Where History Grows on Trees
About Us
Our Story
Snow Creek Family Farm is a beautiful, small family-owned farm located in Bakersville, NC within the Appalachian High Country AVA at an elevation of around 2,700 feet. The Appalachian High Country AVA is North Carolina’s newest American Viticulture Area. At our farm we specialize in growing hybrid wine grapes and heirloom apples.
Our vineyard
The vineyard is located in Appalachian High Country AVA on the south facing side of a ridge. It faces the majestic Black Mountain Range and offers stunning views of Celo Knob and Mount Mitchell, the highest peak on the east coast. Mitchell County, NC is well known for having some of the richest mineral deposit soil in the country containing numerous varieties of minerals and gemstones such as mica, emerald, aquamarine, quartz, garnet, sapphire, kaolin, and feldspar. The vineyard soil is recognized to have the highly desirable vineyard features such as slope angle, soil composition (Loam – sand 40%, silt 37%, clay 20%), cool morning fog, etc. for growing short and medium season vinifera and hybrid wine grapes.
Our Vines
Our highly promising hybrid vines will be planted as a trial in spring of 2024. With this planting we will explore some very new and unique hybrids. We are working hard to grow several varieties of wine grapes which are well suited for our microclimate. We are still a few years away from producing our wine, however, that time will pass quickly.
Our Orchard
The apple orchard is located northeast facing side of Big Ridge. It faces several beautiful knobs and peaks. The soil in the orchard is similar in composition to our vineyard (Loam – sand 40%, silt 37%, clay 20%). The location of the orchard helps protect the tree from extreme cold, high winds as well as the afternoon summer sun. We believe this environment is perfect for growing apple trees.
Our Apple Trees
We take great pride in our apple orchard where we specialize in growing some of the finest heirloom apples. We currently grow over 20 different varieties (see "The farm blog" for more information). Apples from our trees can be used in many different ways like making cider, apple butter, apple pies, fresh eating, etc. Many of the apple trees we grow originated in North Carolina. Most of our trees were planted in 2021 and are expected to product their first real crop in 2024. We are very excited for the first harvest.