Elkin Creek Vineyard

The Location, Terroir, and Relevant Market:

Elkin Creek Vineyard is located in the heart of the Yadkin Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area) which is well-recognized as the prime, and most desirable AVA in all of North Carolina.  Recognized among regions such as Napa and Sonoma for its important winegrowing qualities, this AVA is unique and one of the most valuable winegrowing regions on the East Coast.  It boasts a superb combination of sun, soil, and beneficial micro-climate making it very similar to the renowned winegrowing regions of Old World Europe.  Please click this link to explore the Yadkin Valley Wine Country, and all it has to offer:

http://www.yadkinvalleywinecountry.com/

The Yadkin Valley Area anchored by the historic and charming downtown Elkin is only about a 2 hour drive from nearly 7 million people in the most dynamic and vibrant Metropolitan Statistical Areas of North Carolina as follows:

• Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia MSA   2.7 Million
• Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point   1.7 Million
• Raliegh-Durham-Cary   2.0 Million
• Asheville-Marion-Brevard   0.5 Million

Moreover, the economic demographics of these MSAs represent some of the highest overall educational and income levels in the entire Mid-Atlantic, which translates to high levels of discretionary spending on entertainment and hospitality related activities such as touring, lodging,  special events, festivals, and food & beverage outside the home.

If the drive time circle from Elkin is expanded to just 8 hours, the relevant population within easy reach by automobile rises to about 10 million.

There are currently 67 operating wineries in the Yadkin Valley, providing significant and varied visitation opportunities for the wine tourist.  And this winery “critical mass” when combined with the full panoply of other opportunities for relaxation (dining, shopping, B&Bs, festivals, special events) and recreation (walking trails, paddling, area parks) in the Yadkin Valley area—makes for a very compelling and attractive tourism draw.

The Land, Vineyard and Related Features:

Elkin Creek Vineyard is situated on 38.1 acres (in 4 contiguous parcels), and just a little over 4 miles from historic downtown Elkin and at the confluence of the Big Elkin Creek and the Grassy Creek.

There are approximately 14 acres of vineyard area with 5 acres currently under trellis, and 3 of those acres producing wine grapes.  The average elevation of the vineyard area is about 1,050 ft. above sea level which is an optimal “therma-clime” for the production of wine grapes.  The planted varietals (of about 1 acre each) are Cabernet Sauvignon, Sangiovese, and Merlot.  Elkin Creek also sources additional varieties from nearby vineyards within the Yadkin Valley AVA, and the current wine offerings include:  Chardonnay, Viognier, Sangiovese, Chambourcin, Dornfelder, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, as well as several interesting white and red blends.

The winery structure overlooks the Big Elkin Creek, the Grassy Creek, and the century old Elkin Creek Mill—which is the historic “heart” of this magnificent property.  There is approximately 3,000 feet of scenic creek-front—with a waterfall, wadeable or walkable creek bed rock formations, and an extensive sandy “beach” area for picnics and informal, relaxed gatherings “creek-side”.

At the confluence of the Big Elkin and Grassy Creeks, there is a rustic arbor constructed of tree branch material from the property, and it is a favorite site for wedding ceremonies given the natural surroundings and the back-drop of the confluence of two streams joining to become one—a timeless and universal marriage theme.

The Structures and Related Facilities:

The Tasting Room/Restaurant/Winery & Barrel Cellar

This architecturally distinctive and appealing structure was built in 2001 with a view toward having it blend in with the historic mill site setting, and that objective was achieved in dramatic fashion!

The upper level serves as both a tasting room and restaurant area in support of the available wood-fired pizza and other small-dish selections on the winery menu.  This upper level has approximately 2,500 square feet and is rated to accommodate 50 persons seated or standing under normal operating conditions.

The soaring ceiling beams and trusses lend an inspiring feel to this level, and provides a great ambiance that encourages the “casual enjoyment of wine and food” by the winery guests in such a setting—an important goal for today’s estate winery visitor, and a feeling which keeps them coming back to Elkin Creek!

The centerpiece of the commercial kitchen is the wood-fired brick oven which produces a steady stream of custom made pizzas every Sunday when Elkin Creek features made-to-order, brick oven pizzas to accompany their wine selections.   Customers are encouraged to their specialty pizzas or build their own just the way they want it.  Dough is hand-made each week, and each pizza is hand-crafted for each customer order.  Throughout the year, Elkin Creek also hosts wine release and pairing dinners, as well as special guest-chef experiences— and all are very well-attended and eagerly anticipated by their loyal customer base, as well as by new visitors.

