyed all the better with a glass of delicious Round Peak wine in hand!

RPV is located just a couple of miles from the Virginia border, and only 12 miles from the historic and scenic Blue Ridge Parkway and the Blue Ridge Music Center.   It’s also just a few miles outside of the historic town of Mt. Airy, NC—the home of actor Andy Griffith and believed to be the inspirational basis for the fictional town of “Mayberry”, the setting of the TV shows The Andy Griffith Show, and Mayberry RFD.  The community holds an annual “Mayberry Days” celebration during the last weekend of September and it attracts nearly 50,000 visitors each year.  Also, held on the second weekend in October each year, the Autumn Leaves Festival attracts over 200,000 people to the city during the festival weekend—and many of those visitors make it a point to visit RPV during both these fall events.

RPV is very conveniently located just 1.8 miles of off I-77 (main north-south artery) and just 4 miles off of I-74 (main east-west artery) making it within an easy 60 to 90 minute drive (major highways, no back roads) of many of North Carolina’s prime metropolitan and tourist destinations as follows:

• • Winston-Salem 46 miles to the southeast
  • Statesville 50 miles to the south
  • Greensboro 73 miles to the southeast
  • Lake Norman 75 miles to the south
  • Hickory 80 miles to the southwest
  • Boone/Blowing Rock 75 miles to the southwest
  • Charlotte 90 miles to the south

Also related to RPV location identification, and ease of accessibility from major roadways, the sale will include 8 existing “NC Wineries” signs for RPV located both north and southbound on I-77, northbound on I-74, and at the bottom of each exit ramp, as well as both east and westbound on NC Rt. 89.

The Vineyard, the Winery, and the Wines:

The first vines were planted in 2000, and the total “under vine” acreage now consists of about 12 acres—planted with carefully selected varietals which are well-suited to the vineyard site and, over the years, the varietals of grapes that are planted have been updated based on what grows, yields, and sells well in the region.  Varietals that have not done well based on those factors, have been replaced.  The varietals, approximate acreage of each, and the year planted are as follows:

• • Chardonnay ~1.0 AC  2000
  • Cabernet Franc ~1.2 AC  2000
  • Cab. Sauvignon ~1.0 AC  2000
  • Merlot ~1.5 AC  2000
  • Nebbiolo ~1.0 AC  2000
  • Montepulciano ~0.8 AC  2010
  • Petit Verdot ~1.0 AC  2012  (0.7 producing; 0.5 new planting in 2021)
  • Tannat ~1.0 AC  2016  (0.7 producing; 0.4 new planting in 2021)
  • Vidal Blanc ~1.0 AC  2018
  • Petit Manseng ~1.0 AC 2021
  • Norton/Cynthiana ~1.1 AC  2010, 2017, 2021 (~0.6 normal, 0.5 comprises deer fence)

Typical overall annual tonnage in a normal year from the above varietals is in the range of 2.0 to 3.5 tons per acre, depending on the overall season and the varietal.  The exception to the foregoing is the Vidal Blanc (now yielding ~5 tons per acre) and which is expected to yield 6 to 8 tons per acre starting in 2023 (its first full production year).

Current actual wine production has been in the range of 1,000 to 2,000 cases per year, with enough capacity in the winery to produce about 3,000 to 5,000 cases annually.

RPV has also established a “custom crush” wine-making business—whereby other vineyard owners deliver their harvested wine grapes to RPV to be made into finished wine.  If available, RPV grapes may also be utilized to augment the grape harvest from the other client vineyards.

Overall vineyard operations are also supported by existing general use structures located in the vineyard area, consisting of an equipment shed, a chemical shed, and a fenced-in dog kennel area.

Throughout the years, RPV has received numerous awards for their various wines (Double Gold, Gold, Silver & Bronze) from a wide variety of local, regional and international wine competitions—including the Finger Lakes International Wine Competition, the Mid-Atlantic Wine Competition, the Southern Seaboard Wine Competition, and the North Carolina State Fair Wine Competition, and the NC Fine Wines Competition—which is considered the most prestigious locally.

RPV wines are also routinely submitted to and approved by the NC Quality Alliance Program which speaks to RPV’s commitment to producing quality estate wines (see

https://www.ncwinegrowers.com/qap_about.php).

The full array of RPV’s outstanding wines and other beverage selections can be seen on their website using this link:  https://www.roundpeak.com/our-wines/

The Main Building with Tasting Room and Production Winery & Property Amenities:

The focal point of RPV is the primary tasting room and winery structure, which was built in 2003 and consisted of a total of 6,454 SF on two levels.  A 500 SF addition of a “patio room” for private events (with small storage space for patio related items) was constructed in 2011 bringing the total usable space to ~7,000 SF.  This structure includes the Tasting Room (~1,000 SF), an expansive, covered, all-season patio overlooking the vineyards (with sunset views included), the Production Winery & Lab area, Barrel Room, Wine Storage Room, Conference Room, and a second Brewery/Winery Production area, and a basement Garage/Equipment Storage Room.

