Best wine I’ve had in the Smokies and I’ve tried a lot of places!! Great service and knowledgeable/kind staff.
Rebekah Williamson
Cassidy was amazing! Her knowledge and advice was truly the best, and she was so personable. She made going to a wine tasting alone, not seem like I was alone at all. Plus, the wines were so good that I ended up joining the wine club! You have to try the black and blue wine! It was my favorite.
Worth the Miles
Hillside Winery offers a genuinely pleasant tasting experience, largely thanks to the staff. Service was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable without being pushy, which goes a long way in a busy tourist area. The standout was the Carnival Delight wine. It is well balanced, flavorful, and easily the most memorable pour of the visit. If you enjoy sweeter or dessert leaning wines, this one is worth stopping in for on its own. The main drawbacks are logistical rather than experiential. The location is a bit awkward to access, with a rough approach and very limited parking, which can be frustrating depending on traffic. As for the rest of the wines, they are good and enjoyable, but not particularly distinctive compared to other wineries in the area. Overall, a solid stop with excellent service and at least one wine that truly shines, held back slightly by location and a lineup that does not fully stand out across the board.
C. Pruitt
The wine tasting was great! We learned how to make warm wine 💕
ktravel
One of the best places to stop on the wine trail! So personable and a wide variety of wines (dry, semi-sweet, sweet).
Kimberly Yacks
Kalan was amazing. One of my favorite wineries.
Samantha Thornton
Kalan was so great! Excellent at explaining each wine and how they’re made, we really enjoyed our wine tasting experience at Hillside Winery!
Danielle M. Parks
This location was amazing! John our guide was knowledge and so friendly. He gave us great advice and we purchased a bottle on his recommendation! The GM Katelyn was also excellent! How do you get great service, products, and experience in one location?! I'll definitely return. I inquired about crackers after the wine and cheese sample and Katelyn gave me complimentary packets for my birthday. We stumbled across this experience but I'm so glad we did! John and Katelyn, thanks for helping make my birthday great camo style!
Tiffany Copertino
We drove an hour & 45 minutes to get here. It was 100% worth the trip!! Our bartender John, did a great job explaining everything & answering all of our questions! We can't wait for our next visit 😁
They promote being pet friendly, but God forbid your dog bark in the winery then they threaten to make you take your dog out on the patio. I will not return there, I will give my business to Mountain Valley Winery as they know how to treat people with their pets. I always gave my business to Hillside but no more after they were so rude to us and it was NOT justified our dog barked a little but not that bad. Don't promote being pet friendly if you are going to threaten people if their dog barks which is their instinct, you can keep your wine won't be back.
Andrea Miller
What would have once been a five star review from me is now a one star review. I’ve waited a little bit to write this so I wasn’t writing it out of a place of raw emotion. First thing’s first - I don’t consider myself a drinker. My husband and I purchased some wine from Hillside for our engagement trip and honeymoon to enjoy privately which was 8 years ago and have maybe purchased here once since then. It’s an extremely rare treat for us. We are local and were recently on a trip (our first overnight trip alone together since our honeymoon even if it was just down the road) and decided to stop by Hillside because it’s a tradition. This visit was a bit more busy than the previous ones but not terribly. I would say there were probably 3-5 people in front of us. Usually when we come we can walk right in without a wait. There was a small line so we decided to check out the merchandise and have a look around. After seeing the front room we tried to excuse ourselves around some folks waiting their turn for a tasting. As we were making our way around them, a woman at the tasting counter immediately scolded me for trying to cut the line. I explained that we were not trying to take anyone’s place in line and that we just wanted to have a look around until it was our turn to purchase what we came there for. I guess because it had been so long since I had been there I wanted to just check things out, see if there was anything new or different just for the fun of it. Taking a look around was never an issue on the previous visits and was encouraged so it didn’t occur to me that it would create an issue. She argued with me that we couldn’t get our own bottle of wine anyway and that it was better to wait our turn for a tasting. I