Biltmore Estate Winery Offers A Taste of Europe

Biltmore Estate Winery Offers A Taste of Europe

The most visited winery in the United States isn't located in Napa Valley. It's at Biltmore Estate, where fine food and wine and elegant entertaining have been Vanderbilt traditions since the turn of the century.

With over 900,000 guests annually, the winery offers the opportunity to view fermentation and bottling rooms, stroll through the cellars and, of course, taste the finished product.

The first vineyards were established in 1971 in an area below Biltmore House and behind the greenhouses. After several years of experimenting, William A.V. Cecil, president & owner of Biltmore Estate (and grandson of George Washington Vanderbilt) decided that a winery was a logical extension of his grandfather's intention that the estate be self-supporting.

"Biltmore Estate Wine Company, by national standards, will be a medium size operation," said Cecil. He doesn't foresee the winery becoming a major wine producer. "Our intention is to produce fine wines, not necessarily great quantities of wine," he added. Biltmore Estate wines are available throughout the Southeast.