As can be seen from the many accompanying photos, the furnishings and fitments in the Tasting Room facilities are extremely well-done and definitely enhance the casual enjoyment of wine by RPV’s customers.  The production areas are also quite spacious, well laid out, and support efficient wine-making operations.

The location and site at Round Peak Vineyards provides a picturesque backdrop for special (private) events such as weddings, rehearsal dinners, receptions, bridal showers, reunions, birthdays, anniversaries, graduation parties, corporate events, and more.  In addition to the covered patio area at the Tasting Room, other facilities include a Gazebo structure, a separate Meeting/Event Room, an outdoor Fire Pit area, large grassy areas capable of accommodating party tents of nearly all sizes, and there is also an ability to park hundreds of personal vehicles in connection with these special events.

RPV also has a very popular and well laid out 18-hole disc-golf course on the property for use by visitors, and they have hosted many disk-golf tournaments at the vineyard.

Also, RPV has been used to host a wide variety of other types of events—from Campouts, to Music Festivals, to Car Rallies, and to Cross-Country Races.

And, RPV is currently a member of the well-regarded Harvest Hosts program, which supports RV travel with “dry space” overnight parking availability for self-contained RVs at various vineyards, wineries, craft breweries and similar properties.  In return, the host businesses are supported with RV guest purchases of wine, beer, and other available items.

In 2022, the Harvest Host program will generate over $20K in top line revenue ($16K in 2021) as well as a huge amount of free publicity via Harvest Host reviews and sharing with friends of the “stay” guests.  RPV will finish 2022 with 350 to 400 stays and, with a modest amount of effort to create more parking spaces, the number of stays could grow significantly.

Recommended Future Plans and Potential for New Ownership to Consider:

1. Aggressively ramp up online and social media advertising of RPV as a wedding and other special events venue (as there is currently minimal promotion) and invest accordingly as follows:

• Build a gazebo in the grass between the winery and the Chardonnay vines as an alternate site for weddings and/or for musicians to set up and play from.
• Consider constructing a new, larger tasting room based on architectural drawings that owners can make available which were completed in connection with the 2011 addition—but did not ultimately include the tasting room expansion.
• Build another covered patio on the NW side of the winery building (sunset side) for use by visitors when the current covered patio is in use by a large group, and/or for small events.  Initial meetings with the contractor have been completed, and part of this project could also provide an upgrade to the current “2nd production room” to also be used as an indoor event room in conjunction with this new covered patio.
• Also, as part of the above project the area under the new patio, which is where the current basement equipment room is located, will become a covered storage area for all of vineyard equipment currently located in the shed (in the center of the vineyard).
• Convert the existing farm shed into an indoor/outdoor event space for smaller events/weddings (utilize the current gazebo for ceremonies).  This would include extending the current overhang all the way around the shed, adding heaters & an A/C unit to provide partial heating/cooling to the indoor area, and adding a bathroom and kitchenette area for caterers to prepare & serve food.  There is ample potential parking in this area.

2. The adjacent properties have been zoned as “conditional use” to allow for up to 13 rental cabins.  As noted previously, there is significant demand for smaller cabins designed for 2-4 person occupancy.  This would provide the benefit of additional rental income, winery income, and as an important selling point to help drive wedding events bookings.  The currently contemplated plan calls for a “tiny” cabin approach of ~100 to 400 SF to keep the capital investment at a reasonable level.  Also, it is the current owners’ understanding that 3 cabins may share 1 well and septic system.

3. Continue the aggressive “restart” of the RPV Wine Club to reap the revenue benefits of recurring “built-in” quarterly sales.  Other area wineries make a significant bulk of their top line wine revenue through their Wine Clubs and with the right focus and attention the same can be done at RPV.

 Offering Summary:

Round Peak Vineyards is a superbly well-located and highly-rated integrated vineyard-winery and events venue—producing superior quality wines and providing a wonderful setting for the casual enjoyment of wine, special events, recreation, and overnight accommodations (with the optional cabins Bundle)—all highlighted by the majestic views (and spectacular sunsets!) of the Blue Ridge Mountains to the west.

All of the “heavy lifting” of establishing the vineyards, building and upgrading the tasting room and winery building, and providing special events capabilities has been done—it’s now ready for new ownership to build on that strong foundation and contribute to the next level of success for RPV through their own unique blend of  ideas, energy, and commitment to excellence!

According to TripAdvisor.com, Round Peak is listed as the #7 thing to do in Mt. Airy, well above any other winery or brewery!

For More Information Contact
Robin Weant
Cell: 336-407-3033 Email: Robinfweant@gmail.com