told her we weren’t even interested in tasting anything because we already knew what we wanted but just wanted to look around while waiting our turn. She wasn’t happy. We looked around for a few minutes and during that time I expressed to my husband that I wanted to leave without making a purchase because it hurt my feelings. He insisted we get some because it’s a tradition and something rare and special. We got back into line. When it was our turn the same lady that scolded me scowled at us then pointed us into the direction of a young man with a much more positive and friendly disposition. He offered us tastings and we declined, asked for what we wanted and he went to get it. When he got back to the counter with our purchase he joked that “we were experts” and tried to soften the blow which I appreciated. Maybe the woman was having a bad day of her own. Maybe she was trying to practice crowd control…who knows? There couldn’t have been more than twenty people in there altogether. I’ve managed much worse crowds on jobs. I’m sure most people can relate to having certain experiences at places that stand out to you and become a core memory. I’ve had a few of those experiences here where something funny or endearing was said and it just stays with you. That’s what Hillside was to me. I had never had a bad experience before this trip so it was very shocking. I’m not the type to get embarrassed easily but it was humiliating I think because of how shocking it was. I know the woman doesn’t know me from Adam, but assuming I was trying to cut line (especially with all those eyes there to witness it) was hurtful. I’m the type of person that often feels guilt for holding up a checkout line with a buggy full of groceries. I’m sad because what was a special tradition has been tainted for me. Words stick to my mind like super glue. I don’t forget them. Even if something had to be said I think there was a much more professional way to go about it. Sad to say but my heart is “black and blue” after this encounter because Hillside was such a special place to us. I’m very disappointed, slightly angry and really just sad to have this sinking feeling inside when I think of this place as opposed to the once warm and fuzzy, butterfly, excited feeling it used to bring up in me.
Debbie Shearon
Very nice winery with some wonderful wines - also, they had cheeses & crackers, jams, and lots of wine related acoutrements.
Anthony Ladd
Just wanted something sweet it was pretty good macadam wine.
Repo Dog
Decent wine nice place just to high for the wine like every thing else arounf here now !
JOHN WAS THE BEST !!!!
Best wine I’ve had in the Smokies and I’ve tried a lot of places!! Great service and knowledgeable/kind staff.
Cassidy was amazing! Her knowledge and advice was truly the best, and she was so personable. She made going to a wine tasting alone, not seem like I was alone at all. Plus, the wines were so good that I ended up joining the wine club! You have to try the black and blue wine! It was my favorite.
Hillside Winery offers a genuinely pleasant tasting experience, largely thanks to the staff. Service was friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable without being pushy, which goes a long way in a busy tourist area.
The standout was the Carnival Delight wine. It is well balanced, flavorful, and easily the most memorable pour of the visit. If you enjoy sweeter or dessert leaning wines, this one is worth stopping in for on its own.
The main drawbacks are logistical rather than experiential. The location is a bit awkward to access, with a rough approach and very limited parking, which can be frustrating depending on traffic. As for the rest of the wines, they are good and enjoyable, but not particularly distinctive compared to other wineries in the area.
Overall, a solid stop with excellent service and at least one wine that truly shines, held back slightly by location and a lineup that does not fully stand out across the board.
The wine tasting was great! We learned how to make warm wine 💕
One of the best places to stop on the wine trail! So personable and a wide variety of wines (dry, semi-sweet, sweet).
Kalan was amazing. One of my favorite wineries.
Kalan was so great! Excellent at explaining each wine and how they’re made, we really enjoyed our wine tasting experience at Hillside Winery!
This location was amazing! John our guide was knowledge and so friendly. He gave us great advice and we purchased a bottle on his recommendation! The GM Katelyn was also excellent! How do you get great service, products, and experience in one location?! I'll definitely return. I inquired about crackers after the wine and cheese sample and Katelyn gave me complimentary packets for my birthday. We stumbled across this experience but I'm so glad we did! John and Katelyn, thanks for helping make my birthday great camo style!
