Travel Guides Couples Wedding And Honeymoon
Lexi Kassler
What better way to celebrate your upcoming nuptials than with a weekend in beautiful wine country surrounded by your closest friends? Whether you’re a wine connoisseur or just looking for an excuse to pop open some bubbly with your besties, a winery weekend celebration is the perfect way to toast your upcoming journey with your soon-to-be spouse. So gather your closest friends and family and head off to the vineyards to spend a few days exploring different wineries and tasting a variety of wines.
But before you go, you need to decide where is the best place to go for your special weekend. Well, while you could go to Napa, why not do something a little different and head to the East Coast for the ultimate bachelorette party? From the Finger Lakes to the Blue Ridge Mountains, here are five East Coast spots perfect for sipping red, white, bubbly, and everything in between.
New England region
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Despite its fame as a New England destination, Martha’s Vineyard is not the best place to find great wineries since there are actually no vineyards or wineries there. However, that doesn’t mean New England doesn’t have its fair share of wineries to explore and party it up on your bachelorette weekend.
In fact, Newport, Rhode Island has it all — beautiful coastline, that quaint small-town feel, and wineries with stunning views of rolling green hills covered with vines. The best time to visit is going to be between the late spring and early autumn when the vines are at their greenest. Newport also hosts summer and autumn wine festivals where you can enjoy the local wine culture, listen to some music, and eat great food.
Having a winter wedding but still want to do some wine tasting for your hen party? Head to Connecticut to discover their Winter Wine Trail. The Connecticut Winter Wine Trail Passport Program runs from January to April and offers both newcomers and wine experts alike the opportunity to discover the best of Connecticut wine while enjoying the surrounding winter wonderland.
Blue Ridge Mountains region
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The Blue Ridge Mountains are an idyllic setting for a bachelorette winery weekend. With dozens of wineries scattered throughout the region, you and your girls can spend days tasting amazing wines while taking in views of rolling hills, lush forests, and beautiful waterfalls.
The most well-known wine country in the Blue Ridge Mountains is Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley. Here you’ll find upscale wineries with beautiful terrace spaces where you and your friends can enjoy some of the East Coast’s best wines while also getting to appreciate the local natural wildlife and historical sites.
Head down to Georgia next to get not just the best peaches but also enjoy wine from the region’s newly recognized Dahlonega Plateau, also known as the Heart of Georgia Wine Country. In this area of the Blue Ridge Mountains, you’ll find a fabulous wine trail that features incredible wineries, vineyards, and tasting rooms with many that offer guests resort-like lodgings and luxury amenities.
Finger Lakes region
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Love a good Riesling or Gewürztraminer? Head to the Finger Lakes in New York, touted as being the most underrated wine region on the East Coast. The Finger Lakes make up their own American Viticultural Area (AVA), comprised of Canandaigua Lake, Keuka Lake, Seneca Lake, and Cayuga Lake. With almost 150 wineries to choose from in one of the prettiest places in the US, you will have no shortage of wine to taste and activities to do for your bachelorette weekend. And while the area is a fabulous place to visit most times of the year, you may want to consider heading there in Autumn when the trees turn stunning shades of red, gold, and orange!
For the best Rieslings, head to Hermann J. Wiemer in the Seneca Lake area. If you and your crew are real wine connoisseurs you could also check out Dr. Konstantin Frank, the legacy of a Ukrainian winemaker who is credited with changing the winemaking world not just in the Finger Lakes but in the whole country.
Mid-Atlantic region
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Though the Mid-Atlantic is better known for brewing hops than fermenting grapes, this region shouldn’t be overlooked. New Jersey’s Atlantic County is especially well-known for producing stellar wines while also giving wine lovers easy access to a variety of activities to fill their days between sips. There are a number of stunning beaches where you and your friends can bring your new favorite wines to sip and enjoy the sun and surf. If you’re looking for something more active to do, you can also hit the top-notch golf courses in the area, too. Head to the Renault Winery, one of the oldest wineries in the state, that produces an American-style champagne!
Pennsylvania is an unexpected but delightful addition to the list of incredible wine regions on the East Coast. The state boasts several wine trails to explore with a history of wine making going back to the 1600s! The most popular wine trails include the Hershey Harrisburg trail with 15 wineries spread across several counties each with their own unique offerings that go above and beyond the normal wine tasting experience. Another wine trail to consider is the Susquehanna Heartland Wine Trail, which includes 16 wineries that grow their grapes in unique soil conditions that produce some amazing award-winning wine. Plus, you can have fun with your friends trying to spell Susquehanna (and Gewürztraminer too) at the end of your wine tour.
Great Lakes region
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Wineries in the Great Lakes offer unquenchable proof that humanity can grow just about anything (but especially wine grapes) anywhere! You might find it hard to believe that a region with sub-zero winter temperatures could be suitable for growing wine, but head to Niagara Falls, Ontario and you’ll find over 50 wineries that have done just that. This makes the region one of the most unique wine-tasting experiences in North America (and where you can taste some of the best ice wines in the world). At Peller Estates, you can try this unique varietal in their very own igloo bar, the 10Below Icewine Lounge.
Michigan is also a fantastic Great Lakes wine region (yes, we’re pushing the boundaries of “East Coast” here) with plenty of wineries to visit. Explore the Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail, where you’ll get to choose from 20 incredible vineyards that grow on this unique peninsula. Plus, it’s a nice change from the hustle and bustle of city life since here you will find a small-town vibe, beautiful clear lakes and wildlife, and a variety of scenic views from rolling green hills to farmland, and of course vineyards, too.
