News & Events

It’s going to be an epic four days for wine lovers in the foothills, as “Savor Blowing Rock” returns to North Carolina’s prettiest small town. This year’s celebration will be from May 2 through May 5 and feature “Vintner’s Village” – a grand tasting on Main Street.  You’ll also be able to enjoy an expanded range of demonstrations, seminars, live music, visual arts, and events that showcase the area and its connection to food and drink.

If you’re fortunate enough to own Blowing Rock real estate or you live in the surrounding area, you know that there’s no shortage of interesting things to do and see there even without the added attraction of an event as special as this one.  At The Coves Mountain River Club, we consider ourselves fortunate to be close enough to take advantage of all Blowing Rock has to offer.

Attendees who aren’t local can take advantage of special lodging packages.  You can see all the details online at savorblowingrock.com  Also on the web site, you’ll find a comprehensive description of the many activities scheduled during the four-days of “Savor Blowing Rock”.

On Thursday,  Bennett Larson will talk about the wines of Portugal.  It’s one of many educational seminars to be held at the popular Sunset & Vine wine and cheese shop.  Others set for the same day include a discussion of the Amador vine region of the Shenandoah Valley and a presentation of pairing wine with food.

You’ll want to attend “TASTE!” at the Chelola Resort’s event tent, where you can sample foods from over a dozen High Country restaurants, hear live music and try local wines and craft beers.  And at the Blowing Rock Museum, musician, storyteller, and avid gardener William Ritter will be giving a music and humor-filled talk on the heirloom seeds and old songs he’s collected in North Carolina and beyond.

Friday will bring Danny Sanford, owner of Fine Wine Trading Company, to the Inn at Ragged Gardens to demonstrate the luxury of Riedel glasses and how using one made exclusively for a particular variety enhances the taste of wines.  At Sunset & Vine, Robert Novick of Sour Grapes Distributing will introduce you to the fine wines of Slovenia.  You can learn about the inexpensive Mediterranean-influenced wines produced in Catalonia’s Emporda region, courtesy of Epiphany Wine’s Brian Mockler.  And from winemaker Andrew Murray, hear about Rhône varieties from the Santa Ynez Valley in California.

At the American Legion Hall, don’t miss an incredible art show featuring work by Jacob Daniels and Sir Tom Foolery and a Bodewell wine tasting with Sommelier Jared Seitzer.  When you drink Bodewell wine or purchase an original art piece, you’ll be helping to provide clean water to people around the world.  Witness the power of clean water in one of two showings of the awarding-winning feature film “I Can. I Do.” You’ll want to be part of this inspiring evening!

Also on Friday at Sunset & Vine, you can learn all about the pinot noir grape and the characteristics of the regions where it’s grown and take part in a comparative tasting of wines from around the world.  Phil Doster of Associated Brands will host.  And Anne Prevatte, Fine Wine Manager at Empire Distributing, will guide you through the wine regions of Tuscany.

Saturday, explore the various tastes and styles of rosé with Advanced Sommelier Nick Demos at Sunset & Vine.  You can also attend sessions on the effect of oak on wine and the artisan reds and whites of Italy’s Piedemonte.  The Speckled Trout Restaurant & Bottle Shop will present a showcase of distilled spirits and craft cocktail mixing techniques.  And there’s an outdoor grilling class on the lawn at the Chamber of Commerce.   

That’s a long list.  But believe it or not, there’s even more to “Savor Blowing Rock”.  People from nearby communities, Blowing Rock real estate owners and first-time visitors alike will come away with some great memories and a better perspective on the world’s wines and what makes them special.

If you’re new to the area, we hope you’ll take the opportunity to stop by The Coves Mountain River Club and let us show you how wonderful living here can be.  You don’t have to buy Blowing Rock real estate.  We’re only twenty miles away, with easy access to exciting events like this and all the other many benefits of life in the foothills.

If you’re exploring the area for the first time, ask for our 84 page Complimentary Magazine.