We drove an hour & 45 minutes to get here. It was 100% worth the trip!! Our bartender John, did a great job explaining everything & answering all of our questions! We can't wait for our next visit 😁
Restaurantji Recommends
They promote being pet friendly, but God forbid your dog bark in the winery then they threaten to make you take your dog out on the patio. I will not return there, I will give my business to Mountain Valley Winery as they know how to treat people with their pets. I always gave my business to Hillside but no more after they were so rude to us and it was NOT justified our dog barked a little but not that bad. Don't promote being pet friendly if you are going to threaten people if their dog barks which is their instinct, you can keep your wine won't be back.
What would have once been a five star review from me is now a one star review. I’ve waited a little bit to write this so I wasn’t writing it out of a place of raw emotion. First thing’s first - I don’t consider myself a drinker. My husband and I purchased some wine from Hillside for our engagement trip and honeymoon to enjoy privately which was 8 years ago and have maybe purchased here once since then. It’s an extremely rare treat for us. We are local and were recently on a trip (our first overnight trip alone together since our honeymoon even if it was just down the road) and decided to stop by Hillside because it’s a tradition. This visit was a bit more busy than the previous ones but not terribly. I would say there were probably 3-5 people in front of us. Usually when we come we can walk right in without a wait. There was a small line so we decided to check out the merchandise and have a look around. After seeing the front room we tried to excuse ourselves around some folks waiting their turn for a tasting. As we were making our way around them, a woman at the tasting counter immediately scolded me for trying to cut the line. I explained that we were not trying to take anyone’s place in line and that we just wanted to have a look around until it was our turn to purchase what we came there for. I guess because it had been so long since I had been there I wanted to just check things out, see if there was anything new or different just for the fun of it. Taking a look around was never an issue on the previous visits and was encouraged so it didn’t occur to me that it would create an issue. She argued with me that we couldn’t get our own bottle of wine anyway and that it was better to wait our turn for a tasting. I told her we weren’t even interested in tasting anything because we already knew what we wanted but just wanted to look around while waiting our turn. She wasn’t happy. We looked around for a few minutes and during that time I expressed to my husband that I wanted to leave without making a purchase because it hurt my feelings. He insisted we get some because it’s a tradition and something rare and special. We got back into line. When it was our turn the same lady that scolded me scowled at us then pointed us into the direction of a young man with a much more positive and friendly disposition. He offered us tastings and we declined, asked for what we wanted and he went to get it. When he got back to the counter with our purchase he joked that “we were experts” and tried to soften the blow which I appreciated. Maybe the woman was having a bad day of her own. Maybe she was trying to practice crowd control…who knows? There couldn’t have been more than twenty people in there altogether. I’ve managed much worse crowds on jobs. I’m sure most people can relate to having certain experiences at places that stand out to you and become a core memory. I’ve had a few of those experiences here where something funny or endearing was said and it just stays with you. That’s what Hillside was to me. I had never had a bad experience before this trip so it was very shocking. I’m not the type to get embarrassed easily but it was humiliating I think because of how shocking it was. I know the woman doesn’t know me from Adam, but assuming I was trying to cut line (especially with all those eyes there to witness it) was hurtful. I’m the type of person that often feels guilt for holding up a checkout line with a buggy full of groceries. I’m sad because what was a special tradition has been tainted for me. Words stick to my mind like super glue. I don’t forget them. Even if something had to be said I think there was a much more professional way to go about it. Sad to say but my heart is “black and blue” after this encounter because Hillside was such a special place to us. I’m very disappointed, slightly angry and really just sad to have this sinking feeling inside when I think of this place as opposed to the once warm and fuzzy, butterfly, excited feeling it used to bring up in me.
Very nice winery with some wonderful wines - also, they had cheeses & crackers, jams, and lots of wine related acoutrements.
Just wanted something sweet it was pretty good macadam wine.
Decent wine nice place just to high for the wine like every thing else arounf here now !
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