Iron Gate Farms Winery

After our weekend in Winston-​Salem, the boyfriend and I randomly picked a winery along the way home to try out, and we picked Iron Gate. The winery is way out in the middle of nowhere, but the area to relax and the tasting room where really cute. The lady that lead the wine tasting was friendly. The wine tasting was 7– and we sampled a lot of wines, I think it was around 12. It was a good variety of whites, reds, and sweets. They also sell locally produced non-​alcoholic ciders and I was able to sample those as well. This was definitely one of the wine tastings with the most variety we’ve been on and highly recommend Iron Gate, especially if you like wines on the sweet side.

If you are doing the Haw river wine trail — Iron Gate should be first on your list — best tasting experience around — $ 5 for over 12 wines, they allow you to taste all their product — the person doing the tasting was fantastic, even gave a quick tour on the way to the tasting room. Nice outdoor seating to enjoy a glass/​bottle of wine. Will be back.

Absolutely fabulous experience!
My husband and I went there last Saturday, April 26. It was our first stop of the Piedmont Farm Tour. First we were taken on a hay ride around the beautiful farm by the owners, who were so nice! Then we were led down to the tasting room where we sampled several wines, at least ten different kinds. All the wines were tasty but we decided Carolina Gold and the blackberry were our favorite. We bought both and some local cheese and bread they had available. The nice ladies at the counter put our cold bottle of Carolina Gold in an ice bucket and gave us two glasses. We sat out on the patio that overlooked the vineyards and enjoyed our treats. It was a wonderful experience. We will be going back soon to enjoy the live music on the patio!

This was the third stop on a recent Saturday wine tasting day. Mrs. B had been here previously a few years back and wasn’t all that impressed with the wine. She wasn’t necessarily interested in going again, but since I hadn’t been she was willing to go.
Once we got there we had to wait a couple of minutes for a tasting to finish up after which we were given the facility tour on the way to the tasting room. It looked like they usually have a decent amount of folks based upon the large U-​shaped table setup, but the rain must have kept the crowd down this weekend.
We got to try a good number of their wines. I don’t remember the exact amount, but it was in the 10 – 12 range. I wasn’t sure what to expect based on Mrs. B’s description from her previous visit, but apparently something changed since then. Maybe it was just a bad year she tried last time, but Mrs. B agreed that these were all very good. So good that we left with about three bottles in tow.
The staff were all very friendly and informative. All in all it was a very nice stop and pleasant surprise. They have a nice outdoor area which would have been nice to enjoy as well had it not been so rainy and late in the day. Maybe next time.

We visited this winery on ⁷⁄₅ since we were doing the Haw River Wine Trail. When we
arrived, we went in and found the tasting room to be very small. There was a group of
people leaving (who wanted to stick around and talk about where else they had been.
yada yada yada) When we were able to get to the bar, some one slapped a wine list
in front of us and never looked our way. She told someone they were out of their
souvenir wine glasses (this must be an on going issue with them — see earlier rewiew
from another disappointed visitor from 2011) and were tasting in PAPER CUPS! They didn’t even have regular wine glasses. I told my friend I thought I would forego the tasting and let her taste as I didn’t want to pay $ 5 and not get the glass since that is
part of the experience.
About that time a couple comes in with a kid about 5 years old and boy did she need a nap. My friend (a schoolteacher who has a better tolerance of children than I do and
it was at this point that she decided she didn’t want to taste either) We left as did the
couple who came in right after us. Who in the world would bring a child to a wine
room? Were both parents tasting & driving, and how many other wineries had they
been to that day?
We were never greeted nor looked at by either one of the two women running the show
and the fact that a lack of wine glasses seems to be a pattern with them, I will not ever
bother to go back and won’t recommend this winery to my friends.
Next time, back to the Yadkin Valley wineries. They are always happy to see you and
the wines are better.

The earlier negative review from Nikki K. truly surprises me, as I visited Iron Gate recently and had nothing short of a fantastic experience.
From the moment my group of friends and I walked through the winery’s doors we were met with smiles and warm greetings. We were then taken on a short tour of the winery’s indoor facilities (with the tour guide even waiting to begin the tour as an individual in my party used the restroom), and were then seated at a table in a rather large tasting room. This tasting room (and the winery in general) has a very rustic country type of vibe. For the $ 5 tasting, we were treated to 13 different wines (I can’t complain about that!), and the woman who hosted our sampling was informative and gracious. She was also quite patient, which says something since my group was coming here from another winery and some people were clearly feeling the effects of those prior wines. She spoke of the winery’s history as we sipped our wines and playfully redirected us when we got a bit too loud.
I won’t lie – some of the wines were far from fantastic. However, they were all drinkable and none were horrible. Personally, my favorites were the Rustic Blooming (a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ blend of Niagra and Chambourcin), the Flue Fire (a ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ blend of Niagra and Carlos), and the Christmas Red (a primarily sangiovese blend that tasted of cranberries). During the tastings, we indulged in some cheese and crackers bought from the small shop in the front of the winery, and let me say that these foodstuffs were more than reasonably priced considering they could charge whatever they please to such a captive audience.
After the tastings, we bought a few bottles of wine and took cheesy photos in the Christmas scenes and sleigh they have set up in the front during this holiday season. All in all, it was a fantastic time despite the fact that we visited on a rainy, overcast day. I would have definitely enjoyed partaking in the ample outdoor seating and walking around the property’s pond if the weather had permitted.
If you’re willing to drive out to what is even a remote area for Mebane, I believe Iron Gates is worth a visit. Oh, did I mention that the proceeds of some of their wine sales go to local charitable organizations? That’s a fact.

For $ 5 you get a tasting of 14 wines (wow!). I had no idea what to expect from a NC winery but I must say they had some great wines in there. We ended up buying a few bottles to bring back home to DC. No it’s not Napa but it was still some very good wines and interesting to taste grapes grown in the region. Staff was very friendly and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a laid back afternoon who may be in the area.

Went to this tasting on November 3, 2012, and we had a real nice time. We were given several different wines to taste and a tour through the winery. Although, on a small scale, but very quaint. Person giving the wine tasting was very knowledgable and friendly. Very nice experience, I ended up buying three bottles of wine. They gave me a recipe for a wine punch, which is delicious. We were also given two monogramed wine glasses for free. Would definitely recommend to wine lovers.

We ended up here by fluke and it was well worth it! We got there right after they were opening and they welcomed us in with open arms. After a tour of their facility, we were lead down to the tasting area by Patty. She was such a delight!!! Personable, and a wealth of information. The tasting is the complete list of their wines with a balanced mixture of sweet and dry. We ended up purchasing one bottle and going outside for their entertainment. The entertainment was wonderful that day! I’ve never seen my husband so relaxed! I recommend going and trying! Sit out on the patio and soak in the sunshine!

This place suffers from an undesirable location and a rinky-​dink facility. It’s not conveniently located, and I had to drive through a few seedy areas to get to it. At first I was charmed by its exterior, with a big outdoor sitting area, but the tasting room inside resembled the multipurpose room at my church — long rows of folding tables covered with cheap vinyl tablecloths, folding chairs, and water served in paper cups. The wine itself wasn’t that great, either. I liked maybe 4 out of the 12 we tried. They don’t even serve the little crackers like you’d get at a proper tasting to cleanse the palate. They had also run out of souvenir glasses, which I was supposed to get as part of my Living Social deal, but it’s probably for the best since I’d rather forget ever going there. For a classier experience, a better location, and better wine, try Stonefield Cellars.