Mountain vineyards say it's wine time again
Many Western North Carolina wineries are struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene's damage
The following article appeared in the June 20, 2025, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
Western North Carolina’s 60+ wineries have largely reopened but are facing fewer visitors and steep repair bills; ‘We’re here — come visit’
The bridge leading from N.C. 105 to Vineyard Lane, giving customers access to Grandfather Vineyard & Winery’s tasting room near Banner Elk, was destroyed by Helene. (Photo submitted by Dylan Tatum)
by Rachel Black
Nestled in the Watauga River Valley, two and a half hours northwest of Charlotte, Grandfather Vineyard & Winery near Banner Elk is a getaway for its customers.
Grapes thrive in the prime location, and visitors enjoy the view of the Blue Ridge Mountains from the outdoor seating area with a glass of wine as their kids wade in the river. But on Sept. 27 last year, Hurricane Helene hit Grandfather Vineyard hard, like many other places in Western North Carolina.
Its bridge, which connects the main road to the tasting room, was destroyed when the river flooded. Its most in-demand outdoor seating section was also damaged.
Dylan and Nicole Tatum, the husband-and-wife duo who run the business together with Dylan’s parents as owners, evacuated and reopened a month later, after replacing their bridge with a temporary walking bridge. Last month, repairs on the damaged outdoor seating section were completed.
But nine months after the storm, the real detriment to reopened Western North Carolina vineyards and wineries like the Tatums’ could be the continued lack of customers.
“Even today, some people still believe that it’s just a complete disaster area up here,” Dylan Tatum said. “We’re trying to put the word out there that the High Country is back open.”
The storm damaged many local wineries and vineyards in Western North Carolina, with one, Pleb Urban Winery in Asheville, completely washed away. Like Grandfather Vineyard, others were closed for at least all of October — the wine industry’s busiest month.
The fall is the end of wineries’ busy season, which begins in May. The months after Helene would have been slower regardless, especially for the wine industry, but Helene severely hurt tourism. Now, wineries and vineyards are trying to financially recover not only from the cost of repairs, but also from lost profits.
Home to around 200 wineries, North Carolina is ranked within the top 10 states in wine production nationwide, according to the N.C. Department of Agriculture. Western North Carolina alone has around 60, according to Hailey Klepcyk, a member of the N.C. Wine and Grape Council and president of the N.C. Winegrower’s Association during Helene.
While most wineries in other parts of the state, including the Charlotte area, did not face serious damage from Helene, those in Western North Carolina — already an industry hub — were hard-hit. Wineries tend to make their money mainly from their tasting rooms, and many tasting rooms in the region were closed in the storm’s aftermath. To make matters more severe, the wine grape harvest is generally from August to October — within hurricane season.
“Mother Nature really affects the industry as a whole, no matter what’s happening, especially during harvest season,” Klepcyk said. “Most of them [vineyards and wineries] have made repairs or temporary repairs that allow them to be open, but currently there’s not as much tourism as we’d hoped there would be. I hope everyone survives this, but there could be a long-term impact.”
Even Grandfather Vineyard’s walking bridge, while allowing the business to reopen, has not been a reliable fix. Anytime there are a few inches of rain, the walking bridge is washed out, and the vineyard closes. Although repairs on the original bridge have started within the last three weeks — a $600,000 process, as the Tatums’ insurance company did not cover their bridge — it could be late fall before it’s finished. The couple estimates they’ve suffered $1.5 million in damages and lost revenue combined.
“I have a feeling we’ll have to close at least a few more times with just getting rainfall and having the walking bridge washed out,” Nicole Tatum said. “It feels like there’s this constant unknown hangover of never knowing when we’re going to have to close because of the weather.”
A new $464 million funding package for Western North Carolina, which includes $60 million for a grant program for small businesses that have already taken on loans, was passed by the House in May and now awaits approval in the Senate. However, small businesses such as Grandfather Vineyard have faced barriers to federal funding. FEMA focuses on housing disaster relief and redirects aid requests for small businesses to the Small Business Administration — which has withdrawn the Tatums’ loan application to fix their bridge multiple times over the past eight months, leaving them feeling “defeated.” And in the meantime, Klepcyk explained, the area’s vineyards and wineries are still trying to financially recover and “desperately need” tourism.
“They went through a very long period of time without being able to bring in any income, any sales. Just because they’re back open doesn’t mean those months have been made up for,” she said.
About 50 miles southwest of Grandfather Vineyard, Euda Wine sits in the town of Old Fort. The downtown winery was open for less than a year when Helene hit — filling the 4,000-square-foot space with three feet of water and four inches of mud, damaging equipment and the building, and destroying most of their wine. Owners Michael and Abi McGeary, husband and wife, sold bottles of wine online throughout the long cleanup and repair process, but this revenue stream was a trickle compared to profits made in-store. Euda reopened in mid-March.
Owner Michael McGeary during cleanup efforts at Euda Wine in Old Fort, which suffered an estimated $450,000 to $500,000 in damages and lost revenue. “The winery just got absolutely wrecked, but this is just a business and we will rebuild,” the McGearys wrote in an Instagram post. (Photo from @eudawine Instagram)
“There’s nothing like having a tasting room open,” Michael McGeary said. “Sitting for six months trying to get back open — the time of it is really what was hardest to overcome.”
McGeary estimated that Euda faced between $450,000-$500,000 in revenue loss and damages, with equipment replacements being their biggest expense. Euda’s building is an old textile building, making cleanup more difficult.
Although the McGearys were able to secure a Small Business Administration disaster relief loan, as well as a Mountain BizWorks loan and some additional help through grants and community fundraising, the path to financial recovery is still slow.
“Compared to last year, it’s slower,” McGeary said. “I’m from Durham, and I’ll talk to people there, and they’ll imagine that it’s destroyed and they can’t come here. So it’s a message we’re trying to get out there — to the community and the world, even, just, ‘We’re here, come visit.’ It’s pretty amazing how many people think it’s gone.”
After Helene, many small business owners like the Tatums and McGearys directed focus to people in more dire situations, like those who lost their homes. Klepcyk described the Tatums as “selfless” people who “weren’t worried about themselves.” Euda Wine wrote in an Instagram post in the days after the hurricane: “Please seek out organizations to donate to that help the town, county, and wider region.”
Although most immediate needs have been met and the industry has entered its busy season, the region’s local winemakers still need support. The first full season post-Helene will determine a path forward for many wineries and vineyards.
“If you’ve ever wanted to visit Western North Carolina, now is the time,” McGeary said.
Rachel Black is a freelance writer based in the Charlotte area. Reach her at racheltblack123@gmail.com.
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