The lower level of this building contains a fully equipped production winery with the capacity to produce up to 3,000 cases of wine annually.  Current production is running in the range of 1,500 cases annually.  The wine cellar barrel room is quite spacious and efficient, being dug well into the surrounding earth on three sides.  It is currently about evenly divided for barrel storage and cased wine storage.  The half of the cellar currently storing barrels can accommodate up to 36 barrels with a single layer; or 72 barrels if stacked with a second layer.  In either configuration, there is still ample space for cased goods storage in the cooled cellar area.  A complete list of winery related equipment is available on request.

Just outside of the lower level winery there is also a crush-pad and grape processing area with lighting and power available.

Outdoor Special Events Pavilion

Located near the lower vineyard perimeter and just steps away from the Tasting Room/Restaurant/Winery building, is a covered outdoor pavilion of 2.300 square feet.  It is very well constructed and provides a farm-like, rustic outdoor facility that blends well with the farm-winery venue.  It can accommodate up to 130 persons seated for reception dinners and approximately 300 persons for stand-up events under normal operating conditions.  The pavilion is well-lit and has power available for recorded music, live bands, video presentations, and other needs.  It is also handicap accessible.

Future Possibilities:

The current owners have been conscientious stewards of the property and all of its elements and have made numerous additions, improvements and refinements over the years.  Yet, in looking to the future, they have also identified a number of future projects and undertakings that in their well-informed opinion could add even more valuable elements to the overall enterprise as follows:

• Make the Mill a museum and walking tour. (It is already placed on the National Register of Historic Places)
• Convert Mill-house (currently a residence) into functional enterprise space (Tasting room, Special events space, lodging, etc.)
• Expand vineyard acreage up to 9 more acres to increase wine production
• Extend porch around the back of tasting room towards the creek,  and provide second doorway through wall
• Expand lower level wine production area over current crush pad for more production space or storage (Pour new crush pad behind the expansion)
• Establish additional parking lot near tractor shed area, and make road change to optimize traffic flow
• Build terraced decks overlooking creek waterfall feature beside the mill
• Establish a cabins common area (covered shelter, picnic tables, grill, fire pit)
• Add RV pads near cabins (extend cabin road, power, and water to allow A class campers)
• Build another winery production building closer to the road to increase capacity
• Return tasting room to an active restaurant (possibly lease to a chef)
• Build additional cabins or retreat center atop vineyard hill in far corner of property
• Use natural amphitheater to establish a live performance venue in the hollow on Grassy Creek side of the property

In Summary:

Elkin Creek Vineyards is truly a multi-faceted  hospitality destination offering not just a vineyard setting and great wines for visitors to enjoy—but also gourmet food, relaxing overnight accommodations, special events capabilities and, of course, the scenic and serene creek-side natural area.  All of this taken together with the historic mill site setting combines to make for a compelling and attractive business opportunity in the Yadkin Valley AVA, the premier wine region of North Carolina.

The integrated hospitality business model used by current ownership has produced consistently profitable results—setting this offering apart from the vast majority of smaller scale integrated vineyards-wineries in both North Carolina and Virginia.

The owners have devoted many years to developing and building up this integrated business with a passion that shines through and truly makes this property and offering a special one—rarely to be duplicated.  Yet, with the desirable location and facilities in place, there remains much potential to continue the growth and development of this enterprise—it just awaits your energy, drive, vision, and commitment to excellence!

And, finally, here’s just a sampling of what people are saying about their Elkin Creek Vineyard experiences:

A wonderful cabin with a bonus of tasting wines at the same property!  – “Arrived late in the afternoon and checked in at the vineyard tasting room for our one night stay at a cabin on the property. Enjoyed chatting with the owner and my husband and I each enjoyed a wine tasting while we talked for a great price of $8. We were very happy with our cabin. It was spacious, comfortably furnished with a very large bathroom and full kitchen. The gas fireplace was a nice addition. There was a back porch with a swing, chairs and table and you could hear the creek running behind the cabin. We were quite comfortable there and it was quiet and peaceful.”

Great wine and pizza  – “Went today for Father’s Day and the pizza and wine are out of this world. Came home with a bottle of Soft Wine and a Cab. Great job handing all the pandemic requirements. Great outdoor venue and nice walk by the creek. Will definitely be back.”

Asking Price:  $3,795,000 (Excluding Wine Inventory)
Proof/Source of Funds letter required for showings

PLEASE NOTE:  Owner financing of some portion of the Purchase Price may be considered for well-qualified Buyers, and the parameters of any such owner financing will be dependent upon the overall strength of any Offer to Purchase and the accompanying Proof/Source of Funds statement(s) provided by recognized third-party financial institutions.